(Generic politically correct note: For those that do not practice fasting in Ramadan. The routine mentioned below essentially follows basics similar to intermittent fasting. So both disciplines apply, happy burning!)
What it means, what it should mean
To most, Ramadan marks a one month break from the gym due to horrendous misunderstanding that it's about sleeping through the day until Maghrib sounds, eating, eat some more, over eat later, go to bed, rinse-bloody-repeat.As Veggiesaurs, we value the spiritual aspect and embrace the true meaning of Ramadan, feeling for those less fortunate whilst growing within, in our case, both figuratively and very much literally.
Ramadan has been coinciding with summer, a match made in heaven to suit our cause; pre-breakfast workouts mean there's only one source of energy for your body to munch on, thine own fat reserves, making it ideal for the stubborner areas to be blasted unmerciful, bringing out the abs and obliques, as well as handsomely carving at the rest of your hopefully solidified foundations.
Exercise is the Yin to your diets Yang, there can be no balance if one lacks the other, Ramadan is perfect for the practice of this mantra, a light breakfast of soup and salad, an even lighter dinner of mostly protein, such as fish, or fava beans for the more reserved vegetarians amongst you, will see us through this month with minimal gain.
The How
I workout on an empty stomach before breakfast during Ramadan, though, I do not focus on weight training as much, here's my formula:
- I start the workout with 30-40 minutes of high intensity cardiovascular, my preference being Squash.
- I will perform two random, high intensity abdominal exercises.
- I will perform two, high intensity mass builders that coincide with the respective muscle group of that day, which go a little something like:
- I will perform two random, high intensity abdominal exercises.
And that's all there is to it, rinse, repeat, love; the latter being subjective.
Godspeed, Veggiesaurs, and Happy Ramadan!
