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PlanStrong/BuiltStrong Fasted strength training is it OK?

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Ori Cohen

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Dear Strong First team!

Life is hectic, I have very limited time to work out and I wonder if is OK to do fasted strength training? The only time I really have to work out is if I wake up at 4:30 am and work out before my kids wake up. If fasted strength training is good, it would help me to maintain a stronger life. I would appreciate your guidance on the matter.

Sincerely,
A really (really) tired and not so strong father with an office job.
 
Good Morning,

I am writing this after waking up at 4:30 right before my strength work for the day. I too only have this time to get in my practice, and have been doing so my entire strength journey. I too am not very strong, so take it for what it is, but I feel fine practicing this early in the morning and with a little caffeine.
 
I observed the difference between fasted and "fed" training and S&S.

I usually do 16/8ish intermittent fasting and I practice before eating around noon (I only have some coffee before). Sometimes I practice in the afternoon between meals and I observed that my performance is slightly better and my heart rate gets higher (peak 155BPS on fasted days vs peak around 170BPS on fed days as a 26yo male without any medication or chronic conditions) - this could be a consideration if you're trying to stay in a particular HR zone.

In addition, I also did S&S during my 3-day fast, and it felt just fine. I had the mindset to take it easier on the 2nd and 3rd day but I guess I did not even have to. That said my strategy would be different if I ran something more demanding on recovery.
 
Ori Cohen said:
Dear Strong First team!

Life is hectic, I have very limited time to work out and I wonder if is OK to do fasted strength training? The only time I really have to work out is if I wake up at 4:30 am and work out before my kids wake up. If fasted strength training is good, it would help me to maintain a stronger life. I would appreciate your guidance on the matter.

Sincerely,
A really (really) tired and not so strong father with an office job.
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Short answer it depends.

Long answer: I train fasted just about every morning, and often this includes strength training, mostly for the same reasons - if I don't train before the family gets up, my training time really gets cramped, rushed, interrupted, etc. The most important thing is training consistently, and part of that is finding a time that works for you.

However, this is where it depends - not everyone seems to be able to adapt to this as well, whether by preference or due to medical issue. As an example, due to a couple reasons, my wife would experience bad low blood sugar in the mornings and would basically have to eat immediately upon waking - there was no way she could train fasted. This may not apply to you, but there are medical conditions (and preferences) that make this not quite a "yes training fasted is 100% ok!"

But barring these, if you can, it is fine; if you can't there are "ways" to eat something small and light before training. For instance, I usually wake up between 0430-0500 and train by 0530-0600, during which time I drink water and coffee. If I needed to cram food in during that period, a banana and peanut butter or a slice of peanut butter toast (or better yet - almond butter!) is quick and easy and I know it sits well, regardless if my plan is heavy deadlifts, a long run, or anything in between. (I also know for me that a whey protein shake doesn't sit as well before, although it sits fine after.)

Minor aside - if you're not used to training fasted and are used to training fed, there may be a small time of adjusting or adapting to training fasted where your performance is below where it was. My experience is that this usually washes out after getting used to it, and if you have no previous performance to compare it to it doesn't actually matter.

Hope this helps - happy training!
 
mar2safety said:
Same for me. Wake up. Drink some water with himalayan salt. Workout. Eat a few hours later. I don't bother having any caffeine prior to either.
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Same here, several years, but caffeinated and some amino acids, 5am or so training, food around noon. Will also weight train during 2-7 day water, coffee, salt fast, just not quite as intense and I'll drop the pace a bit.
 
This is how I train. I wake up at 4:00 AM and drink two cups of water. Then drink coffee with the wife (half caffeine) until 5:15-5:20, then hit the garage for KB training or go for a run/swim. Breakfast afterwards. This works for me and I certified as an SFG 1 at the end of September training this way. Is it ideal? I don't know. What I do know is it works for me, my lifestyle and I am progressing. Everyone is different. You have to do what works for you and not be afraid to experiment.

I will add that if I am running a race I will eat something 1-1/2 hours before the event.
 
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I've trained fasted for years, I have one or two cups of coffee beforehand and sip on a bit of water salted with Pakistani (Himalayan) pink salt as I train. I always train in the morning but if I want to test myself I'll eat in the morning and test my 1rm's in the afternoon. After training fasted for a while it seems like a burden to train with any food in my stomach, so on test day I've found I need at least 3 hours between the meal and the test.
When I was into competitive cycling I always ate a substantial meal 2 - 1&1/2 hours before the race and even had a light snack of quick digesting carbs about 15 mins before the race but that was for mid range endurance events, for shorter mostly anaerobic work training fasted works great for me.
 
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