9 Tips For Ramadan And Working Out
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Pretty soon Ramadan starts for 1.57 billion people in the world and there’s a fair number of bodybuilders, workout and fitness enthusiasts among them. The biggest question for them is how to observe the first without compromising their goals in the latter. Here are some pointers.
1. Don’t Stop Working Out
The first and most important tip to be given comes right at the beginning: don’t stop working out. Your body maintains muscle mass as long as it feels it is needed and when you stop exercising, will slowly build back what it feels is unnecessary luggage that costs extra energy. Even though you may not make gains in muscle mass during Ramadan, you can at least preserve what you have if you keep your schedule up.
2. Adjust Intensity
In your regular schedule you may be able to do x amount of weight during benchpresses and do 90 lb curls without batting an eye. But if you usually do your workouts in the late afternoons and then try the same intensity during Ramadan – when you have already fasted for 8 – 10 hours and a long and busy day is behind you – you may not be able to pull that off.
There is nothing wrong with you here: after a long day, your carbohydrate reserves probably are depleted and carbohydrates are what let you work out with intensity.
Muslims before the evening prayers on the first day of Ramadan
What you may want to do is either adjust the weights you are using or the number of reps. If you want to stay with the weights you normally train with, allow for doing less repetitions and lower the weight if you fail to reach your normal number of minimum repetitions. If you want to lower the weight right from the beginning, then pick one that under the circumstances of the fast allows you a maximum of 12 – 15 reps.
3. Protein Timing
If you normally follow the rule of having several small doses of protein over the day, you of course can’t do that during Ramadan.
But if you manage to have a meal in the mornings, before fajr (صلاة الفجر), and of course the larger ones in the evening and have some protein in both, you will at least somewhat make up for it: protein in food is absorbed much slower than protein from powders and will stay with you quite a bit of time.
If you want to use a powder at all, then it should be one based on casein, and not on the “fast” whey (see end of this article).
4. Carbohydrates In The Morning
Another reason for a morning meal is that you can not only have some protein at that time, but also carbohydrates. And as carbs let you work out with intensity, as we said above, loading up some of them in the mornings should counter a lack of carbs during the day.
If you are used to having a pre-workout meal this won’t make up entirely for it, but it at least should help tide you over.
5. Adjust Workout Times
This should work especially well if you can adjust to having your workouts within a couple of hours of this morning meal, as your carbohydrate reserves will then be quite high. If your workouts take place after a long day of fasting, you might feel rather drained.
6. Work Out When It Feels Best
However, many people of course can’t simply go and do their workouts when they would be most beneficial, especially during Ramadan.
A bit of flexibility might help: Instead of doing your workouts at your normal times, during Ramadan do them when you have time and feel the most energetic. A workout done when you feel you have the energy and can do it with intensity is better than a workout you squeeze in and do hurriedly, just because in theory your energy reserves would be better.
7. Get Enough Fluids
When talking about nutrition, we also shouldn’t forget about getting enough fluids. In my video about how much water you need per day, I said thirst is a good indicator for when you have to drink. However, during Ramadan you can’t drink when you are thirsty.
Therefore Ramadan is one of the few times where my advice is to load up on fluids preemptively, before thirst takes place. Especially for those of you living in hot climates this is rather important; even more so, when you want to do a workout during the day.
8. Don’t Go All Out In The Evenings
Strangely enough, despite Ramadan being a month of fasting, I know a good number of Muslims who actually gain weight during that month. Because what in many families is then served in the evenings more than makes up for what was lacking during the day.
Sometimes food is very rich during Ramadan
Of course, it’s rather easy to overeat when you went without food for 10, 12 or even 14 hours, but do exercise some self-control. In the evenings, get that protein we talked about, but keep an eye on how many calories you consume.
9. Ramadan Is Tougher In Summer
Last but not least, don’t forget that Ramadan is more difficult to follow in summer than winter, because during summer daylight lasts much longer, you will have less time to eat and drink and also get less sleep.
Therefore, during the years where Ramadan takes place during summer, as this year, be prepared that you may not be able to put out the same workout performances you get when Ramadan takes place in winter.
Questions Or Comments?
I compiled this advice with my general knowledge on nutrition, working out and physical performance in a fasted state – I am not a Muslim myself. If you therefore have some first hand experience, corrections or advice about Ramadan and bodybuilding you would like to add, please feel free to do so!
Pictures courtesy of Mohd Tarmizi, Vishal Dutta and “amekinfo“.
