Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss

[machx]

I think we are miscommunicating with our semantics -

You guys doing fasted workouts - you still sip on BCAA or whey or whatever right before / during your workout, correct?

I've been doing the same and I was not calling this fasted. I make a protein shake and have a sip or two right when I start lifting. When I say I'm not fasted, I really only have like an ounce or two of liquid or food in my stomach when I start lifting. I like the reduced bloat and lightness. Maybe we're doing the same thing but calling it different?

[machx]

Eh, fasted workouts aren't terrible, but if you're performing circuit lifting, I find a load of carbs help.

I've planned my high-carb days around my crossfit workouts. My Pre-WO ritual for this hell workout has been 4 servings of oats+ 6tsp of brown sugar + 2 scoops of choco whey(approx 850 calories) about 3 hours pre-WO. Then an apple about 30 minutes prior to the workout. I've had all my best times/scores after this bad boy, for obvious reasons. It's so f'ing filling and delicious.

crossfit! nice... the only thing difference in our regimines is I'm eating Paleo style.

[caa5000]

yea... a lot of crossfitters live by the paleo diet... I tend to just keeps the carbs a little lower and spike the body every so often with whole grains. a lot of crossfitters (robbwolf) in particular swear by IF.

do you do crossfit in nyc?

[Ted Nugent]

Eh, fasted workouts aren't terrible, but if you're performing circuit lifting, I find a load of carbs help.

I've planned my high-carb days around my crossfit workouts. My Pre-WO ritual for this hell workout has been 4 servings of oats+ 6tsp of brown sugar + 2 scoops of choco whey(approx 850 calories) about 3 hours pre-WO. Then an apple about 30 minutes prior to the workout. I've had all my best times/scores after this bad boy, for obvious reasons. It's so f'ing filling and delicious.

while i do have great energy in a fed state, i can also have comparable energy/endurance in a fasted state. when i do my regular workouts with only a whey shake before i do alot of volume at a high intensity. i think its more of an adaptation and mental issue. but thats just me

I think we are miscommunicating with our semantics -

You guys doing fasted workouts - you still sip on BCAA or whey or whatever right before / during your workout, correct?

I've been doing the same and I was not calling this fasted. I make a protein shake and have a sip or two right when I start lifting. When I say I'm not fasted, I really only have like an ounce or two of liquid or food in my stomach when I start lifting. I like the reduced bloat and lightness. Maybe we're doing the same thing but calling it different?

i think we all understand that were not doing the workouts completely fasted, its just easier to say fasted than semi-fasted-only a protein shake lol. and i like the light feeling having consumed only a little bit of protein, i function awesome on fed workouts with a big meal 60-90min before, but the fat burning affects of "fasted" workouts outweigh the fed workouts.

[bango skank]

I think we are miscommunicating with our semantics -

You guys doing fasted workouts - you still sip on BCAA or whey or whatever right before / during your workout, correct?

I no longer sip BCAA's intra-workout. I still consider it to be fasting w/BCAA's because your body remains in a "fasted state" even with them included.

[double gonad]

How much BCAA do you guys take for your fasted workouts?

For the last several weeks I've been doing a fasted workout each AM Mon - Fri with just 1 scoop of Xtend and 5g of BCAA powder. These workouts are brief (less than 30 minutes) and not very intense as I'm lifting sub-maximal loads.

3x per week in the evening I do a full body workout after a 13 hour fast. About an hour pre-workout I have 1 scoop of Xtend and 5g of BCAA powder. These workouts are full body, last about an hour and I go fast and heavy - there's a lot of intensity. I eat a couple of Atomic Fireballs during my workouts at night (cinnamon jawbreakers), probably around 50 cals from dextrose, but that's it.

So, not sure if this would truly be classified as fasted workouts or not, but I've hit some PR's in the last few weeks with this regimen. I've been doing the evening workouts this way for several months now but only recently added the AM workouts because my motivation level has been extremely high.

[machx]

yea... a lot of crossfitters live by the paleo diet... I tend to just keeps the carbs a little lower and spike the body every so often with whole grains. a lot of crossfitters (robbwolf) in particular swear by IF.

do you do crossfit in nyc?

