Gym recovery when fasting

Im a 24yr old male and I fast for around 18hrs and feed for 6hrs approx with slight variations of 1-2hrs sometimes. Been doing this for a year+ now. Ive been going to the gym for about a year now and hitting an average of 3 days a week. Ive fluctuated between different supplements but currently taking creatine, l-citrulline, electrolytes and just started protein shakes. I usually eat fat and protein based snacks like nuts and fruit, 1-2 hrs pre gym to have more energy to work with. Although energy levels are usually quite optimal at the gym, i feel like recovery is taking longer than it should sometimes taking 3 days+ to heal with a minimum if 2 days. I’ve been trying to increase caloric intake during feeding but it hasnt made much difference. I drink around 2l of water everyday and hit around 75-100g protein a day. Any tips of what I can do better?

Answer

Magnesium helps a lot specially for soreness.

Varied veggies and fruits are so understimated, lots of micronutrientes essensial for recovery. There is too much focus on just big chunks of macros.

Deep breathing exersices. Easy recovery jogs/walks help a lot and burn fat too.

Hot and cold water switching in the shower.

Check Dr. Hubberman youtube/spotify channels dude has Great compilations of scientific studies on exersice recovery and more.

Answer

2 days recovery time sounds about right but if you’re truly worried you should count your calories. Is recovery time the only thing you are noticing being affected? If you have also plateaued in terms of strength / endurance, then it is likely you are simply not eating enough.

Other factors that will impact your recovery time are sleep duration and whether or not you are warming up properly and stretching before and after your workouts.