Training During Ramadan.

Keep your training on track when you're fasting.

Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and turning one’s focus inwards. The act of fasting is to remind yourself how others live and humble yourself. It’s also the time of year that your training is most likely to suffer if you’re fasting and all the gains you’ve made this year will be lost. But it doesn’t have to be.

The biggest adaptation you’ll need to make is to your workout times. There are three times of day when a workout would be most effective whilst fasting:

Before Suhoor – Training before your morning meal is when a lot of people normally train, however during Ramadan this will probably mean training at 3am. If you’re not fussed about having strange sleeping hours this will be the most effective time to fit in a work out. You can replenish your protein and nutrient levels afterwards as well as being able to drink fluids during the workout itself … but it would be at 3am.

1 hour before breaking your fast – Generally good for a low intensity workout rather than HIIT or weight training. Your carbohydrate levels will be very low at this time so you won’t have as much energy as you normally would, however it’s a more sociable hour. Major downside is you can’t drink water during your workout so make sure you get plenty of fluids in the moment you break your fast.

After Taraweeh prayers – The added benefit of training after taraweeh prayers is there will have been plenty of time for your evening meals to digest. You can also drink water or workout drinks whilst training. The downside being the anti-social side of working out at this time.

There is no perfect time to exercise during Ramadan, it’s all about what works for you.

Ramadan Kareem!