Lurking in the shadow of every lifter’s mind is the fear of losing his hard-earned muscle. Entering a catabolic stage and losing your gains can surely be challenging for a gym bro. To avoid this, most people who lift tend to rely on a heavy breakfast, first thing in the morning, to prevent any muscle loss. However, as it is recently revealed, it might not be the best idea.
While it is believed that an individual should rely on a heavy breakfast in the morning to replenish his body with nutrients after waking up, to supplement for the 6-8 hours of fasting, fitness creator Gregory O’Gallagher revealed how fasting can actually help to avoid muscle atrophy.
Fitness creator discloses a secret to increasing growth hormone
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With a massive following of more than a million people, Gregory O’Gallagher uses his social media presence to help transform the lives of his followers online. After dropping out of school after a year, O’Gallagher launched an internet fitness brand called Kinobody. He provides online coaching and makes content related to fitness and health advice. In his recent video, he revealed that contrary to popular belief, fasting for a few hours after waking up can increase your growth hormone, and prevent muscle loss.
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In the video, the Canadian social media personality stated, “When you don’t eat first in the morning, you actually get an increase in growth hormone that actually helps preserve muscle protein and actually shuttle fatty acids into the bloodstream to be burned for energy.”
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However, he also warned the viewers against fasting for too long. But what can happen if you go on a long fast? Let’s take a look.
Consequences of a long fast
Even though intermittent fasting is a popular concept in the bodybuilding sphere, it is important to understand that longer fasts can have significant downsides for people who lift iron daily. It can often lead to muscle loss and decreased performance in the gym. Lack of nutrients can also be responsible for a slower recovery, which can cause health problems and increase the risk of injury.
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Talking about the same, O’Gallagher revealed, “If you fast too long…you actually burn through liver glycogen when you burn through liver glycogen you enter more of a catabolic breakdown the sweet spot is just to simply push that first meal four to six hours after you wake up.”
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What are your views on this? Let us know in the comments.