Ramadan and training: keeping fit through the month of fasting

What a day of Ramadan fasting involves

According to recent clinical recommendations by Ibrahim and colleagues, people observing Ramadan abstain from food and drink for about 11 to 16 hours a day on average, depending on the season and the location, and break the fast at sunset with iftar. The last meal, suhoor, is eaten before dawn.

A review by Chamari and colleagues describes the fast as unusual in several ways. It is total, with no water as well as no food. It is time-restricted, it repeats every day for a month, and it shifts the daily rhythm. The main practical risks for anyone who trains are reduced hydration, disturbed sleep and fatigue that builds over the weeks. That is why a plan for Ramadan is less about the session and more about the 24 hours around it.

It also differs from the intermittent fasting some people choose for weight: see intermittent fasting for that pattern, where water is allowed throughout.

What happens to performance

The research is reassuring for people who train for health. The 2020 meta-analysis by Abaïdia, Daab and Bouzid pooled 11 studies. Aerobic performance, strength, jump height, fatigue index and total work were not affected. Mean and peak power in sprint tests did fall, and sprint performance was hit particularly in the morning.

A 2012 review by Chaouachi and colleagues concluded that few aspects of fitness are negatively affected in well-controlled studies, and that decrements, where they appear, are usually modest. The key condition is maintenance: people who keep their total energy and macronutrient intake, their training load, their body composition, and the length and quality of their sleep are unlikely to see a substantial decline.

For an executive, the aim is not to set personal records during the month. It is to keep the habit, the strength and the fitness, so that nothing has to be rebuilt afterwards.

Choosing the hour

Three windows work, each for a different kind of session.

1. Just before iftar: light or moderate work only, for 30 to 45 minutes. You are fasted and cannot drink, so keep it short and easy: a brisk walk, mobility, light technical strength work. Iftar then serves as the recovery meal.
2. After iftar, once the meal has settled: the best slot for strength or intervals. The Aziz study found no drop in intense interval performance at 21:00, after the fast was broken, while the same test fell at 08:00 and at 18:00. That was one small study of 9 trained athletes in a single session, so take it as a pointer rather than a rule. The gap of one and a half to two and a half hours after iftar used in the calculator is a practical convention for digestion, not a measured figure.
3. After suhoor, before dawn: possible for early risers, but it costs sleep, which is already short during the month.

The calculator above takes your iftar and suhoor times and suggests the two main windows. In Dubai, where evenings during Ramadan are often busy with family and social gatherings, booking the post-iftar session in advance, like a meeting, helps it survive the month.

Sleep is the real constraint

Late iftar gatherings, night prayers and an early suhoor compress the night. Abaïdia and colleagues advise optimising sleep and nutrition to avoid accumulating fatigue, and Chamari's review lists sleep disturbance among the main risks of the month.

• Protect a core block of sleep, even if it means a shorter evening.
• A short nap in the early afternoon can help where your schedule allows.
• In the weeks when sleep is shortest, reduce training volume rather than adding sessions.

For the general method, see sleep for executives, and for signs that fatigue is building, see recovery after training.

Fluids and heat

During the fast, you cannot drink. The American College of Sports Medicine advises keeping fluid losses during exercise below about 2% of body weight and rehydrating afterwards. That is hard to achieve in a fasted session, which is why sessions before iftar should stay short and light, ideally indoors.

When Ramadan falls in the hot months, daytime heat combined with no fluids raises the risk of heat illness. Train in air conditioning, avoid outdoor sessions during daylight, and drink steadily between iftar and suhoor rather than all at once. See hydration and training in the heat in Dubai.

Eating between iftar and suhoor

The short eating window makes protein harder to fit in. Plan at least two protein-rich meals: a balanced iftar after the dates and water, and a suhoor with slow-digesting foods such as eggs, yoghurt, cheese, oats or legumes. If you train after iftar, a protein-rich snack after the session can serve as a third portion. The portions themselves are explained in eating around training.

Health conditions and medical advice

Chamari's review insists that recommendations should be individual rather than one size fits all. That applies most to people with medical conditions.

The International Diabetes Federation and the DAR International Alliance publish practical guidelines for people with diabetes who fast, and note that some people with diabetes are exempt from fasting. The Ramadan recommendations based on the American Diabetes Association and European standards, published in 2025, advise people at high cardiovascular risk to avoid fasting, and suggest starting medical counselling 6 to 8 weeks before Ramadan begins.

If you have diabetes, especially if treated with insulin or sulfonylureas, heart or kidney disease, another chronic condition, or are pregnant, see your doctor 6 to 8 weeks before Ramadan about fasting and exercise. Medication changes are for your doctor to decide. During the fast, stop exercising if you feel dizzy, confused or faint, and follow your doctor's advice on breaking the fast.

Coaches in the Club adjust session times and loads to each member's Ramadan schedule; you can set up your space before the month starts.