Ramadan

Training and Nutrition Guidelines

© 2020 Pheasyque
Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Nutrition: The big picture

3. Gaining and losing during Ramadan

- How many calories should I eat ?
- What about macronutrients?
- Protein intake
- Fats and Carbohydrates

4. What if I don’t want to track my food intake?

- Proteins
- Carbohydrates and Fats
- Vegetables and Hydration

5. Training Recommendations

6. References

Copyright 2020 by Pheasyque

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher.

© 2020 Pheasyque
Introduction

Hey guys, Pheasyque here!

The idea of writing (and drawing!) this mini-eBook started as a question-comment in a post
shared on my Instagram page a couple of weeks ago. Interestingly enough, many of you
reached out saying that it would be a great idea to share some knowledge on how to approach
training and nutrition, when following the month of Ramadan. So as always…we decided to go
for it!

For those who don’t know, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, observed by the
Islamic Countries worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer, reflection and community,
and it entails a major shift from normal eating patterns to exclusive nocturnal eating.

Fasting begins at sunrise after the predawn meal (Suhur), which is eaten very late at night
and it ends with the Iftar which is a nightly feast that “breaks the fast”. The fast is traditionally
broken by drinking water, followed by eating dates.

From Suhur to Iftar, people that follow Ramadan will not only refrain from eating food but also
drinking any and all liquids, and this is in addition to other precise rules. All the criteria are
clearly defined in the Quran.

As fanatics of bodybuilding and fitness, we are all well aware that both training and nutrition play
a crucial role in health, performance, well-being, body composition, and much more.

Therefore as coaches, we thought it would be useful to analyze the month of Ramadan and
create practical training and nutrition recommendations in order to allow everyone following this
month to continue making progress…or at least not digress!

Without further-ado, let’s dive into the training and nutritional guidelines that you can follow
during the month of Ramadan.

Hope you enjoy the read as much as we enjoyed writing (and drawing!) it!

During the time of writing this (April, 2020), many of us are going through a lockdown due to the
Covid-19 spread. Therefore, conditions are most likely not ideal for most people. However, we
can still try and do our best to progress and maintain. Despite less than ideal social conditions,
hopefully you can this file for the next years to come.

© 2020 Pheasyque
Nutrition: The Big Picture

The management of a healthy balanced diet is necessary not only for the maintenance of a
healthy weight, but for the maintenance of the overall nutritional health of individuals, too.

There are multiple factors that can influence our energy intake such as cultural and lifestyle
differences, and different scenarios can unconsciously allow us to eat more or less food, which
can then have a positive or negative impact on body composition. For this reason, it’s always
important to keep the big picture of nutrition in mind, so we don’t have to ever guess “why”
changes might have happened without evening noticing.

“The 3rd law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can
only be transformed.” — This is universally true, and we cannot escape from the laws of
physics.

In other words, regardless of when we eat throughout the span of the 24 hours of a day,
regardless of whether it’s only at night or not the following are important to keep in mind:

1. If we eat more food than we need to sustain our bodyweight and daily activity needs for an
extended period of time, then we will end up gaining weight.

2. Conversely, if we eat less food than what we need to sustain our bodyweight and daily
activity levels for an extended period of time, then we will end up losing weight.

3. This also applies for the maintenance bodyweight, so if we consume the amounts we need to
maintain bodyweight based on needs and activity levels, then our weight will remain the same.

This happens during Ramadan, too, even when consuming “just” a few big meals at night. It’s
still important to watch your total daily food intake depending on your goals: whether it is fat
loss, muscle gain, or just maintenance [1,2]

If we think about it, Ramadan feeding is very close to an Intermittent Fasting (IF) strategy.
Granted, Ramadan is certainly more strict, and doesn’t allow (zero/very low calorie) beverages
during the fasting window, which are things that can make fasting certainly much easier. Asides
from that though, IF is the closest model to Ramadan, and can be easily treated as such when
we have to choose what meals to consume after and before the fast.

