Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss

[bretter]

Tell me what you guys think:

I have lost 20 lbs in the last few months just doing IF with ~20% deficit on my own. 250+ to 231lbs today.

I train MMA and do powerlifting/strongman workouts mostly so diet is high carb/protein and mod fat. 3 meals/day. a quarter of my macros in the first two, then half in my pow meal before bed.

I don't get many off days but on my off days I pretty much skip all my meals and then just eat whatever I want for dinner and make sure it has a ton of protein.

any thoughts?

[doctapeppa]

Tell me what you guys think:

I have lost 20 lbs in the last few months just doing IF with ~20% deficit on my own. 250+ to 231lbs today.

I train MMA and do powerlifting/strongman workouts mostly so diet is high carb/protein and mod fat. 3 meals/day. a quarter of my macros in the first two, then half in my pow meal before bed.

I don't get many off days but on my off days I pretty much skip all my meals and then just eat whatever I want for dinner and make sure it has a ton of protein.

any thoughts?

I think that if it is working, and by the looks of it, it is; then keep doing it. Keep doing it, until it stops working. There are many ways to do intermittent fasting.

[SpagsFitness]

1.you get hungry because a) your body isnt adjusted and b) you admit you are eating some crappy foods that probably arent as satiating as cleaner options
2. Forget a 40-40-20 diet. Needs are bodyweight based-->shoot for 1.25g-1.5g/lb in protein and .5g/lb in fat and you will probably feel fuller
3. If you want to lose weight, IF is not magic. You still need to eat fewer calories-->drop 10% for a week and then reassess.

Thanks. Should I go per lb of my overall weight of of LBM?

[liammccarthy]

Thanks. Should I go per lb of my overall weight of of LBM?

depends on BF%. If over 15% go on LBM if under, total weight.

How much total volume do people have per workout while trying to cut on IF?

[ob205]

depends on BF%. If over 15% go on LBM if under, total weight.

How much total volume do people have per workout while trying to cut on IF?

I think this depends on the individual tolerance to exercise. I don't see volume being that different for someone wanting to gain as cut. You may have a little less tolerance while on a cutting phase due to the caloric deficit. If I were to give generic answer, 16-25 sets per workout.

[Martin Berkhan]

I think this depends on the individual tolerance to exercise. I don't see volume being that different for someone wanting to gain as cut. You may have a little less tolerance while on a cutting phase due to the caloric deficit. If I were to give generic answer, 16-25 sets per workout.

You might be right.

My clients do about half of that. Sometimes less.

Cutting: intensity > volume

[determined4000]

My clients do about half of that. Sometimes less.

Cutting: intensity > volume

what about bulking?
How many reps and sets are you talking about?

[liammccarthy]

You might be right.

My clients do about half of that. Sometimes less.

Cutting: intensity > volume

I've recently started doing low volume / high intensity workouts on my cut and have found that my strength, muscle size and general sense of well-being is way up.

Previously I would perform the same workouts (with added cardio) while cutting as I did while recomping / bulking and was obviously burning out.

Total sets and reps of my last back workout (not including warm-up sets) = 7 sets totalling 37 reps.. I did miss 1 rep on deads so 37.5

Still got *some muscle soreness despite not hitting the muscle from every possible angle lol.

[anonymous]

Wow, how in the hell did I miss this?

Subbed.

[ob205]

You might be right.

My clients do about half of that. Sometimes less.

Cutting: intensity > volume

Yes, I agree Martin on the volume, I was just making a baseline for people who may not train with that much intensity. I trained for many years with Mentzer's Heavy Duty style and did 7-9 sets per workout with great success, all the way up to contest.

I recently switched to IF about 2 months ago and have been pleasantly surprised I have not withered away to nothing! I am in cutting phase now and having great results. Look forward to your book. I believe that IF is to diet, as HIT was to training.

[ewitte]

First time doing HIIT on IF (Warrior) last night. Was able to push myself harder than normal (felt much easier) but didn't give myself sufficient cooldown and got all light headed when I stopped. Also maxxed out the speed on the treadmill so will likely need to mess around with incline or go outside.

