Guest Post by Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat
Breaking it Down to Build it Up
Fundamentally this what we are doing when we are in the gym. We’re doing some damage and stressing our muscles so they can repair and come back stronger.
It reminds me of the plot of just about every Rocky movie. Rocky fights and Rocky gets his ass handed to him. Rocky makes a comeback. Rocky is bigger faster and stronger. Rocky wins.
Eye of the tiger.
I think we all kind of ‘get this’ when it comes to training, but what we might not get is the role that nutrition plays (or should play) in the breaking it down and building it up of our bodies.
Enter Autophagy
Autophagy is a process within your body that is responsible for degrading damaged and defective organelles, cell membranes and proteins. Basically it’s your body’s internal ‘maintenance system’ where it identifies and discards damaged or malfunctioning parts of a cell.
Simply put, autophagy is the clean up that needs to happen before growth and repair can occur.
The problem is it seems that both lab animals and human beings left to eat as they please do too little autophagic recycling.
The resulting accumulation of damaged cellular machinery can cause a wide range of unhealthy effects, including the accumulation of damaged mitochondria which can lead to poorly functioning muscle mass.
So the more time spent in the fed state, the less time you have to really ramp up the autophagic process within your body.
This is where fasting comes in to play. Fasting is a very potent promoter of the autophagic process.
Fasting for Muscle Mass
The strong connection between autophagy and fasting is due to the fact that the principle signal to turn up the ‘autophagy dial’ is the act of entering the fasted state.
And, if fasting is the signal to turn on autophagy, then eating is the signal to turn it off, or at the very least, turn it down.
Sadly, it doesn’t take a feast or a junk food binge to negatively affect autophagy.
Recent research published in 2010 found as little as 3 grams of the branched chain amino acid Leucine combined with 7 grams of EAA (10 grams of total amino acids) was enough to decrease autophagy markers in otherwise fasting humans.
So even a small meal in the middle of a fast may be enough to blunt the increased autophagic processes associated with fasting.
The upregulation of autophagy seems to be unique to the fasting state, as well as possibly the exercised state, and it can easily be undone by even a small ingestion of food, specifically protein / amino acids.
Autophagy and Muscle Mass
Autophagy is actually necessary to maintain muscle mass, and inhibition/alteration of autophagy can contribute to myofibril degeneration (degeneration of individual muscle fiber) and weakness in certain types of muscle disorders.
Both excess and reduced levels of autophagy are detrimental for muscle health; the former results in the loss of muscle mass, whereas the latter causes skeletal fiber degeneration and weakness.
So you wouldn’t want autophagy on all the time (fasting for weeks on end is probably not the best thing you could do for your muscle), but you do need a healthy balance of autophagy and growth for the optimal functioning of the human body (Year-long bulking cycles are probably also a bad idea).
So it’s not just your workouts that break you down and build you back up – your diet does the same thing.
The Need for Balance
By allowing for growth when we eat, and the autophagic process of repair maintenance and cleansing when we are fasting, we help restore a balance in the muscle building process, not to mention possibly playing a role in prevention of muscle loss as we age.
The key is there needs to be a balance – You can’t overeat all the time or fast all the time without expecting some sort of negative repercussions.
As with everything, there needs to be a balance – time spent training balanced with time spent resting, and time spent eating balanced with time spent fasting.
It is the optimal balance (and possibly timing) of these processes that allows for the breakdown of damaged muscle proteins, and the build up of new, bigger, healthier muscles.
***
To learn more about fasting, autophagy and health you can check out the all new 5th edition of Eat Stop Eat.
In the new version Brad’s included new chapters on:
- Autophagy – More on what you read above
- Breakfast – Good / bad, does it matter?
- Muscle Building and Fasting – New concepts and ideas.
- More GH Info – How fasting affects growth hormone levels
- More info on cardio and exercise for weight loss – Cutting through some of the confusion.
- The newest version is over 175 pages and well over 200 references. All the latest research is covered here
Brad Pilon is one of the world’s foremost advocates of intermittent fasting and has written the ultimate resource on the subject. To learn more about Brad’s unique approach to fasting check out his book by clicking HERE.
****
[1] A.M. Cuervo, E. Bergamini, U.T. Brunk, W. Droge, M. Ffrench, A. Terman, Autophagy and aging: the importance of maintaining ‘‘clean’’ cells, Autophagy 1 (2005) 131e140.
[1] Glynn EL, Fry CS, Drummond MJ, Timmerman KL, Dhanani S, Volpi E, Rasmussen BB. Excess leucine intake enhances muscle anabolic signaling but not net protein anabolism in young men and women. J Nutr. 2010 Nov;140(11):1970-6.