© 2020 Pheasyque
Gaining and Losing during Ramadan
In terms of total daily energy intake, if we compare Ramadan feeding to normal day-to-day
eating patterns and assume that most people are going to have two main meals a day and skip
one main meal within a 24h period, then the eating pattern observed in Ramadan could be
associated with a natural reduction in food and total energy intake. Ramadan could certainly be
used as an opportunity to lose weight and start a fat loss phase, even though structured and
consistent lifestyle modifications are necessary to achieve lasting results. [2]

While this is a good assumption to make, the differences in cultures, age groups, geographical
locations and duration of fasting hours as well as the impacts of physiological (or even
pathological) conditions can result in reduction of energy intake in many but not all people. In
fact, many studies suggest mixed results of both weight loss and weight gain.

For this reason, it can be a good idea to track calories and macronutrient intake and make sure
you’re eating according to your goal. (although it’s not the only strategy you can or should use)

How many calories should I eat?

This is a difficult question to answer given the fact that we (as coaches) don’t know your current
bodyweight and body composition, along with your age, sex, height, daily activity, and previous
dieting experience.

Also, it’s important to mention that during the prolonged fasting, a significant decrease in energy
expenditure can be observed, further skewing the accuracy of what can give an already
estimated TDEE [3].

However, using formulas such as the Harris-Benedict, Ketch McArdle, or even bodyweight
multipliers, to predict what your total daily energy intake should look like can be a good start for
most. For those interested in using calculators, we recommend using 2-3, then finding an
average between them to provide a baseline/estimated starting point. From there, you can either
subtract or increase the amount of calories based on goal and rate of fat loss/muscle gains.

What about macronutrients ?

Protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake can vary greatly depending on everybody’s goals, exercise
activity, metabolism, and physiological and pathological conditions. These three macronutrients
make up our food. In addition to macronutrient, micronutrients also make up our foods and
affect many processes in the body including hormone regulation, immune system health, cells
structure and function, body composition, and much more.

Well-controlled research supports the conclusion that athletes who maintain their total energy
and macronutrient intake, training load, body composition, and sleep length/quality are unlikely
to suffer any substantial decrease in performance during Ramadan. [4, 5, 6]

© 2020 Pheasyque
Protein intake
According to current evidence, protein intakes that constitute 1.6g-2.2g/kg of bodyweight is
associated with the greatest gains. Therefore, using this range can create your goal protein
intake if you’re trying to gain muscle mass during this time.

Conversely, when it comes to dieting and losing body fat, then keeping protein intake between
2.3g-3.1g x kg of LBM (lean body mass) scaling upwards as we get leaner, is recommended
to maintain lean body mass. [7, 8]. Basically, increase protein intake when dieting to preserve
muscle that has been gained.

Coach’s Tip: Aisde from lean mass perseverance when dieting, a high protein intake is also
associated with a greater feeling of satiety, which can be helpful during time frames when
fasting. Protein is also the macronutrient associated with the greatest DIT (Dietary Induced
Thermogenesis) which can further increase the lipolytic (fat loss) effect!

Fats and Carbohydrates

When it comes to lipid (fats) and carbohydrate intake, there really aren’t “specific” guidelines to
follow that we feel comfortable sharing without knowing more about you. Both macronutrients
are extremely important for a myriad of reasons, so in our opinion, it’s best to have a mixed
amount of both for a healthy, balanced diet. The goal should be to consume all of the
macronutrients with a variety of food choices in order to reap all the benefits of our nutrition.

In a way, these two macronutrients can be “interchangeable” in the respect that as long as we
match protein intake and total calories, eating more of one than the other doesn’t show much, if
any differences at all when body composition is concerned (this is why both high carbohydrate
or low/very low carbohydrate work). However, if we want to maximize resistance training
performance — and we remember that the primary substrate of energy that our body wants to
use during this form of training is carbohydrates — it is logical to increase carbohydrate intake
to help support training demands. Remember, fat intake would then decrease to reflect this
increased carb intake per your goals to match daily macro/caloric numbers.

General guidelines suggest to keep fat intake within 20-30% of your total calories, or 0.5-1g x
kg of bodyweight.

