Training fasted is the concept of training without having eaten for about 12 hours or more. That time is called the “fasted window”. In the fasted window the body has run out of glucose from the last meal, assuming that last meal contained carbohydrates and/or protein. Because the body doesn’t have any available glucose to use for energy, it now needs to tap into the body’s stored fat in order to produce energy.
So is training fasted beneficial for you? Here are the pros and cons of fasted training.
Well, it technically depends on your goals! If your goal is losing body fat, training fasted has shown to be very beneficial because it elevates the amount of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This hormone is a catalyst for everything else happening in the body, including fat loss, because of its ability to enable the body to train more efficiently. Weight training elevates the level of lactic acid in the muscle, which in turn also elevates HGH. Therefore, weight training while fasted produces a higher rate of fat loss. Studies have also shown that training fasted enables the body to shred fat in problematic areas, where blood flow is impaired, such as in the lower abdominal area. The reason for this is that when in a fasted state, blood flows more easily into those areas of the body, suggesting that fasted training could be beneficial for spot reducing body fat.
Muscle break down is accelerated in a fasted state, even if the whole point of weight training is to break down muscle to then build new ones. Too much muscle break down can result in your muscles not having enough time to repair themselves, impairing your next training session and potentially causing injuries. This is where proper nutrition and rest is key. You can also expect to feel a bit weaker and lose a few reps when training fasted if you are generally used to have carbohydrate-based meals pre-training.
When it comes to endurance training – such as cycling and running – training fasted can be great in order to train your body to use fat more efficiently and thus delaying your need for carbohydrate intake. This is especially beneficial for people doing longer events such as marathons and longer triathlon races, meaning that your body could last without fuel for up to 2 hours because your body is well trained to use fat stores for energy. However, training fasted in endurance sports can only really be done for low to moderate intensity training when the body is at maximum 60-70 % of its maximum heart rate capacity. When the body trains at a higher intensity – such as when you are sprinting to the finish line or running up a hill – your body relies on carbohydrates. Therefore, it is important to not train fasted when you are planning to do an interval or a hill session for example.
If you decided that fasted training is for you, it is important to remember to start slow by maybe only doing a 20 minutes session at first and then build from there. Never train fasted for more than 2 hours as this can result in weakening your immune system and potentially causing injuries. Also, limit your fasted training to 2-3 sessions per week.
To facilitate recovery after exercise correct nutrition is crucial. Read Post Workout Nutrition post to find out more.
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