Tags: bodybuilding, bodybuilding in ramadan, fitness, nutrition, ramadan, ramadan and bodybuilding, working out during ramadan, workout
41 Comments
Thanks aloot, these tips was very helpful and I’ll consider it during Ramadan..
but still I have one question.. Is it okay to take Protein Powder and Amino (( LIQUID )) during ramadan,if yes, then how many times a day, like usually I take three protein 3 times aday..!?
Thanks aloot (:
Laith, a protein powder is a form of food and you can’t eat during the day in the month of Ramadan. So I’d say you can only use them in the early mornings before the first prayer and in the evenings when you break your fast.
But as said in the article, I’d rather have you get your protein from food during Ramadan.
You should take 1 gram of protein for every pound of body mass. Meal timing is not important, you have all your proteins, carbs and fats at any time of the day. During Ramadan it will most likely be 2 times a day.
Hey
really good summary, really enjoyed reading it, you said if anyone had first hand experience, I thought I would send you the following article written by a muslim, maybe something beneficial
Ramdhaan: Are you Physically Prepared?
Fasting is a great act of worship, yet sometimes we neglect to physically prepare which leads us to become physically weak thus undermining other acts of worship that can be achieved during the night & day.
Not only is eating wisely tricky, so is fasting wisely. Here are some strategies that have been compiled by people of extensive medical background as to make the fast less strenuous upon our bodies so that we may utilise our energy to the maximum in devotion to Allah, the Most Exalted.
Lots of Water: Most healthy adults can survive well over a month without eating. Most of the unpleasantness in ones breath associated with a fast does not come from lack of food, but rather, from lack of fluid. The solution therefore is to super-hydrate beforehand. Drink a great deal the prior evening, approximately 2.5 litres. Before the fast is over, you will be glad you did it.
Food: Though you should drink a lot before a fast, do not stuff yourself with food. Eat a normal meal but emphasize carbohydrates like potato/pasta or rice dishes, not huge amount of proteins or fats. Carbohydrates bond with water which your body can “drink” when it needs to during the fast. Proteins do not. Most of the dramatic but limited weight loss that people on high protein diets experience is, lost water that protein molecules cannot hold onto or bring into your system, water that you want around during a fast. Some people seem to think that they can “make up for” not eating by having a big pre-dawn meal. This is a very bad idea, and actually makes it harder to fast. Have you ever noticed how you feel particularly hungry the morning after a large meal? Eat a normal sized meal. Keep in mind the “hunger” that you feel at meal times is simply a result of your body preparing itself to receive food at the expected time. If you always eat lunch at precisely 12:30 and dinner at precisely 6pm, your body will start preparing to digest at those times. That is what we think of as “hunger.” If you vary your meal schedule & decrease at least 1 meal before the commencement of Ramadhaan, you will find that this eases your feelings of hunger at meal times.
After the fast, be careful not to over eat! Since the body protects itself from starvation when you are not eating, by slowing down the rate at which it burns food, the calories you take on right after a fast will stay with you a lot longer than those acquired when your metabolism is once again functioning at full speed.
So prepare yourself for fasting, both physically and spiritually.
Reduce coffee/tea: The nausea and headaches that many people report during a fast have nothing to do either with food or drink. They are usually the result of caffeine/nicotine withdrawal. If you are a heavy coffee/tea or cola drinker, start tapering off a week or so before the fast.
Nuts and Rasins: Nuts and rasins are foods that enhance levels of energy. In addition, some of the scholars have mentioned that they also increase the memory, as does honey and chewing certain kinds of gum resin. Imaam al-Zuhri said: “You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.” He also said: “Whoever wants to memorize hadeeth should eat raisins.” Imam Ibraaheem said, “You should chew resin gum, because it gives energy to the heart and gets rid of forgetfulness.” (From al-Jaami’ by al-Khateeb, 2/394-397). As they also mentioned, too much acidic food is one of the causes of laziness and weak memory.
A highly recommended advice by a Muslim homeopath, 1 table spoon of crushed poppy seeds with 1 table spoon of crushed almonds mixed in a glass of milk at the pre-dawn meal, is sure to give you a great deal of slow releasing energy! Be sure to have it, even if it means that this is the only thing that you have! Try this once & you will be sure never to miss it!
And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death). (Al-Hijr 15:99)
ok and i am fasting
why????????????????????????????????????????????????
erm yaad I dont think anyone told you to fast. lol
Evil cyber excellent article!
thanx!