While Carbohydrates can stay within the range of 4-7g x kg of bodyweight for strength
athletes looking to gain muscle, or simply fill the rest of the calories after calculating protein and
fat intake if the goal is fat loss. [8]

© 2020 Pheasyque
What if I don’t want to track my food intake?
Not everyone wants to to track their calories and macronutrient intake on a daily basis, or get
shredded/jacked, and for the people that want to simply get to a healthy bodyweight and start
developing healthier nutritional habits, then here are some guidelines that you can follow. And
mind you: tracking is not “better” by any means. It’s just “more accurate”, and is certainly not
necessary for those on the quest of living a healthier lifestyle.

To start, we will use the help of our hands in order to pick the portions of each macronutrients.

Proteins (4 cals per gram)

One trick you can use to calculate protein

intake is with the use of your palm!

Of course, palm sizes are different and

you’re likely not cutting pieces of meat the
exact same every time you have a piece
of meat, but the palm can still provide you
with an idea and estimate.

A “palm” sized portion can provide you around

20-30g of protein, give or take.

Generally a good starting point for men is to eat

1-2 palms of protein for each meal.

For women, eating around 1 palm of protein per

meal suffices.

Protein rich foods: Protein powders, low/non fat greek yogurt, sirloin,
chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, bison, lean cuts of fish, egg whites, eggs,
tuna, low fat dairy products, seafood, low/non-fat cottage cheese, beans,
legumes, tofu, tempeh

© 2020 Pheasyque
 Carbohydrates (4 cals per gram)

To determine carbohydrate intake, we’re

going to use cupped-hand sized portions.

Men will require a minimum of 2ish

cupped-hand sized portions of
carbohydrates per meal.

Women can start with 1 cupped-hand

sized portion of carbohydrate per meal.

Carbohydrate rich foods: Bread, rice, grains, cereals, cous

cous, pasta, oats, corn, vegetables, potatoes, fruits, dried
fruits, quinoa, ice cream, peas, legumes, pancakes

Fats (9 cals per gram)

Fat intake in diets is generally lower due to its high
caloric value of 9 calories per gram, therefore
we’re going to use our thumb to measure it.

For men, 2 thumbs per meal can be a good

starting point.

For women, 1 thumb per meal can be a good

starting point.

Fat rich foods: Avocado, butter, egg yolks, oils, olives,

flax seeds, chia seeds, pesto, mayo, almonds, nuts,
whole nuts, coconut, coconut oil, fatty cuts of meat,
peanuts, peanut butter, most cheeses

© 2020 Pheasyque
 Vegetables:
Vegetables fall into “carbohydrates” when
it comes to macronutrients, however,
since they contain much more than
carbohydrates, it’s important to give them
their own section. Vegetables are rich in
in micronutrients, known as vitamins and
minerals but also phytonutrients, which
are essential for human health.

Two fists of vegetables per meal for

men.

One fist of vegetables per meal for

women.

Vegetables: Cabbage, eggplants, carrots, courgettes,

artichokes, beet, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, leek, lettuce,
mushroom, onions, peas, peppers, radish, zucchini, Brussels
sprouts, celery, kale

What about hydration ?

The biggest obstacle when doing Ramadan is

probably hydration, especially for athletes: in
fact when sessions last for 1h or more,
performance can be impaired because of the
absence of fluid intake. [9]

Generally, as soon as Iftar starts (and up until

Suhur) it’s important to drink at least 2-3 liters of
water on top of the water that’s being “eaten”,
through food consumption.

© 2020 Pheasyque
Training Recommendations:

Depending on your specific goals, training guidelines will change, but generally speaking, if
you’re doing Ramadan, then you’re certainly not going to be able to maximally train for muscle
gain. That’s because training without the possibility to eat nor drink for most of the day certainly
doesn’t give us the best scenario for gaining muscle and maximizing performance, however,
that’s okay as it’s only one month of the calendar year for making gains! And it doesn’t mean we
can’t push the limits for what we can achieve, therefore, here are our recommendations:

Scenario number 1

- You can’t go to the gym after Iftar.