I recently switched to IF about 2 months ago and have been pleasantly surprised I have not withered away to nothing! I am in cutting phase now and having great results. Look forward to your book. I believe that IF is to diet, as HIT was to training.

Having to force myself to eat more than I want. After 5 months of normal diet was down to 196.8 (from 242) on Sunday and Tuesday with IF I've already seen 193.6. I was actually at 196.8 AFTER eating everything that was not nailed down last night.

[Daewoo_Lanos]

i've tried this for the last 2 weeks. i've averaged 2 more hours of sleep every night after the first week. anyone else notice more sleep while IFing?

[ewitte]

4th day on warrior and OMG First time ever managed a good pullup. Even when I was 25lbs less couldn't do it.

[LeroysAces]

i've tried this for the last 2 weeks. i've averaged 2 more hours of sleep every night after the first week. anyone else notice more sleep while IFing?

I actually go on less sleep than ever before. 6 to 6.5 hours a night is fine. Once in a while I need a nap after a super-feast though.

[Daewoo_Lanos]

I actually go on less sleep than ever before. 6 to 6.5 hours a night is fine. Once in a while I need a nap after a super-feast though.

interesting. either way, i'm definitely not complaining about sleeping more than i expect to, no matter what the cause.

[Milone79]

Hello, just wanted to chime in and say that I have been following the IF diet for several weeks now after trying the warrior diet for about a month..basically I just eliminated the fruits that I was eating on the warrior diet during the day and only take in coffee, tea, water during my 16 hour fast..I love this diet/lifestyle..my strength keeps going up and up and my body weight has increased about 12 pounds since switching over to IF and I am leaner than ever...whoever says you cant build muscle and burn fat at the same time has never tried the IF diet..I am a believer and proof is in the pudding as the saying goes...

[moasis]

I actually go on less sleep than ever before. 6 to 6.5 hours a night is fine. Once in a while I need a nap after a super-feast though.

^^^^^^This. Before I started if I didn't get eight hrs then I was groggy. Now I can get 7 and feel like a new man the next morning. One thing I did notice though. When I ate a small meal before my workout I was good. I recently starting doing cardio more and not eating before the workout and that's fine but when I finally do eat I feel sluggish. Anybody else feel sluggish after their first big meal?

P.S. I started the IF on 05/15/2010 or 05/16/2010 can't remember the exact day and I've lost 8 pounds by decreasing my intake 1000 calories below maintenance.

[gbv2]

I actually go on less sleep than ever before. 6 to 6.5 hours a night is fine. Once in a while I need a nap after a super-feast though.

Me too! I've been on IF now a couple of months with Martin and I have noticed a reduction in daily sleep with 6-7 hours more than enough now.

[ZailZ]

I just started IF and i fast for 18 hours and i eat from 4pm-10pm than fast from 10pm-4pm. Can i workout at 11am and than have my post workout meal at 4pm? Most of my workout days are on 6pm but i have ****ty work schedule so i wanted to know if that was ok to do.

[anonymous]

I have a question:

Since Martin advises against protein shakes and the like and for BCAA powders, then when calculating the daily protein total (that I get from whole foods)...would I count the grams of BCAAs (or any other kind of aminos really) towards my daily protein total?

Example:

10g BCAAs
120 g Protein

= 130g for the day?

Thanks.

[EmperorRyker]

Yeah, there isn't a reason why you wouldn't count it. You eat it, you count it, it's that simple really.

[anonymous]

Yeah, there isn't a reason why you wouldn't count it. You eat it, you count it, it's that simple really.

Thanks.

Other than that, I'm slowly but surely weening myself off of the "broscience" that states that you need a protein shake directly after you workout.

It's saving me money too!

[karoline8]

Did my best time for 10k the other day fasted..43mins...and felt awsome, could have kept going....

[ZailZ]

I am on day 2 of IF. Feeling great so far, no hunger issues. I am fasting for 18 hours(10pm to 4pm). I took the before pics and will be updating after each month.