Good advise should be appreciated and accepted no matter where it cmes from so thanks for the tips ‘EvilCyber’
just kidding
I have been told by someone else too that best time to work out is 2 hours after the pre-sunrise breakfast (or as we call it ‘sehar’). But as I live in a hot climate with scorching hot summer affecting our lives all the 24 hours of the day, I am a little worried if I will feel too thirsty for the rest of the 15.5 hours of the day. I guess I will start with a light workout tomorrow 2 hours after sehar and see how it goes..
Ramzan mubarik to all muslims!
That name, chosen on a whim, will haunt me for the rest of my days
Seriously: especially in the climate you are living in, getting enough fluids will indeed be very important.
Hey all, this ramadan I will be working out once a week doing the 5×5 workout consisting of squats deadlifts and bench press, my diet will be around 300grams carbs and 250grams protein, I weight 183lb, is this enough to mantain my mass??
At your weight and if you are moderately active, you need about 3,000 kcal / day to maintain your weight. If we say that per lb of body weight you should get 1 g of protein, that would be 183 g – covered with your 250.
But 250 g of protein have 1,000 kcal (4 per g) and 300 g carbs have 1,200 (4 per g as well) – you are missing 800. I’d throw in ~90 g of high quality fats (1 g of fat = 9 kcal).
Ramadan is coming and I wanted to hit up the gym during Ramadan for football. I was wondering, say if i would do heavy weight lifting while fasting, would it breakdown my muscle instead of building or maintaining my muscle mass?
Also I will be taking my serious mass weight gainer (1 serving = 2 scoops) which has 1250 calories, 50 g of protein, 250 g of carbs and it has 25 vitamins and minerals. It also has creatine and glutamine before Fajr and after when I break my fast. But before Fajr I will eat toast, bananas and cereal with my weight gainer and after I break my fast I will have dinner with my weight gainer. I was also wondering if doing this process would “blow” my kidneys. I was worried because according to my cousin’s friend he said he is not going to workout during Ramadan because he doesn’t want to breakdown his muscles and my cousin himself said be careful with the weight gainer because i might “blow” my kidneys.
Heah Zakir, I don’t really like weight gainers, but with that much protein and if you keep working out, you in my opinion don’t have to worry about muscle breaking down.
The only thing Ramadan could seriously hamper may be making gains.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Thanks for the reply, I was wondering to build muscle like in general, would you think ON Whey Gold Standard protein would be good?
Out of all the powders out there, it is my personal favorite.
How about taking a light meal while breaking a fast and head to GYM for 30 Minutes before Isha. Them main meal can be had later. Can someone throw some light on possible disadvantages.
I would say it depends on how hungry you are. If you are *very* hungry, a light meal probably won’t make up for what you were missing.
But: try it out, it might work for you. Just make sure the meal is based around carbs.
Thanks EC. I appreciate you taking time out to offer advice for Ramadan workouts because it can really be tricky! Thanks again and God Bless!
You are very welcome! Ramadan Mubarak!
First off, thanks for the great article
I usually run at 6.0 for 30-60 minutes per day with 30 minutes of body strengthening exercises right after. This Ramadan, however, I do not think I’ll be able to do that during the day since fasting this year is for 17 hours! (I wake up around 3:00 am to eat breakfast and then fast starts around 4:00 am then I break fast at around 9 pm). After breaking my fast, I have less than an hour to get out of the house because me and my family go to the mosque (every night) for a prayer called Taraweeh that lasts for almost 2 hours, so I would be back home at 12 am. As you can see, it would be pretty hard to workout with this kind of schedule. The only thing I can think of is to eat quickly and do 20 minutes of running then come back home and do another 20 minutes if I’m not tired. What do you think about this? I was also thinking about doing a 30 minute walk while fasting during the day, but will this do anything harmful to my body since the blood sugar would be low?
Thanks again!
Heah Hanan, yeah, Ramadan in summer can be tough.
I’d say running right after hurriedly eating may not be a good idea. It might end in you saying hello again to what you just ate and your body won’t have had any time to actually digest the food and make use of it during your run.
In my opinion you may want to have your meal at leisure, go to the mosque and when you come back home, do your run. That way you can enjoy what you eat and your body will have energy.
i recently joined the gym one month ago. i am a hardgainer. and now already ramazan is here. i eat around 2500calories and about 100-130gm of proteins. i heard ectomorphs like me have to eat every 2-3 hrs to maintain muscle mass. and thats impossible during fast. what should i do. please tell me briefly. i dont want to miss out on either of them. i weigh 130lbs and 6’0 and 19yrs old. we have tough summers here. so please explain what should be done about water as its crucial in keeping muscle mass. a quick reply would be much apreciated! THANKS!