In this case, we’d recommend to maintain your current bodyweight or if you really want, lose
body fat. Training around 1-2h before Iftar would be ideal, since you’d get to eat and drink
right after the training session.

Your sessions should focus on compound lifts, prioritizing intensity over volume with loads as
high as 75%+ of your 1RMs. Short heavy sessions are certainly “better” than voluminous
sessions in this case, since they allow for more rest between sets and don’t accumulate too
much fatigue. Also, heavy loads can easily maintain your muscle mass within a smaller rep
range, and if anything, you can even cut total volume by 30-60% and still be able to retain your
muscles. [10, 11]

After the training session, Iftar should be around the corner. Drink a glass of water when it’s time
and break your fast with your first meal.

Consider drinking an electrolyte drink containing sodium and potassium salts to replenish the
body’s water and electrolyte concentrations.

Scenario number 2

- You can go to the gym after Iftar.

If you can train after Iftar, then there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t be able to pursue the
goal of muscle building and strength gains, even during the month of Ramadan. After having
eaten Iftar, you can certainly go to the gym and train with your normal programmed intensities
and volumes. Note, if performance is decreasing throughout the month, then scale back volume
by 15-30% of what’s normally programmed.

Scenario number 3

- You don’t have access to a gym.

In this case, we would still suggest training after Iftar, if that’s possible, in order to have enough
energy but also the possibility to drink during the workout. In this case, if you want to build
muscle, you’ll have to train with the use of your bodyweight and progressively find a way to
overload your muscles with an increasing stimulus…So use the Pheasyque Bodyweight Workout
that’s attached below!

© 2020 Pheasyque
References:

1. J Relig Health. 2014 Jun; 53(3):929-42. doi: 10.1007/s10943-013-9687-0.

Does Ramadan fasting alter body weight and blood lipids and fasting blood glucose in a healthy
population ? A meta-analysis.
2. Public Health Nutr. 2014 Feb; 17(2):396-406. doi: 10.1017/S1368980012005046. Epub 2012 Nov
27. Islamic fasting and weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
3. J Sleep Res. 2001 Dec;10(4):319-27. Sleep during Ramadan intermittent fasting.
4. J Sports Sci. 2012;30 Suppl 1:S53-73. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2012.698297. Epub 2012 Jun 27.
The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on athletic performance: recommendations for the
maintenance of physical fitness.
5. Sports Med. 2013 Dec;43(12):1217-41. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0080-7. Ramadan and sport:
minimizing effects upon the observant athlete.
6. Nutrients. 2019 May 27;11(5). pii: E1192. doi: 10.3390/nu11051192. Energy Metabolism and
Intermittent Fasting: The Ramadan Perspective.
7. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:20. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-20. eCollection 2014.
Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and
supplementation.
8. Front. Nutr., 20 August 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2019.00131 Is an Energy Surplus
Required to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Associated With Resistance Training
9. J Sports Sci. 2012;30 Suppl 1:S33-41. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2012.688140. Epub 2012 May 18.
Hydration and performance during Ramadan.
10. Eur J Sport Sci 2017 Jul;17(6):665-672. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2017.1298673. Epub 2017 Mar
19. Effects of Different Strength Training Frequencies During Reduced Training Period on Strength
and Muscle Cross-Sectional Area
11. Why is it easier to maintain muscle mass than to gain it? https://medium.com/@SandCResearch/
why-is-it-easier-to-maintain-muscle-mass-than-to-gain-it-e543a220be29

© 2020 Pheasyque
Alright guys, that’s going it for this eBook! We truly hope you enjoyed reading it, and we hope it’ll
be useful for you going through the month of Ramadan. For any questions or just to show some
love and support, make sure to follow both Instagram pages @Pheasyque and @Pheasyquelab
for sneak peaks of more to come!

See you there!

Pheasyque

PS — If you want more reading material to support the growth of Pheasyque and
Pheasyque Lab, check out the Concrete Pheasyque eBook!

© 2020 Pheasyque