2504: [Part 1] Fasted Weight Training: Research, Pros & Cons by Christian Finn of Muscle Evo

[00:00:00] Delicious meets nutritious in the snack that packs a real protein punch. Wonderful pistachios.

[00:00:06] Each one-out serving of wonderful pistachios has 6 grams of protein giving you over 10%

[00:00:11] of your daily value and making wonderful pistachios one of the highest protein nuts.

[00:00:16] But perhaps more than that, I love all of the flavors they have.

[00:00:20] Their sea salt and vinegar ones are my favorite when I'm craving that flavor but want to keep it healthy.

[00:00:25] But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Wonderful pistachios come in a variety of flavors,

[00:00:30] like chili roasted, honey roasted, smoky barbecue and jalapeno lime, perfect for enjoying

[00:00:36] with family and friends or taking them with you on the go. Whether you're a pistachio

[00:00:42] purist who loves cracking open every nut or you prefer the convenience of no shells pistachios,

[00:00:47] wonderful pistachios has got you covered. Grab wonderful pistachios and elevate your snacking game

[00:00:53] today. So fill up with a healthy snack when hunger strikes. Visit wonderfulpastachios.com

[00:01:00] to learn more. That's wonderfulpastachios.com

[00:01:24] delicious options available without the effort. Find hundreds of Easter deals and delights now

[00:01:28] at Whole Foods Market. This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2504, Fasted Weight Training,

[00:01:35] Research, Pros and Cons, Part 1 by Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net and I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:01:42] You're very own personal narrator. Hey there happy Monday and welcome back to another edition

[00:01:47] of Optimal Health Daily where I read some of the best blogs covering health and fitness

[00:01:53] just like an audiobook. And always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now don't forget we

[00:01:58] have a bunch of shows narrating blogs just search for Optimal Living Daily to find all of them.

[00:02:05] Now today's post is a bit longer than what I typically narrate so whenever that happens

[00:02:11] I read the first half today and then finish it up for you tomorrow. So with that let's get

[00:02:16] right to the first half as we optimize your life. Fasted Weight Training, Research, Pros and Cons,

[00:02:27] Part 1 by Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net The other day I came across an article in men's health

[00:02:35] on the subject of intermittent fasting and exercise in the morning which cautions against lifting

[00:02:41] weights on an empty stomach. Here's a snippet. Quote, Lifting weights, sprinting, doing crossfit workouts

[00:02:49] of the day and other high intensity activities all depend on carbs for fuel. If you perform any

[00:02:55] of these activities during or worse at the end of your fast your performance will suffer. Instead

[00:03:01] of getting stronger and faster you may well get weaker and slower. If you're a big guy with a lot

[00:03:07] of weight to lose no big deal go ahead and lift on an empty stomach. You might lose a little

[00:03:12] bit of muscle but you'll burn fat too and that's your main goal. But if you're a slimmer guy

[00:03:18] with less muscle mass to spare schedule your lifting workouts during your feeding window.

[00:03:24] End Quote, Fasted Lifting It concludes is a big mistake. In truth, fasted weight training

[00:03:31] is not the catabolic performance sapping menace that many claim. A bout of strength training,

[00:03:37] even when it's done during a fasted period will still lead to muscle being gained. Here's why.

[00:03:43] For one your body has the ability to store plenty of carbohydrate which can be used to fuel

[00:03:48] high intensity exercise such as high intensity interval training or HIIT or resistance training.

[00:03:55] Depending on how much muscle you have your body can hold upwards of 400 grams of glycogen

[00:04:01] which is the name given to carbs stored in your muscles and liver. It's not like your glycogen

[00:04:06] stores run out simply because you're fasting. You also need to consider when during the day

[00:04:11] you're training. Training on an empty stomach first thing in the morning isn't a problem although

[00:04:16] it can take a few weeks to get used to it. When I made the switch from evening to morning training

[00:04:22] I felt weaker and my performance did take a hit but over time I got used to it. However

[00:04:29] the longer the fasting period goes on the more likely it is that your performance will suffer.

[00:04:35] If you leave it until the afternoon or evening before you train you won't be able to lift as much

[00:04:40] weight or do as many reps. Over time this dip in strength means that the growth stimulus delivered by

[00:04:47] a given workout is going to be weaker than it otherwise would be. As a result muscle will be

[00:04:53] gained more slowly compared to doing the same training session with a few meals inside you.

[00:04:59] What about the claim that lifting weights during periods of fasting might mean losing a bit of

[00:05:03] muscle? While training outside of your eating window won't automatically lead to the loss of muscle

[00:05:09] it does increase the potential for muscle to be lost depending on what time of day you train

[00:05:15] and what your overall diet looks like. If you're fasting all day for example lifting weights in

[00:05:20] the evening then eating one big meal at night the risk of muscle loss is certainly increased but

[00:05:27] that's because your short eating window means going too long without giving your muscles the nutrients

[00:05:32] they need to grow rather than because of fasted training per se. So the bottom line as long as the

[00:05:39] right dietary boxes are being ticked muscle will still be gained whether weight training is done in

[00:05:45] a fasted or non-fasted state. Let's discuss this idea of fasted weight training, muscle growth and

[00:05:51] weight loss a bit more as I answer six of the most popular questions about it. One is it okay to

[00:05:59] weight train on an empty stomach? Yes it is okay to lift weights on an empty stomach however

[00:06:05] the quality of your workouts may end up being compromised to some degree depending on the type of

[00:06:11] exercise you're doing or the duration of the fast meaning are you doing alternate day fasting

