2505: [Part 2] Fasted Weight Training: Research, Pros & Cons by Christian Finn of Muscle Evo

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[00:00:55] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 25-05, Fasted Weight Training, Research, Pros and Cons, Part 2 by Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net and I'm Dr. Neal your very own personal narrator.

[00:01:09] Hey there and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I simply read to you from the best health and fitness blogs for free.

[00:01:16] I cover fitness, nutrition, stress management, weight management and more just like an audiobook but from a bunch of different authors and always with permission from the sites and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:01:29] Now today's post is Part 2 from yesterday so if you're new here or are skipping around I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first. That was Episode 25-04 but if you're all caught up let's jump right in and hear Part 2 and continue optimizing your life.

[00:01:47] Fasted Weight Training, Research, Pros and Cons Part 2 by Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net

[00:01:58] There are only a handful of studies to look at the long-term effects of fasted exercise on body composition changes all show much the same thing.

[00:02:08] Whether you train in a fasted or a fed state it won't make much difference to the amount of fat you lose.

[00:02:15] In short I don't think you're going to see a huge benefit in terms of fat loss from fasted weight training or from fasted cardio for that matter.

[00:02:24] The truth is exercise by itself isn't a particularly effective way to create the calorie deficit required for weight loss. It can certainly help a little

[00:02:34] but if you're wondering if fasted weight training or aerobic exercise will help with fat loss you're focusing on the wrong thing.

[00:02:41] As far as getting lean is concerned the food you eat or don't eat is a lot more important than what you do in the gym.

[00:02:48] Think of your workouts as a way to gain or even just retain muscle and your diet as a way to put you in a calorie deficit which is necessary for getting rid of body fat.

[00:03:00] As long as your diet is set up properly the decision to do cardio or strength training in a fasted or a fed state can be based largely on personal preference.

[00:03:10] When it comes to weight loss there's no great advantage or disadvantage to one or the other.

[00:03:16] 4. Will fasted weight training lead to muscle loss?

[00:03:20] No, fasted weight training won't lead to the loss of lean muscle mass. It certainly increases the potential for muscle to be lost depending on when that fasted weight training is being done and what your overall diet looks like.

[00:03:34] But strength training on an empty stomach in and of itself won't cause muscle to be lost rather than gained.

[00:03:40] There was an interesting study done on a group of guys during Ramadan which involves a month of no eating or drinking during daylight hours.

[00:03:48] One group of men lifted weights in a fasted state between 4 and 6 pm. While the non-fasted participants did so between 9 and 10 pm having eaten something beforehand.

[00:04:00] Interestingly enough no muscle was lost.

[00:04:03] Lean body mass was maintained in both the fasted and non-fasted participants.

[00:04:09] Other than the signs of mild dehydration which is not entirely unexpected if you haven't had anything to drink all day there were no adverse effects on training in a fasted state.

[00:04:21] Markers of kidney function, immunity and inflammation also remained in the normal range.

[00:04:27] I don't think that either protocol was optimal for building muscle and Ramadan only lasts for a month so the study doesn't tell us what would have happened over longer periods of time.

[00:04:38] But it does show that lifting weights in a fasted state doesn't make the loss of muscle inevitable.

[00:04:44] If you're doing some version of intermittent fasting that involves fasting all day, training in the evening and then eating one big meal at night,

[00:04:52] the risk of muscle loss is certainly increased but that's because your muscles have been starved of nutrients throughout the day not because of fasted weight training per se.

[00:05:02] But if you're doing fasted weight training first thing in the morning and following that up with multiple protein rich meals during the day there's a far less potential for muscle to be lost.

[00:05:13] 5. Can you do weight training in the morning while intermittent fasting?

[00:05:18] You can do weight training in the morning while intermittent fasting however if you want to build muscle as fast as humanly possible most research points to the afternoon and evening as being the best time of day to train.

[00:05:31] Back in 2009 a team of researchers based at Finland's University of Uvascula ran a very simple experiment.

[00:05:39] They rounded up a group of young men and got them to train in the morning or evening for a total of 10 weeks.

[00:05:45] The morning group trained between 7am and 9am while the evening group did their workouts between 5pm and 7pm.

[00:05:53] Both groups followed exactly the same training routine which involved lifting weights 2-3 times per week.

[00:05:59] Although the difference in muscle growth didn't reach statistical significance, subjects who trained in the evening saw their muscles grow more quickly than the group who trained in the morning.

[00:06:09] In fact, the evening group increased the size of their thigh muscles on average 30% more than their counterparts in the morning group.