I want to start crossfitting in NYC but I can't afford it right now I think it's like 150/month or something worth it but I can't do that right now. so I just modify everything and do it at my home gym and mix in a lot of Tabatas for work-related goals I have. Eventually I def wanna join up.

I eat paleo 85% of the time... the weekends I am not so strict about IF or paleo. I'll stop drifting off the topic but..the benefits of Paleo are definitely strong. I don't know what I believe in regards to the fructose argument, but I've been eating 4-5 fruits per day and my energy level has been fantastic. I miss the pasta but I eat it on the weekend when I cheat so I live. Def try it out sometime for a week or something and see how you feel.

[double gonad]

I don't know what I believe in regards to the fructose argument, but I've been eating 4-5 fruits per day and my energy level has been fantastic.

I've increased my fruit intake since being on IF and while cutting and I've dropped a good amount of body fat, probably around 4%, during that time. We're all different and maybe fructose from fruit has detrimental effects for some people but it's certainly not done so for me.

[RealMenDeadLift]

how would id be a genetic issue? (just curious on your opinion) i think it has alot to do with training yourself to do fasted workouts and your bodies adapting to them. i also think it has to do with your bodies natural energy usage, i know kids who need to eat every 2-3 hours or they will be super tired with no energy, on the other hand i can go anywhere from 10-20 hours without food and still crank out an awesome workout. who knows why? lol

How people's bodies differ in metabolizing glucose, but it could also be due to calories and carb intake but if you made those equal(relative to bmr) people would differ in how they feel.

[RealMenDeadLift]

I think we are miscommunicating with our semantics -

You guys doing fasted workouts - you still sip on BCAA or whey or whatever right before / during your workout, correct?

I've been doing the same and I was not calling this fasted. I make a protein shake and have a sip or two right when I start lifting. When I say I'm not fasted, I really only have like an ounce or two of liquid or food in my stomach when I start lifting. I like the reduced bloat and lightness. Maybe we're doing the same thing but calling it different?

yeah I don't consider my workouts fasted I supplement arginine and bcaas and usually a candy bar or something during. Break fast during the workout and then I eat shortly after getting home and showering

[PedalPower]

My workouts thus far while IFing have been fasted. I stop eating at 8:00pm the night before...then drink a few cups of coffee in the morning (no cream/sugar) and then I ride my bike to the gym at 11:00am (only 5 miles) and return home and break my fast with my PWO meal at 1:00pm. I haven't experienced any lack of energy (probably from the caffeine, ha) and have set PRs every workout. The energy is sustained throughout the entire 2 hour workout. It seems that whenever I eat something pre-workout, I get weighted down and also seem to experience more fatigue between sets. I wonder if this has anything to do with the increased catecholamines released during a fasted state. Anyways, unless my LBM decreases or my energy declines, I definitely plan to continue doing these workouts fasted. It works for me.

I am kind of confused though. My biking power has increased noticeably while in the fasted state. When I used to compete, I would feel like a weakling if I went for a ride while hungry. However when riding fasted, I am not hungry and have tons of energy.

[Catchol]

I am kind of confused though. My biking power has increased noticeably while in the fasted state. When I used to compete, I would feel like a weakling if I went for a ride while hungry. However when riding fasted, I am not hungry and have tons of energy.

I find that I can pull some great TTs fasted (did one today: 10.5 mi, 24.2 min, 26 MPH avg, 445 watts), but any time past the 1 hour mark and I really start hitting the wall. I tried to do a half-century on Monday while fasted and thought I was going to die around the 1h 30m mark. So I pulled off, grabbed a king sized Snickers bar and an iced tea, and finished the rest of the miles like they were nothing.

I think fasting is really good for sprint work but I think it's pretty much worthless (or worse, actually harmful) for doing base miles training.

[Catchol]

i think we all understand that were not doing the workouts completely fasted, its just easier to say fasted than semi-fasted-only a protein shake lol. and i like the light feeling having consumed only a little bit of protein, i function awesome on fed workouts with a big meal 60-90min before, but the fat burning affects of "fasted" workouts outweigh the fed workouts.

