Fasted Lifting. in The Napkin.
- Jan. 16, 2022, 12:42 p.m.
- |
- Public
My experimenting continues.
Over fifteen years ago, I educated myself in The Way of the Rat.
Okay, close enough.
Part of my self-education in How to Move Inanimate Objects was nutrition. Namely preworkout nutrition, and postworkout nutrition. It’s… kind of self-explanatory. Eat beforehand. Eat afterwards. Pretty simple. Fuel your workout, then fuel your recovery.
(Though, the PWO window isn’t some strict OMG, JUST FINISHED MY LAST SET, GOTTA DOWN MY WHEY. )
Whenever I bother doing cardio, it’s generally fasted. Years ago, I would hop out of bed and be outside for a jog in under ten minutes. Time aside, who wants just swallowed food sloshing around in their gut? And if I have a date with the dreadmill, I still just head to the gym fasted to save time. While it doesn’t actually effect total caloric burn either way, if you’re trying to drop weight, there’s something psychologically weird about eating and then hitting the dreadmill.
Anyway. I’ve done enough fasted cardio that I know I feel fine during and after. No particular difference in performance. Hey, I always say I hate cardio - it’s not like I’m some track star kicking it to 6 mph. I’m lucky if I can hold 4.5 mph for longer than two minutes.
So, out of curiosity, I did my lifting session today without breakfast prior. Performance? All lifts improved roughly at the same pace I’ve come to expect. Was slightly “eh, I COULD eat” before, but felt fine after. Exercise suppresses my appetite.
(My hunch is it has to do with the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous systems. Such a thing as being too busy to eat. Whereas if you’re sitting on the couch “resting” you might also find a desire to be “digesting”. [You know. Parasympathetic is “rest and digest”. You learned it in A&P like I did, right?])
I had 6 eggs when I got home. By not eating breakfast, I was able to go a little heavier, rather than overrationing calories. Which means less of a risk of needing a middle meal between then and dinner. Which means I can go heavier on dinner and still stay on target.
(Oh, dinner will be chicken, brussel sprouts, and green beans. Might toss in a can of rotel into the casserole pan for flavor, unless I stick with just EVOO and rosemary.)
So. Same performance. Same calories for the day. Easier hunger management or lack thereof. Huh.
Requires more data. : )
Last updated January 16, 2022
Miss Chiffs Manager ⋅ January 16, 2022
You're right, the nervous system can and does get "too busy" to do too many things well all at once.
It used to be said that to work up a good appetite, go out and walk around the block. And, digestion is the single biggest metabolic expense. If you're digesting, you're not lifting as well, and if you're lifting, you're not digesting as well. Even your mental acuity suffers after a meal. Cows "ruminate" with a huge 4 chambered stomach, and don't think. The less food you eat(higher density) the better you can perform overall.
Now there are some exercises that are better or worse, comparatively, depending on how it affects your nervous system.
The best results come from the best timing.
Timmy™ Miss Chiffs Manager ⋅ January 16, 2022
Lift hard, digest hard, ha ha. In my travels, I've also come across the "benefits" of fasting, but. Something beyond a 16/6 intermittent fast just. "Oh, just don't eat for a few days!" is weird.
Miss Chiffs Manager Timmy™ ⋅ January 16, 2022
I know what you mean. In 2019 I did a 3 day fast every week and also did Judo and BJJ 4 or 5 times a week. So, impossible to not have a session fasted. Those sessions I was game. It was like I was high, but totally there.
I also did some low-carb, keto/carnivore months in there and man. If you want a trip just go carnivore lol.
I also started sleeping during that time, after having been a chronic insomniac my entire life. It really switched on my nervous system, I think.
Timmy™ Miss Chiffs Manager ⋅ January 16, 2022
I dropped milk last week. Mind you, I LOVE milk. I've been favoring eggs for breakfast and eat chicken and a veggie for dinner - close to carnivore, but I do like a little fiber, haha.
I have been going to bed around nine and getting up at four something. So weird. When I would allow myself chocolate, phew. I would just stay up late for no reason.