No, you do not lose muscle mass if you don’t get protein every 2 – 3 hours. If that was the case, ectomorphs would have gone extinct centuries ago, because they would have been to weak to survive when food was not available around the next corner.
Work out, eat, get enough protein and be patient. The results will come, it may just take you a bit longer!
And if you follow the above tips, it will be very unlikely that you lose muscle mass even during Ramadan!
ok! thanks!
do i need to change my workout to suit ramadan? currently i am doing an isolated body part routine…do i need to change to a full body routine?
You don’t necessarily have to change the routine, but it could happen that you have to lower the weights a bit.
Great article! Answered all my questions.
Glad it helped you, Hasan!
I usually exercise 4-5 times a week. I try to keep my calorie intake around 1600. I aam trying to exercise in ramadan, so I attend the same weight classes but i am cutting down on running cause of thirst. I am not sure what should be my new calorie intake if any idea
Check the calculators in this article, that also explains a bit about calories:
http://evilcyber.com/losing-weight/how-to-lose-weight/
If you want to maintain your weight, you should eat around the number calories the TDEE calculator displays.
That’s is a very nice article, it really had too many helpful tips. But it got some questions please if you could help me with them that will be great.
I want to go on a Fat burning & Muscles building system but i Don’t know how to do it exactly during ramadan. as somedays i do Cardio: “Lots of abs work + treadmill + bicycle” and the rest of the days i do muscle working out + warming up on the treadmill for some time
So if you could help me how to divide them during Ramadan’s days and specially the time i can do gym while fasting before Maghrib, also after Isha. So what is the best combination to get from them Doing cardio after Isha for the cardio days and doing muscles working out before Maghrib for the rest of the days ? How i can get best of them together
Secondly for the eating system, what should i eat if I’m doing cardio wether before Maghrib or not and if I’m doing Muscles working out wether after Isha or not
Please help me with this because it’s make a lot of confusion to me\
Just to know for me: I wake up by 1:00PM, got to Sleep around 2:00AM
My weight is around 83Kg and my height is around 178Cm & most of my fats is in my belly and a little in the lower part of the chest and the thighs.
Thanks alot i really appreciate it
Heah Abdallah, you will always lose fat as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn:
http://evilcyber.com/losing-weight/secret-to-weight-loss/
This makes Ramadan practically ideal for you! All you have to do is make sure that you a) train, and b) get enough protein:
http://evilcyber.com/fitness/gain-muscle-while-losing-fat/
Thanks for the article. Very thoughtful of you!
Ramadan is not an eating completion where people fast all day and eat like there’s no tomorrow after dawn. Its very important to eat healthy.
I usually break my fast with some dates, fruits, nuts, olives and a glass of water. Followed by Maghrib prayers and then head out for some real food. This way the stomach is actually prepared to receive some solid food. Makes a lot of sense to me at least.
So I basically hit the gym about two hours after this meal (solid food). This way the body is in a much better condition to workout and you have the liberty to hydrate yourself in the gym. And heavy weights in the gym during Ramadan not a good idea.
Working out while fasting is really not recommended , Google it and you would know.
Protein powders or weight gainers should be taken at least one hour after food, cuz these are supplements that depend on some real food.
Hope you guys have a blessed month and all the best!
Thanks for sharing, Aamir! May this Ramadan be good for you!
This is a great article! Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks EvilCyber
Glad it helped you, Aina!
Thanks for the article, it amswered a lot of my questions as to how to work out during ramadan.
Currently I’m taking casein (one scoop of Optimum Nutrition casein)mixed in with a large bowl of porridge to try and get enough slow release proteins and carbs before the fast starts early in the morning along with a a protein shake (one scoop of ON Gold standard) to provide quick acting proteins as well. I was wondering if taking creatine would help with water retention throughout the day or it would it just cause health complications (from not being able to drink enough water throughout the day steadily)? Also if you recommend taking it, around what time would it be best to take creatine? (the options I have are either around dinner time or in the morning before the fast starts)
Thanks for your advice
The water retained by creatine won’t be available to the metabolic processes in your body. Therefore taking creatine without being able to drink could indeed complicate things.
You could of course drink two glasses more in the morning, but in my opinion waiting with creatine until after Ramadan might be more advisable.
Very good article. To humbly add from experience if I may further, those inclined to maximum intensity should halve there workouts using only compound exercises.. And plan a layoff 7 – 9 days to coincide with the holy month..
Heah Bizzro, thanks for adding this! Hope everything goes great for you!