[00:06:17] or just time restricted feeding and what you've eaten the day before. As far as the type of exercise

[00:06:24] you're doing is concerned I'm going to assume you're following a training routine designed to increase

[00:06:29] the size of your muscles that is you're lifting heavy-ish weights doing multiple sets of compound

[00:06:36] lifts and pushing yourself hard in each set. If so fasted training first thing in the morning is

[00:06:42] unlikely to pose a problem although it may take you a few weeks to get used to it but if you leave

[00:06:48] it until the afternoon or evening before you train chances are you won't be able to lift as much

[00:06:54] weight or do as many reps. In one study leaving several hours between waking up and lifting weights

[00:07:01] had the effect of reducing repetition strength or the number of reps you're able to do with a given

[00:07:06] weight by 15% in the squat and 6% in the bench press. Over time this dip and strength will mean that

[00:07:15] muscle gains happen more slowly compared to doing the same workout with a few meals inside you.

[00:07:20] I can usually make it through until the early afternoon without eating anything after that I start

[00:07:25] to get hungry tired and lightheaded. For me the idea of fasted weight training in the afternoon

[00:07:32] is not a pleasant one I've trained on an empty stomach in the morning without a problem but not

[00:07:37] in the afternoon and certainly not in the evening. The amount of food you've eaten the day before

[00:07:43] is also going to make a difference. A big day of eating prior to a fasted workout will leave you with

[00:07:49] plenty of energy to get through that workout but if you've barely eaten anything the day before

[00:07:55] chances are you're going to find it difficult to give it your all in the gym. There's also a degree of

[00:08:00] variability from person to person some people love fasted training and feel like they do better without

[00:08:06] eating anything before a morning workout. Even just a pre workout snack leaves them feeling like

[00:08:11] they're gonna throw up the entire time others find that they get shaky and dizzy when they try

[00:08:17] fasted training their best workouts come after they've eaten several times throughout the day

[00:08:22] all of which means you will need to experiment it'll take time for your body to adapt to fasted

[00:08:28] weight training so give yourself a few weeks to get used to it before deciding whether or not it's

[00:08:33] right for you. Two, can you build muscle while training in a fasted state? Yes you can build muscle

[00:08:41] when training in a fasted state whether you'll build as much muscle as you would have had your

[00:08:46] training been done after a meal is open to debate for the reasons I mentioned earlier

[00:08:51] but resistance training even in a fasted state will stimulate muscle gains. To maximize the muscle

[00:08:58] building response to about of heavy lifting especially if it's done on an empty stomach you want to

[00:09:04] get some post workout protein inside you training first thing in the morning in a fasted state then

[00:09:10] waiting until the afternoon before eating any protein will almost certainly slow the rate at which

[00:09:15] muscle is gained. Ideally that post workout protein is in the form of regular food. Three,

[00:09:23] will fasted weight training or cardio help with fat loss? Fasted weight training can certainly

[00:09:29] help with fat loss but it isn't going to help you lose body fat any faster than the same workout

[00:09:35] done in a non-fasted state. In fact the benefits of fasted workouts from a fat loss point of view at

[00:09:41] least are minimal. Studies do show that fasted weight training does increase fat burning

[00:09:47] compared to the same workout done after a meal because you haven't eaten anything blood sugar

[00:09:52] and insulin levels are low which tends to favor the use of fat for fuel. However your body will

[00:09:59] adjust the rate of carb and fat oxidation over time that's why we need to look at how fasted

[00:10:05] training affects body composition changes over a period of weeks and months any short term

[00:10:10] change in insulin blood sugar levels and fat oxidation during a workout itself does not tell the

[00:10:16] whole story to be continued. You just listen to part one of the post titled fasted weight training

[00:10:27] research pros and cons by Christian Finn of muscleevo.net and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:10:35] Dreaming of a better sleep, tossing and turning is not your destiny and Ali is here to help.

[00:10:42] Ali invites you to sink into sweet sweet slumber to improve your mental and physical health

[00:10:48] and overall wellness more than just melatonin. Ali's ingredients help you wind your mind for a

[00:10:55] delightfully dreamy drift off. Sleep is on the way at Ali.com that's ollly.com

[00:11:06] How do you feel great on vacation? Like really good? Easy! You go to a ruba,

[00:11:12] you'll spend your time relaxing on cool white sand beaches and floating in healing blue water.

[00:11:18] You'll immerse yourself in natural wonder and find your center on an island or things move

[00:11:24] at your speed. You won't just feel great, you'll feel relaxed, renewed and ready for life.

[00:11:30] That's the Aruba effect, plan your trip at aruba.com.

[00:11:35] Dr. Niel here for my commentary. So far what we've learned in part one of Christian's post

[00:11:41] is that working out in a fasted state may not be a miracle muscle builder or a miracle fat burner.

[00:11:50] We really need to consider two main things. One, our overall diet quality, not just the quality

[00:11:56] of our diets on the days we work out but instead what we eat most days and two, we need to see

[00:12:03] what works best for us. Christian mentioned that for some eating before a workout makes them feel sick.

[00:12:10] That's me for sure. For others, if they don't eat soon before a workout, they feel weak and dizzy.

[00:12:17] This is where experimenting and finding what works for you is so important.

[00:12:22] Now, if I go ahead and continue discussing this topic,

[00:12:26] I'll probably start getting into what Christian is going to discuss in part two of the episode,

[00:12:31] so I better stop now. Thank you so much for listening every day. Thank you for sharing this show

[00:12:37] with someone else. I'll be back here tomorrow to finish up this post, so I'll see you there

[00:12:42] where your optimal life awaits.