Health and Fitness

5 weeks into the Marathon plan proper and just in from my longest run yet 26km (16m or so in old money). Everything on track so far. A four hour marathon is my aim and I’m fairly confident I can achieve that.

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Is it really effective?
With weights?

Yeah it’s incredibly effective. I used to think it was nonsense but most of the top bodybuilders swore by it. So I started doing it a couple years ago (when I’m shredding, not in off-season) and the results were ridiculous.

I did a 4 week prep for my holiday in Rio and the difference that fasted cardio made was unreal. It gives you that extra shred that makes all the difference.

I remember I hadn’t really dieted properly in about 2 months leading up to May and then decided to do a 4 week prep for the holiday and I did the following (which is my usual routine anyway, when I am in diet mode):

Monday - Friday I wake up at 5.55am, get to my local gym for 6.15 and do 30 minutes of fasted cardio.

I go to work and then after work I go to a gym in East London to do my weight training sessions. My split is basic:

Day 1 - chest
Day 2 - back
Day 3 - quad dominant leg session
Day 4 - rest
Day 5 - shoulders / upper chest
Day 6 - arms
Day 7 - legs (hamstring and calf focused)

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Perfect. I have similar dilemma with just over a month to go for the Germany trip. I still got a little bit of fat to loose and I will be in shape again.

I will follow your routine.

What else is in your fasted cardio routine? Just the walking part?

What settings would you have that treadmill on roughly.
Due to a knee injury physio has allowed me only treadmill cardio walking.
Bit flat with that but your recent posts given me a bit of positivity.

I put the treadmill on maximum incline and then I increase the speed to as fast as I can walk before I’d have to start jogging and then I just leave it from there. I usually download a few videos on YouTube premium and just watch them as it helps to stop me clock watching when I’m doing cardio.

I also play football on Saturday mornings and at one point, I was still sparring but I’ve dropped the boxing now.

But you need to be able to judge your own body. I’ve worked out what’s good for me in terms of food, style of weight lifting and cardio and it’s taken me a few years to get there.

But 4 weeks of fasted cardio (you could probably throw abs in after the cardio too, if you really want to ramp it up) will make a solid difference.

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I put the treadmill on maximum incline and then I’d put it at the highest walking speed I can handle and then I just walk for half hour.

It makes a big difference if you can stick to the fasted element of it.

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Try hot yoga too :slight_smile:

Can’t recommend it enough.

I have loads of cobwebs in my muscles now but I will be more regular now.
Within last 3-4 months with sporadic workouts, I have regained 60-70% of my previous fitness.

I am hoping work pressure doesn’t deviate me from the task again.

Honestly any kind of high intensity exercise while fasted will make you lose weight FAST.

I lost 5kg while fasting this year, by going to the gym fasting.

Deadlifts and squats burn through a shitton of calories and feel horrible to do while fasted but you really do feel the results quick.

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Fasting :sob:

I love food.
McDonalds is right next, I mean right next, to my gym. :sweat_smile:

I have a thing about high intensity fasted cardio because I feel like cardio that’s too intense is almost guaranteed to eat away at muscle. But that’s just something I’ve noticed on my own body. I know some people that do it and it makes a huge difference for them

I live forever from a gym, and it’s too hilly round here to go for a run, what about fasted hill sprints?

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Is their not a football or rugby pitch you could do a few laps on. Could do sprint reps after a decent warm up that way.
Just from a running point of view just be careful going straight on to hill sprints for things like shin splints.

I’ve heard a lot about them being really really good. I’ve only ever done them once in my life though as a form of cardio so I don’t think I could pass comment on them.

I do hill sprints for fight training. Great way to push yourself and its quick and fun.

Not sure how it would be as a substitute for fasted cardio though.

No, I agree.

I just meant any kind of exercise that gets you sweating bucket loads and destroys you, including weights, while fasting will get you results.

I don’t see the need for major endurance cardio, definitely not like 20 min long runs or whatever.

I’d rather do higher intensity stuff for shorter time, like sprints or something.

But again that’s personal, I find running, or rowing or cycling machine for like 10 mins so boring.

Just did this coupled with jumping jacks and burpees.think I will stick to this cardio routine for a bit and add some more.

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If I smash a load of pre-workout before my gym sesh, does that mean I’m technically no longer fasted even if I haven’t had any food?

And do you guys eat anything after your fasted morning workouts or do you wait until lunch?

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting recently which means I don’t eat until 1:30pm but now that I’m getting back into the gym there’s no way I’ll be able to manage going that long without food. It’s hard enough as is without working out every day.

A load of pre-workout what? You are fasted as long as you don’t consume calories, so caloric beverages also break fasts.

wow, really? is it that hard for you? I am rotating regular 18-16 hour intermittent fasts with occasional 48-72 hour fasts, and the intermittent fasting is not a problem at all. It’s basically skipping dinner for me and I am often a lot more energetic and uplifted when fasted in the evening.