[Insight]

Thanks.

Other than that, I'm slowly but surely weening myself off of the "broscience" that states that you need a protein shake directly after you workout.

It's saving me money too!

i don't think that's broscience. i think protein after a workout is an excellent idea. the idea behind the bcaa's every 2 hours (or is it every 1 hour? i don't remember) after a fasted workout afaik was for the leucine to keep the mTOR pathway active until the feeding phase

[gbv2]

I'm slowly but surely weening myself off of the "broscience" that states that you need a protein shake directly after you workout.
It's saving me money too!

For a long time I was religously consuming my PWO Shake within 10mins of finishing my training session, just like your 'suppose' too. When I stopped this practice and instead just went home and consumed a feast of wholefood with no "recovery shake" in sight, it made no difference to my recovery or gains at the gym. After a few months now implementing IF and more specifically the Leangains protocol I am stronger, leaner, happier and glad I'm not forking out £££'s per month for supplements that just aren't needed no matter how much the Bro's tell you they are.

[Martin Berkhan]

Thanks.

Other than that, I'm slowly but surely weening myself off of the "broscience" that states that you need a protein shake directly after you workout.

It's saving me money too!

You'll want some amino acids in your system in the post-workout period if you're training fasted and eating later in the day. That's not broscience. But the urgency often implied, i.e you must consume it 2 seconds after your last set, is broscience. Read up on Early Morning Fasted Training on my site.

http://leangains.blogspot.com/2010/0...-training.html

Did my best time for 10k the other day fasted..43mins...and felt awsome, could have kept going....

Sounds great. My latest article deals with fasted endurance training and how much points to it being superior for training adaptations.

http://leangains.blogspot.com/2010/0...rance-and.html

For a long time I was religously consuming my PWO Shake within 10mins of finishing my training session, just like your 'suppose' too. When I stopped this practice and instead just went home and consumed a feast of wholefood with no "recovery shake" in sight, it made no difference to my recovery or gains at the gym. After a few months now implementing IF and more specifically the Leangains protocol I am stronger, leaner, happier and glad I'm not forking out £££'s per month for supplements that just aren't needed no matter how much the Bro's tell you they are.

Good to hear. Personally I haven't consumed a post-workout shake in the last four years.

[ErickStevens]

Thought I'd drop my updated progress shot in here:



I have another month or two of cutting, then I'm going to transition into maintenance. I'm also thinking about doing a competition in the Fall(using LeanGains of course).

[trappi53]

Hello everyone!
First I'd like to thanks Martin for providing information and proofs about this diet and for helping us to reach our goals!
I was sceptical about this whole not eating during the day things but I started doing WD after christmas and I loved it. I started a small bulk after it but now I'm back and doing the IF approach.

My strength progression is the same as before and I get leaner with every day. I love how I don't have to worry about carrying around food and when I eat I can eat till I'm satisfied.
I will keep cutting for a while till like mid summer or when I feel I'm lean enough then I will slowly increase my calorie intake to increase muscle gain.
I just started doing the Starting Strength routine, will see how it works.

Some people mentioned they use EC stack, too bad ephedrine is only available by prescription. Would like to try how it works.
So I can say I'm totally satisfied with this eating method, easier to follow than any other kind of diet I tryed and got much more benefits then just losing weight.

However I'd like to ask if there is any research or medical opinion about the effects of this method on your stomach. Does the stomach acid cause anything while fasting, since there is nothing it can break down other then wall of your stomach. Is my question totally stupid since acid production is caused by food consumption or is there any logic in it?
One of the people I told about IF pointed this out, tryed to search about is but couldn't find reliable info.

Thanks a lot for your answer and good luck with your goals


GJ Erick, nice progress!

[ewitte]

Kinda on a combo of Warrior and Leangains and 95% waterfast during the day. When I get lean will migrate more to leangains. Its definately getting rid of the toxins during the day. I had the whole yellow coated tongue after fasted cardio yesterday.