Interment fasting while lifting

I’ve always been a big “eat protein or drink a protein shake immediately after you workout guy” but I want to start interment fasting and I lift in the morning right after I wake up. Should I not drink a shake after my workout because I was always told the protein heals your muscles after… thanks for the help!

Answer

Depends on your goals but exercising in a fasted state is going to give you great fat burning bang for your buck. As soon as you eat, that’s going to get cut down so be deliberate about your goals. If your goals are competitive muscle growth, then plan your meals around your lifting not the other way around

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I will say your muscles will still recover even if you feed it carbs and protein later in the day, though. It might not be quite as effective but a good majority of recovery is going to happen during rest anyway so in my mind, as long as I’m getting it before bed, I’m fine with it. If you’re competitive, this might be an issue but for most people, the timing of your shake really isn’t going to make or break your development

Answer

I too used to be in the camp of “ I better get my whey protein in within 30min of my lifting session coming to and end for maximum gains/protein synthesis”, however some recent studies have proven that this 30min metabolic window may not be the reality and it may not matter if you don’t get protein for a few hours after your session. Regardless, I think it’s beneficial to break your fast soon after a workout simply because of the action of insulin release. Breaking your fast can induce a larger than normal insulinogenic effect because you have been in a fasted state for a while so your body is very insulin sensitive. I like to play this to my advantage as insulin basically opens the door to your muscle cells so they can utilize that protein more effectively.

Therefore if my lifting routine was in the morning, I would be starting my fast after lunch or breakfast time the day before, that way my workout happens in a fasted state for max fat stores burn, but also afterwards when I break my fast with a protein shake or even very lean meat not only will I be adding protein to my body but my body is going to much more sensitive to the insulin release so that protein I consume will be utilized much more rapidly and readily than if I had not fasted beforehand due to not being as insulin se sensitive/primed.

Hope this helps