Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss

[.aeterna]

i have a small question, is it possible to do IF while only using caffeine,omega 3 and whey, as supplements?

BCAAs are to expensive for me. can i still train fasted and progress without taking them?

i have been thinking of buying Higher Power BCAA 1000 but i don't know if its any good.

from the writing that martin has put up, thats right you can still do that. once again, he advocates a lifestyle change with IF where MINUTE details are not stressed. id stilll recommend BCAA's if you can pick them up (scivation xtend is $20 for a bottle on bb.com and will last you 1.5-2 months if you workout 3/days a week).

So lemme get this straight:

-16 hours of fasting. BCAA's allowed during fast
-workout. BCAA's allowed as preworkout and intraworkout
-PWO meal 1 immediately after, followed by 2 more meals all within 8 hours of each other.
-Each meal is 33.3% of daily calories

that about right?

Please quote and fix what needs to be fixed. I'm very intrigued by this diet option as it sounds highly convenient and rewarding.

yep you nailed it

altho the meals dont really have to be a set percentage. thats stressing over details - all that matters is that your PWO meal is the biggest one of the day. could be 60% of your cals or 30%

can someone tell me why the recommended workout is a 3 day split? I think people generally do legs, chest, back? If so why is this? I think I've got my diet down to a tee and just want to get sorted with my routine. I am currently doing a 4 day split and I think I'd prefer a 4/5 day routine than a three day one.

stick with what works for you in terms of strength progression and something that does not cause overtraining. Results > all, and everybody responds to different training. i personally go very high volume WITH reverse pyramid training in extremely low rep sets 2x a week! its almost double what martin recommends, but its working great for me

This has got to be one of the best decisions I've made when it comes to nutrition and dietary intake. I used to be at 350 lbs, and I'm at 233 right now. I had been making good progress and not stalling, but I felt tired all the time at 2000 calories a day, spread out. I was eating 25-40% of those at breakfast, as I've been told to do so. I would always end up feeling very sleepy 2-4 hours later and want to take a nap. I felt like monitoring my calories, eating healthy, and exercising for more than a year should have provided me with more energy. I changed to IF not to try to improve my loss, but to improve my energy. After about a week, I love it. I don't have that mid-day desire for a nap, I never really did care for breakfast, and now I can have larger, more satisfying meals that make me feel more awake in the evening than before. Great! To top it all off, this past week is the most weight I've dropped in a long time. It's probably related to water retention, but it's always nice to see the scale moving down quicker than normal.

props! IF is the best lifestyle decision for a lifestyle switch ive ever made. people really overestimate the 16 hour fast and how "difficult" it is to adhere. id say that its made my life SO much easier.

[PrettyReckless]

It's like I'm seeing more and more people getting a lot of benefits from Leangains. Just a question, I'm going to be working out on a fasted state, so my day goes like this.

6 AM: wake up.
9:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
10-11: Workout
11:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
12-1: FIRST meal (window starts here)
7-8: LAST meal (window ends here)

Do you guys think I can get through the first 6 hours of the day without a meal? Also, if I have whey protein, should I be taking it on my FIRST meal, or with my BCAA at 11:30? What about other supplements like fish oil and multivitamins? Should they be taken with the first meal? (makes sense since normally MVs are taken with food..?)

Appreciate the help, thanks!

[bojack73]

yep you nailed it

altho the meals dont really have to be a set percentage. thats stressing over details - all that matters is that your PWO meal is the biggest one of the day. could be 60% of your cals or 30%

Would it make sense to maybe do a traditional PWO shake (PRO+CHO) immediately after then perhaps a large, balanced meal of high PRO, high CHO, low-mod fat 30min later or so?

And in case anyone is looking for BCAA...there's a company on here called Cheapsupplements that offers BCAA and Leucine. BCAA is like $10 for 250g and Leucine is like $8. Not bad if you mix 5g of each. You end up with a 6:1:1 BCAA ratio which seems pretty good for boosting protein synthesis and muscle sparing.

[fitlover]

Has anyone tried mixing whey protein with extra BCAA's added in and using that as a pre-workout "meal" for their training?

[robin91]

It's like I'm seeing more and more people getting a lot of benefits from Leangains. Just a question, I'm going to be working out on a fasted state, so my day goes like this.

6 AM: wake up.
9:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
10-11: Workout
11:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
12-1: FIRST meal (window starts here)
7-8: LAST meal (window ends here)

Do you guys think I can get through the first 6 hours of the day without a meal? Also, if I have whey protein, should I be taking it on my FIRST meal, or with my BCAA at 11:30? What about other supplements like fish oil and multivitamins? Should they be taken with the first meal? (makes sense since normally MVs are taken with food..?)

