When I first stumbled upon Leangains and began the training, it felt like I wasn't doing enough. Three to four movements each workout, sets of 5-7 reps, a whole lotta rest time...how could this possibly work?
To my surprise, I found that I became freakishly strong and was smaller and lighter than I had ever been in my adult life. I think when I started IF in 2011, I weighed 128 lbs at 5'2" tall. This was not muscle, in case you were wondering, and you can go back to my early blog posts to see the photos here and a year in pictures here. I don't have any current pics, however, because I tumbled off the wagon after life threw a heap of shit at me.
It's 2019 and I'm back on the Berkhan bandwagon again. My left knee is healed from my 2016 ACL surgery, but my strength is way down - especially in squats and deadlifts. I've been inconsistent in the gym and am making a point to hit my three heavy workouts weekly from this point on.
My current weight hovers around 125-130 lbs depending on the day, so I have some middle-age creep to deal with. My lightest ever while on this Leangains journey was 113 lbs, but I didn't hold it for long. That was approximately 8 years ago. I digress. We're discussing types of training today. What follows is a list of various types of training, my definition of each and where they fit in with fasting and restrictive diets:
Bodybuilding - Typically split body part training incorporating 4+ sets of 8-12 reps with the goal of muscle hypertrophy and symmetry. As show time approaches, carbs are usually all but eliminated while water and protein are increased to shed extra fat and water to create a hard look. IF can be used by bodybuilders, but strict attention to macros throughout a training cycle is required. No IIFYM diets here as protein, carbs, and fat percentages are way too important for these folks.
Crossfit - High intensity training across multiple disciplines of fitness, including Olympic lifting, power lifting, endurance activities and gymnastics. Again, IF can be utilized by this community, but careful attention to calories must be paid as under eating will dramatically impact performance.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - Any form of exercise that is completed in short bursts with long recovery periods in between. For example, 20-second sprints up a hill with a casual walk back down the hill to recover. HIIT should be kept below 15 minutes and is best suited for after weight training when fat loss is the goal. HIIT fits perfectly with IF when coupled with heavy weight training. Due to the intense nature of both, HIIT and heavy weight training should be limited to three workouts per week to allow for full CNS (central nervous system) recovery.
Kettlebell training - A form of strength and endurance training involving one or two kettlebells. Kettlebells can be used to train the entire body for strength or endurance depending on weights and movements used. Kettlebell training is a great form of HIIT that also taxes the muscles. See above note on IF and HIIT.
Kickboxing, MMA, etc., - See Crossfit.
Olympic Lifting - Cleans, Clean & Jerk, Snatch. Olympic lifting is about power, speed, coordination and mobility. Due to its technical nature, Oly lifting is extremely taxing on the CNS. Anyone incorporating Oly lifting into their programming must be wary to restrict calories too hard or to tack on too much additional high-intensity work. IF can be utilized here but, again, calories and macros will affect performance. Oly lifting is best used for building muscle through powerful, explosive movements. You'd be best served to eat enough to support this demanding activity.
Powerlifting - while not explosive in nature like Oly lifting, Powerlifting can be just as taxing on the CNS. Typically low-rep workouts using 80-95% of max weights or even 1 rep maxes. Powerlifting builds raw strength. Due to the lower volume of these workouts paired with extended rest periods between lifts, powerlifting is suited well for IF even in a calorie-restricted state.
Low Intensity Steady State Cardio (LISS) - Walking, light jogging, biking, swimming, etc. Any low-intensity movement that keeps your heart rate below 60-70% of your HR max. LISS is a tremendously-useful tool in the fat-loss tool box for all of the above categories. Up until now, every type of exercise/fitness mentioned above is very taxing on the CNS. If your CNS is amped up 24/7, you will never fully recover and this will cause a myriad of problems associated with overtraining. Problems sleeping or staying asleep, hunger, muscle loss, heart palpitations, racing heart rate when at rest, etc. LISS, while boring at times, will help reduce inflammation caused by intense exercise, burn fat (especially done in the fasted state), and help your body to recover and repair between bouts of exercise. LISS is GREAT during IF and any diet of restrictive nature.
A Leangains-approved routine:
Just in case you're wondering what a good mix of movements looks like - here's my routine that Martin Berkhan posted on his Leangains.com blog (scroll down to #10). I have to assume he gives it the thumbs up. It may help some of you who aren't in a fixed routine yet with the order and quantity of movements you use in a single day. I also do a Day 1, Day 4, Day 6 routine now involving HIIT and LISS, but he generally recommends EOD (every other day). *3 minute rest minimum between sets. 5 minutes minimum between movements. It feels like a lot of sitting around but, when you're lifting close to 100% of your max, you will feel it. I promise.
Day 1 (Monday)
5-min walk for warm-up.
Deadlift 2-3 sets of 4-5 reps reverse pyramid style
Rest 5 mins.
Leg extensions - Same setup as deadlifts, but reps a bit higher (6-8)
Rest 5 mins.
Chins - Same as deads
Day 3 (Wednesday)
5-min walk for warm-up.
Bench press 2-3 sets of 5-7 reps reverse pyramid style
Rest 5 mins
Incline Dumbbell Press 2 sets of 5-7 reps reverse pyramid style
Pull-ups 2-3 sets with body weight.
Rest 5 mins
Weighted Dips (if you feel up to it) 2 sets of 5-7 reverse pyramid style
Day 5 (Friday)
Squats 2-3 sets of 5-7 reps reverse pyramid style
Rest 5 mins
Walking lunges 2-3 sets same as squats
Rest 5 mins
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 2 sets of 5-7, reverse pyramid style
Rest 5 mins
Overhead Press 2-3 sets of 5-7 reps reverse pyramid style
Timing
When you train doesn't matter. What does matter is consistency of training and timing of meals and macronutrients. If you're an early riser, hit the gym first thing with a BCAA drink to sip while you train fasted. Lunch workouts fit in your schedule? Perfect! Empty that tank before indulging in too many carbs. After work / evening the only time that works for you? That's ok too. Just try to keep about 60% of your carbs for that day until after you train. My best results were from lifting heavy three days a week for less than an hour. Between workouts I would do short bouts of HIIT such as sprints or just a long treadmill walk.
That's it. The moral of the story is that you need to lift all the heavy things. By doing so, you will deplete muscle glycogen, turning your muscles into sponges that will soak up blood sugar from your next meal, not to mention the added benefit of hard, compact, shapely muscles that will make you look and feel amazing.
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