[1] Drummond DA. Mistranslation-induced protein misfolding as a dominant constraint on coding-sequence evolution. Cell. 2008; 134: 341-352
[1] Sandri M. Autophagy in health and disease. 3. Involvement of autophagy in muscle atrophy. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2010; 298:C1291-7
[1] Nair U, Klionsky DJ. Activation of autophagy is required for muscle homeostasis during physical exercise. Autophagy. 2011 Dec 1;7(12).
05. Apr, 2012
at 9:59 am #
if i train mon wed fri, fast in the mornings all week and then eat 3 solid meals on sat and sunday without fasting, well would this be a good plan ? if i want to gain muscle with limited fat? I’m a 17 year old athelete who’s around 180 lbs very low body fat already
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:08 am #
@Mark- Yeah, that sounds fine. Going one 24 stretch without food is another option
05. Apr, 2012
at 11:50 am #
Great stuff to read. Im doing HITT cardio in the early am while in a fasted state. Are you saying that having BCAA’s before and after this type of training will slow down my progress. I thought it would prevent catabolism. I bought Brad’s Eat Stop Eat and also your Renegade Diet. Both are awesome. I use both at different times of the year to switch things up a bit. You are a great source of inspiration. Thank you very much.
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:09 am #
@Dan- For early morning cardio I don’t think BCAA is necessary. If you push a sled or strength train later in the fast I would take 10gm BCAA. But first thing I’d skip it.
05. Apr, 2012
at 2:33 pm #
I’ve been doing intermittent fasting one day per week for several months now, mostly for the health benefits. But this is yet more evidence that it’s well worthwhile doing. Makes sense too; in the fasting state the body heals, cleanses and detoxifies itself much more effectively, so this is a logical extension of that really. Good information here.
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:10 am #
@David- Absolutely
07. Apr, 2012
at 5:45 pm #
Jason, just wanted to let you know how much Renegade Diet did for both myself as well as MANY of my clients. After reading your book, I engrossed myself in everything about the topic and developed a game plan to implement with my clientele. In the first 2 weeks, I had clients losing 10-15lbs (very over weight to begin with), MMA fighters and wrestlers losing 3-5lbs when already lean and having much better practices. I myself have been having incredibly productive days and find it incredibly convenient. Needless to say I am in awe at how effective it was, since I have been training for 13 years and competing at a national level for several of them, and have never had such an easy to follow nutritional plan.
I HIGHLY recommend both your book as well as all other relevant info on the topic and thank you for producing it in such a simplistic template.
All the best in your training and business.
Keep pumping the great info.
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:10 am #
@Chris- Wow. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the feedback.
08. Apr, 2012
at 7:25 am #
Jason,
Autophagy-is this protein & carb dependent? I believe I have read materials where fat doesn’t interfere with the process. Do you have info that disputes this or confirms this?
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:11 am #
@Clifton- Hopefully Brad will chime in and help you out
09. Apr, 2012
at 7:21 am #
Good stuff. I really like this.
09. Apr, 2012
at 8:11 am #
@Rees- Thanks
09. Apr, 2012
at 9:52 am #
my 14 yr old son wants to this out ,do think he is to young
09. Apr, 2012
at 7:45 pm #
Hey. During a fat loss phase, to preserve muscle, what would you recommend at the start of a weight training session? I’ve heard 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps (of squats/bench/rows etc…) with heavy weights, and then move onto metabolic work after. So, say I can bench 200 lbs for 6 reps, would I need to bench this same weight/same reps at the start of each workout to ensure I’m maintaining all my strength (and therefore muscle)? Do you agree with this? Thanks.
10. Apr, 2012
at 7:36 am #
Jason,
I have read your book the Renegade Diet. Fantastic resource! I have started training at 5am 3-4 days/week as that is the only time my training partner and I can coordinate our schedules. Our training varies but it is based around pushing, pulling, pressing, squatting, and/or deadlifting. How can I tweak the Renegade diet to fit this schedule? Should I use another style of fasting/eating? Consume BCAAs before/after the early morning workout?? Based on some of the above material, I would think no on the BCAAs. Do I have to eat post workout for growth and recovery? Could training and then eating later improve insulin sensitivity?
Thanks as always,
Hunter
13. Apr, 2012
at 5:55 pm #
I bought renegade diet and I love it . The only thing is now I’m a little confused about the bcaas. I do crossfit type training very early around 5:30 am and fast until noon. should I do the bcaas, a small shake, or skip both? Thank you sir
09. May, 2012
at 5:49 pm #
Hey Jason, just got your book few days ago. Must say, it makes complete sense to me. Every page I read was like “yes, checks out” . I haven’t switched over yet to the program though as Im finding it hard to incorporate it. I have a rather busy schedule (9am- 17.00 uni, 17.30 – 22.00 work and 22.30-24.00 gym time). Now, you’ve suggested eating the main meal in 4 hours after the workout, but for me that would mean eating after midnight. I can’t go to the gym any earlier because I usually do homework etc till 2am and really need my rest before starting 9am sharp again (so, essentially only ‘gym-time’ i have is after work).