Appreciate the help, thanks!

Of course you can get through 6 hours without a meal, your body can last days/weeks without food let alone 6 hours! In terms of muscle loss etc, not eating for the first 6 hours isn't going to result in muscle catabolism, especially as you're taking BCAA's before and after training, maybe consider having some during training too though.

When you take your whey is up to you, however when you DO take it, you need to class that as the start of your feeding window. So IMO taking it immediately PWO is the most beneficial time to take it (as is generally regarded in bodybuilding), but if you do so you must regard this as the opening to the feeding window. If you do decide to leave it until your first meal, it's not going to have a detrimental effect and it will allow you to leave your body in a fasted stated for longer, but IMO the closer you have it post workout the better.

As for multis and/or fish oils, take these with your first meal. As taking them on an emtpy stomach can result in nausea + some of the vitamins won't be absorbed properly on an empty stomach, so you're effectively just wasting them!

Hope that helps!

[spartakis]

Started saturday. Today was 1 st workout day. I workout at 5am drunk my bcaa's preworkout, postworkout and at 9am ( 2 hours later) wont brake fast untill 12pm.

Does anyone else train like this. My shoulders are sore today and they usually are not at least till tomorrow. doing 5x5 sl and did o.h.p. today could just be weight getting heavier?

[itzkoolkidkam]

whats everyone's take on fasted cardio in the early AM? thinking about working into my schedule. with or without bcaa?

how do you guys feel about two-a-days?

[robin91]

Started saturday. Today was 1 st workout day. I workout at 5am drunk my bcaa's preworkout, postworkout and at 9am ( 2 hours later) wont brake fast untill 12pm.

Does anyone else train like this. My shoulders are sore today and they usually are not at least till tomorrow. doing 5x5 sl and did o.h.p. today could just be weight getting heavier?

How was your strength? I'm about to go train for the first time since starting IF a few days ago, worried I won't be able to train with the intensity/strength I normally do!

whats everyone's take on fasted cardio in the early AM? thinking about working into my schedule. with or without bcaa?

how do you guys feel about two-a-days?

Definitely make use of BCAA's if you're going to do fasted cardio.

[benwin21]

from the writing that martin has put up, thats right you can still do that. once again, he advocates a lifestyle change with IF where MINUTE details are not stressed. id stilll recommend BCAA's if you can pick them up (scivation xtend is $20 for a bottle on bb.com and will last you 1.5-2 months if you workout 3/days a week).

it's a bit expensive to me(i live abroad and only the shipment can cost up to 20$). what are your thoughts on Higher Power BCAA 1000(200 pills which contains:
L-Leucine-500mg
L-Valine-250mg
L-Isoleucine-250mg)?

2 of these+ shipment cost me 36.6$ while scivation will cost around 50$

[spartakis]

How was your strength? I'm about to go train for the first time since starting IF a few days ago, worried I won't be able to train with the intensity/strength I normally do!



Definitely make use of BCAA's if you're going to do fasted cardio.

Strength was fine added 5lbs to each lift like usual. right now just worried about recovery as of not eating since workout.

[.aeterna]

Would it make sense to maybe do a traditional PWO shake (PRO+CHO) immediately after then perhaps a large, balanced meal of high PRO, high CHO, low-mod fat 30min later or so?

And in case anyone is looking for BCAA...there's a company on here called Cheapsupplements that offers BCAA and Leucine. BCAA is like $10 for 250g and Leucine is like $8. Not bad if you mix 5g of each. You end up with a 6:1:1 BCAA ratio which seems pretty good for boosting protein synthesis and muscle sparing.

thats fine too, IF is pretty much the most flexible lifestyle for training plan out there

and those BCAA's sound just fine

it's a bit expensive to me(i live abroad and only the shipment can cost up to 20$). what are your thoughts on Higher Power BCAA 1000(200 pills which contains:
L-Leucine-500mg
L-Valine-250mg
L-Isoleucine-250mg)?

