Triathletes and marathoners are big fans of high carbohydrate foods. But is that really best? The answer is… it depends on who you are. If you are gifted for long distance activity (naturally thin and lean) yes, carbohydrates are a good source of energy for you if you are a endurance athlete. But if you are a thickly built, former fat boy (like me), even if people like us went for marathons, I would not suggest high carb diets. These diets simply would make us fat.

“oh but I don’t have energy for my long runs” – YES, but only at first. That is because your body is used to using carbs as fuel. It needs some time (10-15 days usually) to get used to burning FAT as fuel.

Once this transition is made, you can eat what is naturally better for you (protein, green veggies, healthy fats) and yet do well at endurance sports. Science studies agree with my experiential knowledge.

In fact these studies were done in the *gasp* 1980s!! A good one was done at MIT and a group of endurance athletes was placed on a very low carbohydrate diet for 4 weeks. The first week or two they felt lethargic BUT at the end they felt great!

In fact I think they would actually improve performance over the medium and long term because they would lose FAT on a low carb diet. Being FAT is a BAD and is hindering their performance.

There was no drop off in their aerobic capacity.

So what can we learn?

1. Eat the right food for your genetics
2. Be objective about what works and what doesn’t and don’t just listen to the high carb “old wives tale” that it is all endurance athletes need

How do you know whats best for you?
That is what we can help you find out as part of our athletes training programs.