A Ramadan training plan: fitting your week around iftar and suhoor
By DinFit · Published 29 October 2026 · How these articles are made
Every claim on this page names its source. It has been checked against those sources, not reviewed by a health professional.
The World Health Organization's 2020 guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, and muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days a week.1 For Ramadan, a 2023 sports medicine guideline for healthy people suggests placing sessions after iftar where you can, keeping those before iftar light and short, and starting with a lighter first week.2 A plan for the month puts those pieces together around your own days.
If you would like a plan of your own that works around fasting days, DinFit's free plan builds one from your answers and sends it by email.
How many days a week?
For healthy people who are not athletes, the guideline suggests one session a day, six days a week, with at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, and fewer and easier sessions than an athlete would do.2 It puts strength sessions in the week once or twice.2 For strength, the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 position stand found gains greater with two or more sessions a week.3
How long should sessions be?
The guideline keeps sessions before iftar to 60 to 75 minutes at most, warm-up and cool-down included, and sessions after iftar to 75 to 90 minutes.2 It suggests making hard sessions before iftar 10 to 30 percent shorter than before Ramadan.2
Who this research is about
Those durations are expert opinion, written mostly for athletes; for everyone else the guideline expects fewer and easier sessions.2
What could a week look like?
Put together, the guideline's points give a week this shape:
- hard or long sessions after iftar, which it sees as the best time to stay fed and hydrated;2
- shorter, lighter sessions, or short strength sessions, in the hour or two before iftar;2
- no training in the morning after suhoor, which it does not recommend;2
- a lighter first week, then building up gradually through the month.2
Where exactly each session falls depends on your own days, which is what DinFit's free plan is built from. The best time to work out in Ramadan and strength training in Ramadan go into the times and the lifting.
Who this research is about
Each point is the guideline panel's expert opinion, not the result of a trial.2
Starting out, or new to training?
For people new to training, the guideline suggests the evening after iftar.2 The WHO guidelines add that some activity is better than none, and suggest starting small and building up over time.1
Who this research is about
The WHO guidelines are written for adults in general.1
If you live with a health condition, take regular medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have had an eating disorder, talk to your doctor about training and eating while you fast.
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A free plan, built around your week
DinFit's free plan is a personalised training and eating plan, sent to you by email as a PDF, with every claim in it naming its source.
Choose to have it work around prayer and fasting days, and it adds a section on training, eating and sleep on fasting days, for the parts your plan covers.
Get your free planSources
Every source is described in our own words; none is quoted.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451-1462. PMID 33239350. Full text on PMC
- Chamari K, Guezguez F, Khalladi K, et al. Aspetar clinical guidelines: Ramadan fasting and exercise for healthy individuals. Tunis Med. 2023;101(1):1-14. PMID 37682254. Full text on PMC
- Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872. PMID 41843416. Full text on PMC
About DinFit
DinFit is also an app for iPhone: a daily check-in for training, nutrition, prayer and sleep, with a garden that grows as you stay consistent. It is on the App Store, and it is separate from the free plan above.
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