The fat metabolism - dietary adjustments

In the following, you will read about how you can increase your nutritional performance in long-term endurance sports. The keyword here is: fat metabolism.

As an ambitious hobby athlete in the field of endurance you are probably always anxious to increase your performance. In the foreground here is undoubtedly the well-planned training. Training periodization over the year with periods of stress and recovery, the right equipment, mental strength - all these factors play a major role in performance development. Of course - and you know that - the right diet is also very important!

Basically, the design of the training is based on the respective requirement profile of a sport. A requirement profile describes the type and type of skills and abilities that affect the overall performance in the particular discipline. The duration of the competition and the associated intensity determine the requirement profile as well as the distance, eg. For example, possible mountains, or tactical behavior, such as attacks and speed shots. Depending on the sport you are practicing, there are different demands on motor skills, such as endurance or strength, and thus energy metabolism. (1)

The stress intensity

According to the requirements of everyday training of a cyclist. In addition to a solid expansion of basic stamina, which is the basic ability of the cyclist, with extensive, long-lasting stress again and again high-intensity training units with intervals and sprints on the agenda to train the anaerobic endurance capacity. Which macronutrient is mainly burnt depends on the intensity of the strain. Here are the carbohydrates and fats in the foreground. They are the most important sources of energy for the body. The advantage of fats over carbohydrates is the fact that your body can store them in virtually unlimited amounts. The carbohydrate stores in the liver and muscle in the form of glycogen, however, are limited. Carbohydrates in turn have the advantage that they can be used by anaerobic glycolysis without the use of oxygen for energy supply. This is not possible with the energy production by fats, here oxygen is needed at any time. The nutrient degradation thus takes place, as already mentioned, depending on the intensity of the stress. Extensive stress mainly burns fats as well as carbohydrates in the aerobic metabolism. In intensive loads carbohydrates are increasingly used to provide energy. The 3 different metabolic pathways are parallel at all times, but they vary in their relation to the total energy supply. (2)

Optimize the fat metabolism

If you think of the athlete's requirements, it becomes clear that he has to train his fat metabolism optimally in order to protect the long-term carbohydrate stores for quick entries or finish sprints. Fats serve as an energy source, such as carbohydrates, during extensive exercise. Both are mined by aerobic route. Some of you will wonder why it is even necessary to exercise the fat metabolism, because who supplies enough carbohydrates, does not need turbo fat metabolism. This is indeed true if the muscles during exercise exercise sufficient amounts of carbohydrates can be supplied so that continuously serve mainly carbohydrates as fuel. The practice, however, shows different. Athletes are rarely able to fully absorb the required levels of carbohydrate during exercise. Thus, the amount of carbohydrates is limited on the one hand by the absorption capacity of the small intestine, and on the other hand, due to the amount that can take an athlete. Even if you manage it in training, the supply deficit often increases with increasing exercise duration. In addition, the competitive situation makes the organization of targeted carbohydrate intake more difficult. The nasty surprise "carbohydrate fanatics" then usually in competition. Trimmed solely for carbohydrate burning, performance drops abruptly with the onset of low carbohydrate availability. A trained fat metabolism will pay off in the competition. (3)

Why carbohydrates inhibit fat burning

In order to specifically train the fat metabolism, a conscious reduction of carbohydrate intake during extensive loads makes sense. If I do not exercise, will you probably wonder, by doing extensive units alone, my lipid metabolism? Scientific studies have shown that carbohydrates inhibit the burning of fat at rest and also during physical activity, ie suppress the lipid metabolism. Fat burning during exercise is reduced if:

- the carbohydrates are supplied before the load,

- the carbohydrates are supplied during the exercise,

- The carbohydrates are stored in the form of glycogen stored in the muscle.

Due to different physiological processes, carbohydrates are always preferred to fats for energy supply, provided that these are extensive strains. That is, the share of fat burning in the energy supply is smaller than it would be without the presence of carbohydrates. If you feed on fat protein and therefore do not consume carbohydrates before exercise, you will be forced to exercise your fat metabolism and burn significantly more fat from the beginning of the exercise. It is important that you practice this diet as a basic diet .

Desirable adaptation reactions of your organism

Another advantage is the support of the adaptation processes of the muscle cell. If only fats are available to the organism during extensive stress, biochemical adaptation processes at the cell level are the result. The intracellular fat stores can be doubled in this way. Fats from these fat stores are faster and more readily available during exercise than the fats from the fat stores under the skin and are preferably metabolized.

Our Trainingworld book tip:

Strength, speed, endurance

Strength, speed, endurance is a highly efficient training system that has taken thousands of endurance athletes to the next level. World-renowned coach and endurance expert Brian MacKenzie presents techniques, exercises and training methods that increase the performance and weight limits of endurance athletes while reducing their risk of injury. Athletes and coaches learn how to avoid, treat, and heal typical injuries caused by improper movement and hardened, overstressed muscles.