How do i incorporate this diet with the busy schedule?
16. May, 2012
at 12:09 pm #
I would like to know what your thoughts are on the widely held premise that you should ingest 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking are. I have read the Renegade Diet (several times), and both sides report having studies on their side.
Thanks so much
18. May, 2012
at 6:04 am #
I am following the Renegade Diet right now, and I love it, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions on adapting it to fit this schedule because I am a college student and I work at a restaurant:
Usually my shift begins at around 5 PM and I don’t get off until 10 or 11, sometimes I will work a double which is from 9:30 – 2:30 and then back for the aforementioned 5-10 shift. I can get through the Fasting and Undereating phases fine but when it comes to the overeating phase I can’t stop in the middle of work and eat. My goal is to lean out first and then do a muscle gain phase, because I am currently hovering around 15% BF.
I train around 3:00 PM, weights and intervals 3 days a week, three other days just a steady state, low intensity cardio outside.
02. Sep, 2012
at 4:51 pm #
Hey Jason what’s up! New here and a fan from Venezuela, love your approach and your scientific backup , starting your diet program but have a few questions. I want to start by giving you a little bit of my actual measures so you have an idea, I’m 5’6″ , 156 lbs , about 8% body fat with abs highly visible , almost the 8 pack ,veins on the lower abs and close to contest condition but not there yet ,I am also a naturally fat person so all this came through very hard work and killing diets with no enhance drugs. I have some muscle since I’ve competed bb naturally once but as you probably know by now I lose lots of muscle in the process. I want to switch to your diet program and started two days ago but as you might know I have a few questions: I was currently following the zig zag diet and carb cycling before that and that’s how I got down to my bodyfat %, I want to keep my condition and maybe drop an extra point on body fat but at the very minimum keep the muscle I have or even gain some more without altering my bf% up, my cal intake a day ranges between 1550 and 1850 on the low days and between 2600 to 3200 on the high days, which are usually 1 or 2 high days a week , train an average of 5 to 6 days a week, do hiit cardio workout for 20 minutes on all my training days and sometimes on my off days,my first question would be: how much starchy carbs can I have on the off days and since they are off days what’s the latest I can have them, how many lows and high days for some one like me? How much cardio? I weight train either 5 or 6 days a week, I’m using mostly yams as carb source, broccolly for fibrous, eggs, chicken , whey p and fish oil and olive oil, that’s pretty much the only food I eat, I never cheat and would love to lol. What would you recommend ? I usually train between 4 and 6 pm from mon thru fri and sat and Sunday are usually rest or wo around 1 or 2 pm. What would you change? And please tell me exactly what to do in the diet since that’s more important than everything else, I also use bsn hyper fx and cellucor c4 as my supplements along with the wp, thanks so much Jason all your help will be greatly appreciate it. God bless!
03. Jan, 2013
at 6:56 am #
Hey There
I Have just started the renegade Diet and I have some questions. I have a busy schedule at work and most times the over eating is a little difficult do dueto time restraints. Also I work out in the mornings and reading everything I’m a little confused on what I should be ingesting, if anything at all? I usually do weights with cardio 3 times a wk. Cardio is HIIt. A fourth day is bonus if I have time and usually I do some TRX training. Question is if I work out about between 7:30 and 8:30 am, after workout do I just stick with water till my fast is done? Do i or do I not take a bcaa? or should I take a shake after? I’ve read, some do some don’t, so a little confused. I’m not a big person but carry a lot of body fat, and trying to get rid of it has always been a problem. I’m a classic case of fat skinny, UGGG!. I’d love some feedback and help to maximize my efforts. thanks
23. Apr, 2013
at 1:12 am #
Around September last year I started fasting once a week while lifting weights. I have gained 12 lbs lean weight in eight months and only 2 lbs of fat. The great side-effect of fasting has been that it has helped he get rid of my dependence on anti-allergy medication.
01. May, 2013
at 9:56 am #
Hey man,
Really interesting info about fasted training.
My working schedule has recently changed meaning I don’t have time to train in the afternoons anymore and need to switch to training around 6am.
I read that cortisol levels are higher in the morning and that doing resistance training, specially fasted, may be detrimental at this time. Furthermore, would waiting until the evening meal to eat most of my daily carbs hinder my muscle gaining progress? (as opposed to eating the majority of carbs directly after training).
Is this the case or does it not matter?
Thanks for the great info
Charlie