Recent Q&A Questions

Hey Guys,

Today I thought that I would share with you some of the great questions I've had coming in on the free Q&A over on the website.

Here are some of the questions,

I've read your article on intermittent fasting for MMA. Is this still a programme that you recommend to clients? - David A.

Hi David,

Thanks for reading the article :)

I wrote that article a while ago and it always seems to come up (probably because fasting is still a hot topic in the fitness worlds). I think that IF can be used to get great results in a lot of people and I still use IF and forms of fasting with some clients. I would say that if you are training numerous times a day or if you training is particularly intense, to skip fasting and look at other methods due to them not being able to adequately fuel your training.

How often should I train to get the best results? - Andrew F

Hi Andrew,

This isn't really my area of expertise so please take my suggestions with a pinch of salt. For weight training I have found a minimum of 3 per week is best going up to 7 sessions per week, lasting about an hour. I have had clients do as many as 10 per week as long as it is properly programmed.

For any sports that need skill or technique work I think the more you can train the better, although you have to be careful about the intensity of that training (hard sparring everyday is a bad idea etc).

Hi Mike,

I am a 39 year old 6ft, 90kg man who is an enthusiastic (rather than good!) Thai boxer hobbyist.

I typically train four or five times a week for an intensive hour at a time at my club with my main focus on technique, sparring and general fitness/cardio.  Sadly a shoulder injury means that I can’t lift weights, so there is perhaps less strength work than would typically be expected for this type of training.  So my training is not specifically about muscle growth (although that is a nice side effect)

I basically fall into that fit but overweight/old man category.  I am never going to fight or realistically cut to 8% body fat, however I need/want to lose weight to sharpen up and get better.

After various experiments with dieting I find that I can now slip quite easily (and comfortably) into ketosis and/or maintain a low carb/high fat/protein diet for most days of the week.  I can also keep my general calorie intake to sensible levels (1800kcal) on this diet.

So I train and I diet, one to get better, the other to lose weight.  At the moment however they are separate entities.  A low carb diet at 1800kcal (net 1200kcals on a training day, 5 days a week) loses me weight, but it also impairs my performance.   I know when I am sparring once a week (typically 8 x 5 min rounds) I cannot get through the session on a sub 30g carb/day diet so I invariably end up taking energy gels to ‘carb up’ if you like just to get me through.  This of course goes against the diet.

So my questions are really; how can you best maintain a low carb/high fat diet to lose weight and train hard at the same time?  Is a low carb/high fat/protein diet the most appropriate way to lose weight and train hard (as opposed to build muscle)? I don't find that MCT oil/almonds (or whatever) can get me through the intense cardio sessions despite the calories being theoretically sufficient.

Thanks,

Ben

Hi Ben,

Thanks for your question!

While a low carb diet can work very well for people looking to lose fat if they are simply working out in the gym, it is not optimal for any athlete due to the lack of performance (and recovery) that follows.

While most of my athletes keep carbs in some of their meals I tend to favour either of the following options (or both depending on their condition and training volume/intensity),

1. Take carbs just before and during workouts. This is generally done with a workout drink that has a VERY fast digesting carb in it like Biotests Plazma or Gaspari Glycofuse. These are broken down and used almost instantly by the body so that it does not interfere with fat loss.
2. Have carbs in meals after your workout. Start with a fast, easily digestible carb like white rice in your post training meal. Because your body is in a depleted state these carbs will be more readily used for repair and fuel in the next session rather than being stored as fat or interfering with your goals.

Keep posting questions on the FREE Q&A and I will answer every one. The best (or ones that I think will benefit people) will be posted here every month.

Stay Healthy,

Mike