[00:06:17] A follow-up study this time lasting 6 months showed much the same results.

[00:06:22] Those who trained in the morning saw their quadriceps specifically their outer thigh grow by an average of 12%.

[00:06:29] But the ones who hit the gym later in the day saw their thighs grow 50% more quickly.

[00:06:35] Some research shows much greater variability from person to person in the strength of the growth signal sent to muscles with a morning versus an evening workout.

[00:06:44] That means lifting weights later in the day seems to produce a much more consistent rise in the various growth signals sent to muscle fibers.

[00:06:53] Training in the morning on the other hand leads to a more pronounced increase in some subjects but also a decrease in others.

[00:07:01] Again, this is a degree of individual variability.

[00:07:05] Some folks may do just fine lifting weights in the morning, others will see better results by training in the late afternoon or early evening.

[00:07:13] The key is to find a training time that works for you.

[00:07:17] You'll probably find that you're weaker in the morning than you are in the evening and that it takes a little longer to warm up.

[00:07:23] However, your body can adapt to training at different times of day.

[00:07:27] Even though you may not feel as strong lifting weights in the morning, your body will get used to it.

[00:07:32] And the difference in strength between your morning and evening workouts will become smaller over time.

[00:07:38] Some folks like to train fasted, not because of any specific fat burning benefits but because they don't like having food in their stomach during a workout.

[00:07:46] I remember when I made the switch from evening to morning training, it was a shock to the system.

[00:07:51] Everything felt so much harder, but gradually over time I got used to it.

[00:07:56] Ultimately the best time of day to train is the time of day that works for you and fits your schedule.

[00:08:03] Timing is a lot less important than simply making it to the gym in the first place.

[00:08:08] Getting your workouts in on a consistent basis is more important than most other things when it comes to getting in shape.

[00:08:15] And 6. Is it better to work out fasted?

[00:08:19] Some say that intermittent fasting and fasted exercise has a beneficial effect on insulin levels and growth hormone in particular.

[00:08:26] The claim that fasted training is more than just okay, it's actually the best way to improve both your health and your body composition.

[00:08:33] On the flip side others claim that high intensity workouts shouldn't be done following fasting periods.

[00:08:40] Your metabolism will slow down, your performance will suffer, the levels of various stress hormones such as cortisol will rise and you run the risk of losing rather than gaining muscle.

[00:08:51] However, contrary to what the name suggests, human growth hormone doesn't have much to do with muscle growth in adults.

[00:08:58] Even growth hormone injections don't do much for muscle protein synthesis which is a prerequisite for building muscle.

[00:09:06] Studies do show that early time restricted feeding which means eating most of your calories earlier in the day improves whole body insulin sensitivity independently of its effects on weight loss.

[00:09:18] This means eating most of your calories earlier in the day may play a potential role in improving cardiometabolic health in those with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.

[00:09:29] However, insulin sensitivity will tend to improve with calorie restriction and weight loss.

[00:09:35] Irrespective of whether the weight loss is achieved with fasted or non-fasted exercise, there is a case to be made for carbohydrate periodization where your low intensity workouts like an easy bike ride or a brisk walk

[00:09:47] on an inclined treadmill are done with a low carbohydrate availability while more intense workouts are done with a higher carbohydrate availability.

[00:09:56] The idea is that doing some of your training in a fasted state with low glycogen stores can improve performance when you eventually compete with glycogen stores fully topped up.

[00:10:07] However, that's more of a strategy for improving performance and endurance athletes rather than losing fat mass more quickly.

[00:10:15] You just listen to part 2 of the post titled fasted weight training research pros and cons by Christian Finn of muscle evo.net and I'll be right back with my commentary when you're hiring it feels amazing to finally close out a job search, but what if you could get rid of the search and just match?

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[00:12:06] Dr. Neil here for my commentary in today's and yesterday's articles the author Christian gave us such a thorough explanation of the pros and cons of working out in a fasted state not only that Christian mentioned research studies and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the ways the studies were conducted.

[00:12:26] And these are some of the things that I look for what I want to know when an author is trying to get to the truth now as we heard all of this wonderful information we may have started feeling unsure of what to do like how do we get the most out of our workouts well Christian actually shared the secret with us did you catch it it's okay if you missed it all quote Christian directly quote getting your workouts in on a consistent basis is more important than most other things.

[00:12:56] When it comes to getting in shape and quote so there you have it find what eating pattern and time of day best suits you ask yourself what's going to help me stay most consistent and then the rest will follow.

[00:13:13] Alright that'll do it for today thank you so much for being here listening every day I hope you have a great rest of your day and of course see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.