I’m wanting to attempt a 72+ hour fast but don’t want to start it during recovery from resistance training. How long do you generally wait for recovery to complete before starting a long fast, or is there no limit to how long to wait?
What is your goal with the fast? If it’s to build muscle, I have heard that some people will time their workouts to be in the 19-21 hr mark where the human growth hormone sky rockets. Then they eat quality food after and the human growth hormone, nutrients, and muscle repair can work together.
If it’s for fat loss, then I have learned fasting after a workout or working out during a fast isn’t a thing you need to avoid, but you might need to build up to it if your body isn’t used to it. Working out during a fast helps you maintain your muscle mass more and helps you get to the fat burning stage faster. You don’t have to do a ton and keeping it simpler in the beginning is probably a good idea. Walking is really helpful and it allows your body time to burn fat for fuel. I used to only workout within the first 24 hrs of a fast because I thought I needed that food energy. I did that for months and was able to build strength in my weight lifting class.
I have already done about 20 various length fasts, so that experience should be taken into account since my body could have happened to have gotten more efficient at the same time I learned tips and tried new things. I started being more seriously active during my fasts the last two weeks and it’s been successful. I made sure to have way more salt and low sugar electrolytes in a day; and specifically an hr before a workout. I learned that healthy fats and proteins as the last meal before a fast help make the fasting and workouts during it easier. I did more walking. Before this, I could really feel my heart pumping when my body was breaking down body fat for energy and I needed to rest. Sometimes I had to cut the fast short because my body wasn’t feeling well. The last two weeks feel so much easier and I am super pleased with how strong I felt during a harder workout today that was 3 days into a fast.
Good luck on your fast!
If you are in calorie deficit then your recovery will be slower. You should still train but you might need to do less sets or wait more days. If you are eating a lot you can recover normally, but it comes down to calories.