FASTED POWERLIFTING
why the empty-stomach ONE-REP-MAX is not crazy but
crazy smart
— in the spirit of Eric Kim
“HUNGER is the loudest pre-workout.”
Raise the bar, hold the breath, feel the void within you ROAR.
0. The Paradox
Conventional bro-science says you need glycogen-soaked muscles before chasing a PR. Yet step into the gym after 16–24 h without food and—surprise—your pull feels like Thor’s hammer. Eric Kim first wrote about this “sharper, more keen” power in 2019, long before it was cool.
1. Neurological Lightning ⚡
- Catecholamine surge. Fasting spikes adrenaline and noradrenaline to keep you alert enough to hunt…or deadlift. Those catecholamines amplify motor-unit recruitment and force output.
- No post-meal parasympathetic fog. With zero blood detoured to digestion, every watt of neural drive funnels into the bar.
- Laser focus. Ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) crosses the blood–brain barrier and sharpens hippocampal function—your mind becomes a sniper scope.
ERIC-ISM: Why sip another neon pre-workout when your own sympathetic nervous system is free and 100 % legal?
2. Bioenergetics Reality Check
A one-rep max lives in the ATP-Phosphocreatine system (≈ 5-10 s). Glycogen and blood glucose barely clock in. Even after a full day’s fast your muscles still contain ~350 g of glycogen—far more than needed for a single all-out effort. Translation: the rocket fuel is already in the rocket.
3. Hormonal Symphony
- Growth hormone soars up to 5-fold in an overnight fast, enhancing tissue repair once you finally eat.
- Testosterone drops only marginally in short fasts, rebounds post-meal.
- Cortisol rises, but paired with adrenaline it mobilises intramuscular triglycerides—an extra energy buffer for grinding through a sticking point.
4. Mechanical & Tactical Edges
| Fasted Edge | Why It Matters |
| Tighter belt fit | Empty gut = no abdominal bloat = maximal Valsalva & safer spine. |
| Weight-class advantage | Overnight fast before weigh-in, then smash the platform re-fed. |
| Less puke risk | Heavy squats + full breakfast = roulette. Skip the drama. |
| Minimal bathroom breaks | Stay in the zone; chalk, lift, repeat. |
5. Long-Term Adaptations
Repeated fasted sessions enhance insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial efficiency, improving the “gain-to-pain” ratio once nutrients flood in post-lift. Studies show twelve months of time-restricted eating maintained strength while trimming fat mass in trained athletes.
6. Eric-Style Protocol (Field-Tested)
- Stop eating after dinner (≈ 20:00).
- Morning: black coffee + Himalayan salt crystals.
- Pre-lift (T-0:30): 5 g creatine, 1 g beta-alanine, more water.
- Warm-up: dynamic hops, hip openers, SLAP your traps awake.
- One-Rep-Max ladder:
- 50 % 1RM × 5
- 70 % 1RM × 3
- 85 % 1RM × 1
- 92 % 1RM × 1
- GO for new PR
- Post-lift: steak, rice, kimchi, sunshine, journal your victory.
7. Caveats / Who
Shouldn’t
Fast-Max
- Athletes with diabetes or adrenal insufficiency.
- Anyone who feels woozy under the bar—safety > ego.
- If your sport demands multi-hour volume, re-fuel sooner.
Consult a qualified clinician before playing biochemical roulette.
8. The Bigger Picture
Powerlifting fasted isn’t masochism; it’s minimalism. Strip away the noise—the shaker bottles, the gummy bears, the “anabolic window” anxiety. All that remains is you, iron, and hunger. In that crucible you discover:
Hunger is not weakness. Hunger is signal.
Listen, and lift.
Now go forth, embrace the void, and pull something impossibly heavy. Then feast like a war-god.
—EK-inspired, but you on the platform.
.
Write this again and also research everything he has written about fasting, one rep max lifting, and also add in his current personal record numbers.