I lift fasted -- I save the protein for after the workout.

[anth342]

i guess for the fat loss side of things it would work..

[blueboi85]

Hi guys, been camping here for some time before i decided to go on IF. I have the major details ironed out, just need the go ahead sign from the big players here before I start this on 15/06. Goal is to reduce bodyfat whilst maintaining my strength. My workout style is moderately hvy with low reps. e.g. 5x5. 1 Rep Max once every 4 weeks.

Current stats.
Age 24
Wt 218 lbs
Ht 178 cm
BF % 30%

IF Plan.

Pre- workout
10 g bcaa
2 cups black coffee
NO- Shotgun *still thinking about this as I have been training with a FULL stomach for the past 6 months*

Post- workout
500ml root beer
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 lbs ground beef
8 inch wide bread
fries
cheese
tomatoes
lettuce

pic of meal can be found here
* I realised I can't post URL yet*

Pre- Fasting
2 scoops Casein

Supplements
10x ON BCAA tabs
2x ON Casein Protein
10x Olympian Labs Fish Oil
4x Olympian Labs Green Tea Extract
1x NOW ADAM

Lots of plain H2O, coffee and tea throughout the day.


Best Lifts.
Incline DB Chest press 80 lbs x3
Flat DB Chest Press 90 lbs x3
Db Shoulder Press 70 lbs x3
Rack Pulls 450 lbs x3
Cybex Leg Press 540 lbs x5
Cybex Hamstring Leg Press 720 lbs x5

Any kind thoughts or reviews will be much appreciated fellow iron bros.

[machx]

My workouts thus far while IFing have been fasted. I stop eating at 8:00pm the night before...then drink a few cups of coffee in the morning (no cream/sugar) and then I ride my bike to the gym at 11:00am (only 5 miles) and return home and break my fast with my PWO meal at 1:00pm. I haven't experienced any lack of energy (probably from the caffeine, ha) and have set PRs every workout. The energy is sustained throughout the entire 2 hour workout. It seems that whenever I eat something pre-workout, I get weighted down and also seem to experience more fatigue between sets. I wonder if this has anything to do with the increased catecholamines released during a fasted state. Anyways, unless my LBM decreases or my energy declines, I definitely plan to continue doing these workouts fasted. It works for me.

I am kind of confused though. My biking power has increased noticeably while in the fasted state. When I used to compete, I would feel like a weakling if I went for a ride while hungry. However when riding fasted, I am not hungry and have tons of energy.

that's crazy... 2hour workout without even bcaa definitely qualifies as fasted lol.... I don't think I could survive.... but maybe it's mental. I don't have a problem doing cardio fasted but weights I just don't have the drive I do when I've eaten a small piece of fruit. However, the second I eat two pieces of fruit, I feel like a bloated, slow walrus

[Own3r]

Hi guys, been camping here for some time before i decided to go on IF. I have the major details ironed out, just need the go ahead sign from the big players here before I start this on 15/06. Goal is to reduce bodyfat whilst maintaining my strength. My workout style is moderately hvy with low reps. e.g. 5x5. 1 Rep Max once every 4 weeks.

Current stats.
Age 24
Wt 218 lbs
Ht 178 cm
BF % 30%

IF Plan.

Pre- workout
10 g bcaa
2 cups black coffee
NO- Shotgun *still thinking about this as I have been training with a FULL stomach for the past 6 months*

Post- workout
500ml root beer
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 lbs ground beef
8 inch wide bread
fries
cheese
tomatoes
lettuce

pic of meal can be found here
* I realised I can't post URL yet*

Pre- Fasting
2 scoops Casein

Supplements
10x ON BCAA tabs
2x ON Casein Protein
10x Olympian Labs Fish Oil
4x Olympian Labs Green Tea Extract
1x NOW ADAM

Lots of plain H2O, coffee and tea throughout the day.


