Bodybuilding and Ramadan: how to manage this period?

How to keep your muscles during Ramadan?

Ramadan is characterized by a long period of fasting. The practice lasts about a month. It is true that it is not always easy to cope with this deprivation of food and water while maintaining the same pace in relation to bodybuilding exercises. Especially since the muscles need protein and carbohydrates to continue to be in top shape. During the summer months, the biggest dilemma is the inability to drink water. Automatically, this whole process affects the body and its appearance. The following tips will help to minimize the damage that Ramadan can do to your muscles.

Change your training schedule

Ramadan consists of not eating and drinking as soon as the first light of the day appears. Every Muslim can only eat and drink once the sun is completely down. The workout schedule must therefore be adapted to this unusual rhythm of life.

It is already important to reduce the physical efforts in order not to feel discomfort and uneasiness during the day. Generally, the body needs to recharge after long physical efforts. So, to reduce fatigue, you just have to do what is necessary.

To do this, you can shorten the weight training sets. You are thus in a phase where the objective is to maintain the muscles so that they keep their forms and their rigidity. The same goes for the weight of the dumbbells, which should be lighter than usual. Instead of doing sessions lasting 1 to 1.5 hours, it is preferable to limit them to 45 minutes at most.

Finally, concerning the schedule, it would be wise not to train during the day but rather after sunset. You can break the fast without eating too much, so as not to be bloated during the training, do your little session of 30 min to 45 minutes during which drinking in small sips will be essential and after the session eat at your ease. Again, you will have to consume your number of calories during the time you are allowed to eat.

This is quite complicated, because eating one meal in the evening will make your stomach heavy quite quickly. Just like drinking too much water at once will prevent you from eating well. It is also very difficult to count the number of calories when you eat meals such as traditional soup or other foods that you did not cook yourself. So you have to do your best to get your caloric intake.

Cardio and Ramadan

During Ramadan, it is best not to do any cardio exercises. This is because when it comes to cardio, there is always a reference to sweating. When you avoid exercises that make you sweat too much, you lose less fluid. This means you are less dehydrated and your muscles lose less volume and consistency.

When the caloric reserves in the belly are depleted, it will not only burn fat but the body will also draw from the fat in the muscle. This is the process of catabolism. That is, the body will use the proteins that are present in the muscles to transform them into a source of energy.

Adopt a new eating habit

It is important to get a good dose of protein once the sun goes down. This stops the catabolic process that is going on inside your body. A contribution that is more than important for those who continue to perform their muscle training sessions.

Your whole body will undergo a change. This is because breakfast starts earlier than it should. For example, instead of eating at 6:00 or 7:00 a.m., you eat around 3:00 or 5:00 a.m. It is therefore important to eat well to have enough energy to face the day.

On the menu, it is best to favour the consumption of carbohydrates. Like semolina, rice or quinoa. Then, instead of chorba or harira, you can eat white meat like fish or chicken. And don't forget eggs, which have a high protein content. If you are vegetarian, you can be satisfied with a nice legume dish.

Since you need to maintain your muscles, you will need to consume protein-rich foods.

To make it even better, don't forget to use oils rich in good fats. Like olive oil, rapeseed oil and grape seed oil.

During the Ramadan period, do not hesitate to take food supplements. They prevent you from losing a lot of muscle mass. There are supplements that have the ability to help regain the muscles lost after the fasting period of Ramadan. These are supplements that promote protein synthesis by the body.

Then there are the amino acids that are present in some proteins and food supplements, such as BCAA that are not produced by the body. They are important to keep your muscles in good condition despite a slightly disturbed life cycle.

Finally, it is also necessary to consume omega 3. Generally, it is an element that we find in products of plant origin. But you can take it in the form of a food supplement. The omega 3 allows to limit the muscular loss generated by the period of ramadan. It avoids especially that a state of deficiency can have impacts on the operation of your nervous system.

Establish a new sleep order

In an attempt to maintain a minimum food cycle, you lose a few hours of sleep. The nights are shorter, even interrupted because of the need to eat to regain maximum energy. But sleep is restorative for the whole body, including the muscles. It is therefore essential to get as much sleep as possible, even if it is not easy.

To compensate for this lack of sleep, it is best to take a few minutes of nap when you can. Fifteen minutes of respite is proven to bring the pressure down and reduce the effects of fatigue on the body. If you work, opt for a nap during your lunch break. During Ramadan, the goal is to get at least 6 or 7 hours of sleep so that your muscles don't break down, but in general, that's not possible.

To help you, you can take ZMA and Glutamine and relax as much as possible before starting your night. These supplements promote the production of growth hormone and testosterone: an important process for your muscles to recover and grow.

Caffeine and booster

Finally, if you consume coffee or pre-workout drinks, it is advisable to limit their consumption during this trying month so as not to accentuate your body's state of stress.

Finally, you should not demonize Ramadan and the fasting that goes with it. It is scientifically proven that only fasting for more than 3 successive days has the capacity to disturb the state of your muscles. Otherwise, there is no reason for your muscles to lose considerable mass unless you are not training or eating enough.

By adopting all the tips mentioned above, you will not have the slightest problem with bodybuilding. If you do lose some muscle, it will be easier to get it back when you finish Ramadan.

In the end, it's all a question of organization, because if Ramadan is quite difficult the first few days, the body quickly gets used to it and after this time, it will be easier to hold.

Do you want a complete weight training program to follow during this period?

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