Training in state of fasting...

Himokiri Karate · Member of the Month

I have done fasting and I find it very beneficial. Usually during summer with the heat, I usually don't have an appetite anyways and so I just fast for half a day or if I am fine, then I make dinner simple like some hemp protein and strawberries. So I guess fasting and raw foods.

Anyway, I noticed two things, both positive and negative.

Negative: When I train on little to no calories, I find that I don't have the ability to explode with fast twitch muscle fiber. I cant throw combination or be aggressive with my offense. All and all, exerting myself seems like an impossible which means, I cant do weights, bodyweight or plyometrics. Over all, I cant really be an athlete or train in a sporting manner in regards to physical training. One thing to say is, inconsistency. Sometimes I feel like I want to preserver in a state of diminishment and other times I am feeling "meh" in regards to how well the training goes at this point.

Positive: I feel hangry gives me a certain drive but with no energy, I find that I look for efficiency in performing technique. No longer am I exerting myself but rather I am looking to perform the movements in one motion and since I am in a bad mood, I don't feel like over analyzing my technique, if it doesn't make me more tired and it gets me the result, then its a step towards the right direction. Oh and things like footwork and timing drills become more enjoyable since no energy for physical exertion has me rely on my reflexes so I don't make a lapse in judgment or awareness of distance.

I see pros and cones in both and sometimes my mood makes me bias in which I prefer. One thing I notice is, we all as human beings have good days and bad days regardless of personal interest or career as well personality. The fasting feels like I am training my "Bad days" to not be bad. Its like I have an opportunity to really consciously engage or simply observe myself at my point of diminishment.

Curious to know if anyone incorporates fasting in to their martial arts training?

P.S: I mainly practice boxing with Full contact Karate and Kung Fu exercises. Just to clarify since I mentioned footwork which is what I do instead of katas or forms.
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singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

I don't think I could. I've had days where I hadn't eaten enough, and and went to class. Those were the days where I'd have some blood sugar crashes on those days.
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Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

fasting can be dangerous if it is done without proper guidance from a health professional or other such reliable reference and advice. Fasting is not a common practice in the history of karate and perhaps other East Asian martial arts. The old-timers on Okinawa had/have a diet based on one basic principle which is to never eat until one feels completely full.

There are few to no restrictions only moderation. The traditional diet consisted of mostly of vegetable/plant food, tubers(a type of potato), rice is available and the rest was seafood. Meat was rare and only eaten for special occasions. Usually it was pork or some other type of lean meats such as poultry.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

If you are fasting with the guidance of your doctor, then you should be ok. However, if you're fasting without your doctors advice, then be extra careful. Either way, I wish you the best of luck.

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OneKickWonder · Purple Belt

There's a growing body of evidence that fasting, done right, has many health benefits.

However done wrong it might just kill you.

When the body thinks it's starving, lots of chemical changes happen. One such is the production of ketone I think it's called, and chemical that helps to convert fat back into glucose. However it's expensive on the body, and has done quite toxic byproducts. If your wee smells of nail varnish remover you've gone too far and seriously messed up your body chemistry, so be sure to never let it get that far.

There's a more immediate concern. Fasting doesn't just mean lack of glucose, it's also lack of protein. Every knows proteins role in building muscle and repairing damaged tissue. But less well documented is its role in the actual digestive process itself. It is essential for bile production. Insufficient protein means insufficient bile production. Then you have many problems. Nothing protects the stomach from its own acid. Digestion can not complete. And acid can flow the wrong way, back up into the bile duct, thus digesting your own gall bladder.

Incomplete digestion in the gut causes irritation and an imbalance of gut flora, further compounding matters to create some very unpleasant health issues.

All this by the way even if you're nowhere near starving yourself. This can all happen even if you're still eating fairly regularly, if you are consistently not meeting your nutrient requirements.

All this sounds scary I know. And this is perhaps the more extreme end of what can happen. But the point I'm trying to make, as others have already said, if you're going to trying fasting, make sure you get it right because the consequences of getting it wrong go far beyond a bit of a lack of energy.

LLLEARNER · Brown Belt

Is there a way you could up your protein a bit and time your meal to an hour before training?

I tend to lose my appetite in hot weather too. I try to have a small salad with protein for lunch and a small dinner, grilled lean meat and veggies. I rarely eat breakfast.
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Himokiri Karate · Member of the Month

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