Ramadhan Fasting Struggles

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BananaAssassin
BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Next week marks the beginning of Ramadhan, the one month in every year where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Seeing as the sun rises early and sets late, you can imagine how exhausting it will be to fast for pretty much most of the day. My worry is this: last month I started a new gym and I paid an annual sum, so I can't pause my membership. I knew this month was Ramadhan, but I was motivated and I didn't want to lose that drive by waiting two months before hitting the gym HARD. And I mean really hard. I lift heavy and do combat sports a few times a week. Now that Ramadhan is here, I'm wondering how I can make the most of my membership without almost murdering myself in the gym. I'll be eating breakfast around 2-3am and dinner will be about 9:30-10pm. Any advice on how I can handle this?
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Replies

  • JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls
    JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls Posts: 165 Member
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    what are the opening and closing times of your gym?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    As above, is it a 24 hour gym or a late closing one? Lots of people workout fasted (I run fasted generally) so I wonder if doing a scaled back workout before breaking your fast might work?

  • SliverBulletsUK
    SliverBulletsUK Posts: 267 Member
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    What are your goals, are you trying to retain muscle or build more ? If your an adult and have been doing these combat sports and lifting etc for a while then how have you handled this before ?

    A lot of Muslim athletes pause training or radically reduce it while they fast.

    Ultimately you will need to listen to your body. Working out hard during the day but not being able to drink water will be very hard. Could you do a lighter workout instead at a time which will benefit you and not drain you too much?
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    To minimise muscle loss I would do a short but highly intense strength routine (focusing on compound moves with superset accessories to get maximum impact over the shortest time possible) split as a push day/pull day/leg day/rest day and plan my work-outs so that as soon as I finished and got home I could break my fast.

    I would not add in or consider any cardio work.

    I would monitor calories to ensure that I was hitting close or only slightly below maintenance calories.


  • janetennet
    janetennet Posts: 143 Member
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    Hi, a friend of mine is a personal trainer and she has written a blog post about training in the month of Ramadan - I don't think I'm allowed to post it here so inbox me if you want the link.
    Other than that I would advise you to focus more on stretching, core work perhaps swimming as well as this doesn't cause as much noticeable sweating and dehydration. You would still be able to lift but I wouldn't push it too hard and perhaps only once a week.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    janetennet wrote: »
    Hi, a friend of mine is a personal trainer and she has written a blog post about training in the month of Ramadan - I don't think I'm allowed to post it here so inbox me if you want the link.
    Other than that I would advise you to focus more on stretching, core work perhaps swimming as well as this doesn't cause as much noticeable sweating and dehydration. You would still be able to lift but I wouldn't push it too hard and perhaps only once a week.

    Unless the post advertises a product you're probably OK to post a link.

    Note: Swimming doesn't show noticeable sweating because you're in a pool of water, but it does dehydrate you.
  • Changingmyfatitude
    Changingmyfatitude Posts: 97 Member
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    I'll also be observing Ramadan this year and I intend to continue working out, scaled back but I will carry on with it and logging.

    Do you have a 24 hour gym that is close by you?

    I managed it last year until the last few days and would go to the gym for 30 to 40 minutes and get home in time to shower then iftar. I was barely lifting last year so it was mainly light cardio.

    This year the idea is to use this as op to lean out as i'm still trying to drop my body fat and maintain the muscle I have grown over the last year. I know a few people that have even been able to get there PB in deadlifts during Ramadan.

    It is advised to still be active during this period, at a low intensity but keep moving as it will help. Listen to your body and go at your own pace :)

    Ramadan Kareem in advance.

  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »
    what are the opening and closing times of your gym?

    Opens at 6am and closes at 9pm
  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    VintageFeline wrote: »
    As above, is it a 24 hour gym or a late closing one? Lots of people workout fasted (I run fasted generally) so I wonder if doing a scaled back workout before breaking your fast might work?

    That's what I'm thinking.
  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    SliverBulletsUK wrote: »
    What are your goals, are you trying to retain muscle or build more ? If your an adult and have been doing these combat sports and lifting etc for a while then how have you handled this before ?

    A lot of Muslim athletes pause training or radically reduce it while they fast.

    Ultimately you will need to listen to your body. Working out hard during the day but not being able to drink water will be very hard. Could you do a lighter workout instead at a time which will benefit you and not drain you too much?

    My goal at the moment is to retain muscle because my main mission is to burn fat so i already eat in a deficit. I'm thinking of doing low intensity cardio during the day and then a workout before I break my fast.
  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    StealthHealth wrote: »
    To minimise muscle loss I would do a short but highly intense strength routine (focusing on compound moves with superset accessories to get maximum impact over the shortest time possible) split as a push day/pull day/leg day/rest day and plan my work-outs so that as soon as I finished and got home I could break my fast.

    I would not add in or consider any cardio work.

    I would monitor calories to ensure that I was hitting close or only slightly below maintenance calories.


    Yeah, I'm thinking any high intensity cardio will be out of the question. I will definitely keep up lifting.
  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    Changingmyfatitude wrote: »
    I'll also be observing Ramadan this year and I intend to continue working out, scaled back but I will carry on with it and logging.

    Do you have a 24 hour gym that is close by you?

    I managed it last year until the last few days and would go to the gym for 30 to 40 minutes and get home in time to shower then iftar. I was barely lifting last year so it was mainly light cardio.

    This year the idea is to use this as op to lean out as i'm still trying to drop my body fat and maintain the muscle I have grown over the last year. I know a few people that have even been able to get there PB in deadlifts during Ramadan.

    It is advised to still be active during this period, at a low intensity but keep moving as it will help. Listen to your body and go at your own pace :)

    Ramadan Kareem in advance.

    I was thinking of doing low intensity cardio and light lifting. And then maybe a burst of intense cardio just before iftar.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    In a calorific deficit, where you goal is to maintain as much muscle as possible, you should prioritise strength work above all other forms of exercise. Diet wise you should prioritise protein.

    So, what is the purpose of the low intensity cardio - you're already in deficit (unless when you break fast you intend to eat to calorific excess?) - more deficit is going to increase the chances/rate of muscle metabolism.
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    personally, i would still go to the gym to keep up with the habit, and just walk slowly on a treadmill, or lift very light weights.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    OP should mention that they're not supposed to drink water either so any workout would be followed by dehydration until sunset.
  • wantoldme
    wantoldme Posts: 140 Member
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    I always work out about an hour and a half before Iftar and try to do a light walk after Iftar. It actually keeps your energy levels up for me.
  • Changingmyfatitude
    Changingmyfatitude Posts: 97 Member
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    wantoldme wrote: »
    I always work out about an hour and a half before Iftar and try to do a light walk after Iftar. It actually keeps your energy levels up for me.

    I agree and that's also my plan this Ramadan.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I've got no advice for anyone. But I played soccer for years, with many observant Muslim guys. I always thought they would take the month off. They did not. It is pretty hot where I live, and I expect it was uncomfortable. But no one died. In fact, I never noticed any diminution of either their skill or their endurance.
  • jeanstudies
    jeanstudies Posts: 81 Member
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    Are you sure that the gym would maybe allow you to put your membership on hold for the month, for religious reasons, and then maybe just do low-intensity walking during the observance?
  • BananaAssassin
    BananaAssassin Posts: 44 Member
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    jeanstudies wrote: »
    Are you sure that the gym would maybe allow you to put your membership on hold for the month, for religious reasons, and then maybe just do low-intensity walking during the observance?

    I will ask again. Thanks!

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