2 of these+ shipment cost me 36.6$ while scivation will cost around 50$

according to martin's comments, so long as you can get approx 10g of BCAA's pre-fasted workout, ur good

BCAA's are not even necessary if you train in the middle of ur feed period (after your initial meal)

[benwin21]

according to martin's comments, so long as you can get approx 10g of BCAA's pre-fasted workout, ur good

BCAA's are not even necessary if you train in the middle of ur feed period (after your initial meal)

wow, i will need 10 pills of higher power bcaa 1000 to get to that dose.

feelsbadman.jpg

[danilsk]

I know Martin didn't say anything specific about macros, only "carbs high, protein moderate and fat low" on workout days and "protein high, fat moderate and carbs low" on rest days, but can anyone put his exact numbers in terms of percentage points up?
I have some exact data from a client of his, but he is an old obese man, so it might not be very correct for the younger guys
workout day, PFC = 50-15-35%
rest day = 55-20-25%

[AndrewChan]

did martin ever post his workout routine?

on his website he says he works out for 3 days a week max, 2 hours TOTAL for the week

just wondering what his split is.

thanks

[chuntbaby]

Probably gonna try this lifestyle out within the next few days after reading all the things martin described about the 6 meals a day i said "damn, thats how i feel most of the time" so i kept reading and it seems like an amazing way to eat / diet but on to my question.
i have a couple tubs of No Shotgun sitting around i was wonder if anyone has used it while on IF/leangains as pre-wo for their fasted workouts? i think it wouldn't break the fast but i decided to see your guys opinions first

[gekkoboy14]

did martin ever post his workout routine?

on his website he says he works out for 3 days a week max, 2 hours TOTAL for the week

just wondering what his split is.

thanks

Im following nortons 5 day split. Volume can be tough, but since I workout an extra day my cals are a bit higher

[chriskav]

Probably gonna try this lifestyle out within the next few days after reading all the things martin described about the 6 meals a day i said "damn, thats how i feel most of the time" so i kept reading and it seems like an amazing way to eat / diet but on to my question.
i have a couple tubs of No Shotgun sitting around i was wonder if anyone has used it while on IF/leangains as pre-wo for their fasted workouts? i think it wouldn't break the fast but i decided to see your guys opinions first

81 calories per serving? I would think so

[AndrewChan]

Im following nortons 5 day split. Volume can be tough, but since I workout an extra day my cals are a bit higher

thanks and repped...i'm doing the same thing

[robin91]

I'm 5'11 185lbs at 19% BF.
Can anyone help me figure out how many calories I should be eating a day on Leangains and what my percentages of protein, carbs and fats should be. PM me if you can help. I don't have time to read thru the hundreds of pages of posts. Thanks. I can't wait for the book!!

If you look like you do in your DP, I would say you're closer to 15% BF not 19! Decent ab visibility. Sorry I can't answer your actual question!

[johnPNY]

I've been semi-practicing this for the past 2 months or so. Most days not eating in mornings, and having whey with cream before workout (I do a low-carb/keto diet M-F).
However the eating window was difficult to limit to 8 hours, because my girlfriend works evenings and often I am waiting for her to get home to make dinner. Starting today I am going to try sticking to the 8 hour window for the next month, and will see if I can maintain it even with my carb ups on the weekend.

Just one question: I have these 'Garden Of Life - Perfect Food' supergreens capsules I got as a gift awhile back from a friend who works at whole foods. Never been big on them, but they were expensive and expire soon and I want to just take 1 a day in the mornings until they are gone. 20 calories for 1:


Would these be considered breaking the fast?

[PerpetualMotion]

It's like I'm seeing more and more people getting a lot of benefits from Leangains. Just a question, I'm going to be working out on a fasted state, so my day goes like this.

6 AM: wake up.
9:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
10-11: Workout
11:30: BCAA 14g (Scivation)
12-1: FIRST meal (window starts here)
7-8: LAST meal (window ends here)

Do you guys think I can get through the first 6 hours of the day without a meal? Also, if I have whey protein, should I be taking it on my FIRST meal, or with my BCAA at 11:30? What about other supplements like fish oil and multivitamins? Should they be taken with the first meal? (makes sense since normally MVs are taken with food..?)

Appreciate the help, thanks!

Your first meal, so says Martin, has to be your biggest. This is what he says on his site:
"* The majority of your daily calorie intake is consumed in the post-workout period. Depending on setup, this means that approximately 95-99% (fasted training), 80% (one pre-workout meal) or 60% (two pre-workout meals) of your daily calorie intake is consumed after training."

I consume around 70-80% post workout and I train fasted. (I also take no BCAAs.) Also, the longer you're on this the better it will get. I can go 24 hours without eating and be fine. (I incorporate this once a week because of "Eat, Stop, Eat.")

As for your shake, I think you should probably take it with your first meal. It'll help you hit your total calories post workout. As for benefits, I don't know if it really makes a difference or not. The immediate post workout shake is a myth. You can always slam one back as your 2nd meal.

