In this post, I discuss the intermittent fasting muscle gain benefits and how you can also stay lean while building muscle…
Intermittent Fasting for Muscle Gain Fundamentals
Before I get into the intermittent fasting muscle gain fundamentals, understand this: Intermittent fasting alone will not build muscle.
BUT… the intermittent fasting muscle gain benefits are still profound, and we’ll get to those in a moment…
Muscle growth is going to be triggered by progressive overload and consistently getting stronger. There’s no getting around this.
It’s the main reason the Greek God Program is crafted for the fastest rate of strength gain possible.. Muscle is a byproduct of strength, get stronger and you will grow.
Over the course of a couple months, if your key lifts go up 25 lbs, you’re going to build muscle. If you keep your nutrition dialed in to minimize fat gain, you’ll be blown away with the results.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
It’s really the most sensible way to build a great physique and there’s no need to complicate it.
As far as nutrition goes, most people get this dead wrong. You actually only need to eat around maintenance or slightly above to build muscle.
Especially if you’re following a Kinobody Course where the main focus will always be pushing for strength gains. (…Too many calories invariably will result in excess fat gain and will ruin your look.)
In fact, the whole idea of bulking up a ton and cutting is ridiculous. If your main focus is to keep adding weight to the scale, it’s going to be a bunch of fat gain.
The reality is, if you’re training heavy 3 times a week and pushing for personal records, getting in sufficient protein (around 0.82g per pound of bodyweight) with a balance of fats and carbs, while eating in a slight surplus, that’s seriously all you need to focus on to build muscle.
Intermittent Fasting for Bulking and muscle gain?
Alright, now that we have the fundamentals in place, let’s go into the intermittent fasting muscle gain benefits…
One of my favorite things about fasting is the immense mental clarity and productivity I have in the mornings.
There’s no worry about planning food or preparing anything. I can get straight into work, live my life, and still add muscle effortlessly.
But what really matters is the freedom fasting gives you in your diet while building muscle.
I personally only eat around 2700 calories when I’m focusing on adding muscle.
It’s still not that many calories. I could easily eat hundreds more but then I’d gain way too much fat. Fasting gives you the freedom of still eating high calorie, king-sized meals while staying lean, making each day enjoyable and easy to stick too.
On the other hand, some may struggle to eat enough calories while fasting. The main goal should always be to eat a balance of wholesome foods to support a healthy body, but don’t be afraid to eat some dessert or “junk food” to hit your daily calories.
What’s more, if you’re worried about not being healthy or eating “clean” that’s okay!
Your health is actually more determined by how much body fat you have (Study). Maintaining low levels of body fat and a healthy weight is setting you far ahead than most.
You don’t have to push the fast that long either. Just focus on pushing that first meal 5 to 6 hours later into the day, eat 2 large meals and a snack to hit a slight surplus and you’ll be good to go!
I also recommend to stop focusing on the scale weight and pour all of your attention into adding weight to your key exercises. If you’re gaining strength the muscle will follow. You’ll look much better too.
Intermittent Fasting and Building Muscle: The Bottom Line
Overall, I generally think intermittent fasting for muscle gain works so well because it allows people to listen/get in tune with their body.
When we first wake up, that is the perfect time to maximize fat burning. Human Growth Hormone rises, shifting your body into a fat-burning state, while preserving muscle mass (Study).
But doesn’t intermittent burn muscle? No! You don’t have to worry about losing muscle while intermittent fasting. You’ll have to fast a very long time for your body to begin breaking down muscle tissue; about 72+ hours. By doing shorter fasts, you avoid the negative side effects of longer fasting but still receive all the amazing benefits of fasting.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
And when it comes time to eat big, especially after training, your insulin sensitivity is high, and nutrient partitioning is increased, creating this high anabolic effect for maximizing muscle growth by shuttling nutrients into the muscles.
Those are my thoughts and insights on some of the intermittent fasting muscle gain benefits. I highly recommend pairing intermittent fasting and building muscle, because it makes staying lean so effortless while bulking. Intermittent fasting and muscle gain go hand in hand.
Your Kino Question For The Day: How can you use this information to help you gain muscle mass? Let me know in the comments below.