Best Lifts.
Incline DB Chest press 80 lbs x3
Flat DB Chest Press 90 lbs x3
Db Shoulder Press 70 lbs x3
Rack Pulls 450 lbs x3
Cybex Leg Press 540 lbs x5
Cybex Hamstring Leg Press 720 lbs x5

Any kind thoughts or reviews will be much appreciated fellow iron bros.

2lb of meat sounds a bit much for one meal no?

[caa5000]

i've tried hitting 2 before... but i tell you, not worth it.

[blueboi85]

i've tried hitting 2 before... but i tell you, not worth it.

alright bros. will do some adjustments with the meat intake.

is the root beer and vanilla ice cream acceptable as a dessert since it serves as simple carbs following a workout.

keep the feedback rolling.

cheers

[Ted Nugent]

alright bros. will do some adjustments with the meat intake.

is the root beer and vanilla ice cream acceptable as a dessert since it serves as simple carbs following a workout.

keep the feedback rolling.

cheers

the soda is completely void of any nutrients, your much better off getting some carb rich foods like oats or something. you dont NEED simple carbs postworkout, complex carbs like pasta, rice, oats, bread, will all do fine. theres nothing wrong with ice cream, just dont go stuffing yourself full of sugary foods for the "post-workout carb-rush-insulin-spike nonsense"

[Own3r]

the soda is completely void of any nutrients, your much better off getting some carb rich foods like oats or something. you dont NEED simple carbs postworkout, complex carbs like pasta, rice, oats, bread, will all do fine. theres nothing wrong with ice cream, just dont go stuffing yourself full of sugary foods for the "post-workout carb-rush-insulin-spike nonsense"

No insulinz PWO broski? How you planin on getting teh jacked fibraz? :P

[Ted Nugent]

No insulinz PWO broski? How you planin on getting teh jacked fibraz? :P

lulz. im sticking with mah popcornz post-workout btw this htread is almost at 4500 replies, woohooo!!! haha

[RealMenDeadLift]

^^^^^^^Dont forget your cell tech brah

[Own3r]

^^^^^^^Dont forget your cell tech brah

I can't affor a PCT right now

[blueboi85]

thanks for the advise bros.

reason for such a big meal is because my local restaurant is giving it on the house if anyone could finish such a portion in an hour. including the soda and ice cream.

I will see what i can do for the soda.

Btw, are these supps recommended? I understand they are not found on the leangains website, just want to see what you guys think.

lecithin
ginseng
ginkgo biloba
milk thistle
grape seed extract
digestive enzymes

thanks again

[LeroysAces]

thanks for the advise bros.

reason for such a big meal is because my local restaurant is giving it on the house if anyone could finish such a portion in an hour. including the soda and ice cream.

I will see what i can do for the soda.

Btw, are these supps recommended? I understand they are not found on the leangains website, just want to see what you guys think.

lecithin
ginseng
ginkgo biloba
milk thistle
grape seed extract
digestive enzymes

thanks again

No, none of that stuff. Just some fish oil tabs, a multi-vitamin and the BCAAs will do you just fine.

Are you planning to just eat one big post-workout meal and then the Casein? That type of diet could be tough to maintain long-term. Best of luck to you. Give IFing a shot either way, and you can adjust as you go along.

[patkoch]

does anyone realize that this is probably due to the effects of over all calorie restriction?

[Own3r]

does anyone realize that this is probably due to the effects of over all calorie restriction?

Weight loss is always due to over all calorie restriction. IF make restricting calories a LOT easier since you don't really feel that you are restricting calories. Plus the overall effect on your body are far more livable then most other diets for the longer term.

[blueboi85]

No, none of that stuff. Just some fish oil tabs, a multi-vitamin and the BCAAs will do you just fine.

Are you planning to just eat one big post-workout meal and then the Casein? That type of diet could be tough to maintain long-term. Best of luck to you. Give IFing a shot either way, and you can adjust as you go along.

Thanks for the advise bro. I can see that IF have done wonders for you.

Care to share your personal workout routine and cardio routine if any?

[Ted Nugent]

does anyone realize that this is probably due to the effects of over all calorie restriction?

theres other benefits to IF, i personally like how it gives my digestive system a break everyday instead of it being loaded with protein 24/7.