[chriskav]

I've been semi-practicing this for the past 2 months or so. Most days not eating in mornings, and having whey with cream before workout (I do a low-carb/keto diet M-F).
However the eating window was difficult to limit to 8 hours, because my girlfriend works evenings and often I am waiting for her to get home to make dinner. Starting today I am going to try sticking to the 8 hour window for the next month, and will see if I can maintain it even with my carb ups on the weekend.

Just one question: I have these 'Garden Of Life - Perfect Food' supergreens capsules I got as a gift awhile back from a friend who works at whole foods. Never been big on them, but they were expensive and expire soon and I want to just take 1 a day in the mornings until they are gone. 20 calories for 1:


Would these be considered breaking the fast?

You can move the 8 hour feeding window to later in the day, then you would be able to eat dinner with her, why not just take the tablet with your meals instead?

I'm 5'11 185lbs at 19% BF.
Can anyone help me figure out how many calories I should be eating a day on Leangains and what my percentages of protein, carbs and fats should be. PM me if you can help. I don't have time to read thru the hundreds of pages of posts. Thanks. I can't wait for the book!!

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

[zmustang]

Has anyone tried mixing whey protein with extra BCAA's added in and using that as a pre-workout "meal" for their training?

If I workout late in the day I'll have a whet shake pre workout sometimes. That will most certainly break the fast, eliminating the need for supplemental bcaa's since your body will have plenty of it's own In circulation due to protein absorption taking place. I'm no expert but I did read that on Martins site. I'll try and find it when I get home.

[AlphaMix]

What kind of workout do you guys recommend while on IF to achieved the best results possible?

[benwin21]

according to martin's comments, so long as you can get approx 10g of BCAA's pre-fasted workout, ur good

BCAA's are not even necessary if you train in the middle of ur feed period (after your initial meal)

wow, will i need 10 pills of higher power bcaa 1000 to get to that dose? or will 1 pill be enough?

another question,
if i ingest 30g of whey protein preworkout, does it mean that i can skip my postworkout shake(training while fasted)?, i'm eating a post workout meal between 30-60mins after i finish my workout.

[.aeterna]

did martin ever post his workout routine?

on his website he says he works out for 3 days a week max, 2 hours TOTAL for the week

just wondering what his split is.

thanks

thats what martin does (reverse pyramid training) with extremely low volume and high intensity. but what works for him will not necessarily work for everyone else. additionally, i can guarantee from day one he hit the weights to where he achieve his crazy strong+ultra lean status, he was not doing RPT.

regardless, his split is on leangains.com

wow, will i need 10 pills of higher power bcaa 1000 to get to that dose? or will 1 pill be enough?

another question,
if i ingest 30g of whey protein preworkout, does it mean that i can skip my postworkout shake(training while fasted)?, i'm eating a post workout meal between 30-60mins after i finish my workout.

well its not fasted training if you take even 50cals of a protein shake in. but im guessing u are doing that for the purpose of getting BCAA's in. the answer to your PWO shake is yes, u can skip the shake and go straight to your big big meal

[benwin21]

well its not fasted training if you take even 50cals of a protein shake in. but im guessing u are doing that for the purpose of getting BCAA's in. the answer to your PWO shake is yes, u can skip the shake and go straight to your big big meal

thanks man. Martin wrote that you need to ingest 10g of bcaa 5-10 mins post workout, or alternatively ingest 30g of protein.

and because he said that he recommend to take bcaa before fasted training, that means that taking 30g of protein is an alternative for the bcaa therefore its still count as fasted(from what i understand). he said that taking bcaa is better because it have less calories than 30g of protein.

btw do you have any ideas regarded to my bcaa 1000 problem(can i take only 1/2 pills or i should take 10=10g of bcaa)?

[paki123]

Has anyone seen that new guy's results. Those are insane. Has anyone else had success like that on these boards? That is just crazy.

[.aeterna]

thanks man. Martin wrote that you need to ingest 10g of bcaa 5-10 mins post workout, or alternatively ingest 30g of protein.

and because he said that he recommend to take bcaa before fasted training, that means that taking 30g of protein is an alternative for the bcaa therefore its still count as fasted(from what i understand). he said that taking bcaa is better because it have less calories than 30g of protein.

btw do you have any ideas regarded to my bcaa 1000 problem(can i take only 1/2 pills or i should take 10=10g of bcaa)?

my best "solution" would be to just train in the middle of ur feeding period (after a decent pre workout meal)

the point of bcaa's is to avoid heavy weight training on 0 cals 0 nething after fasting for a loong 16 hours (and risk muscle catabolism)

[paki123]

Also, i didn't see Martin's split anywhere on his site. maybe i'm looking in the wrong place