Review of Art and Science of Low Carb Performance

Review of Art and Science of Low Carb Performance

“You need carbs for fuel! You need carbs for fuel!”

Athletes and their coaches have shouted this mantra from on high for decades. But is it true? Are carbs the go to energy juice for endurance athletes?

The answer, it seems, is perhaps not, according to the research of world-renowned Drs. Steven Phinney and Jeff Volek. These fat-adapted expert’s show in their new book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance that fat, rather than carbs, can be the preferred choice of fuel for the athlete — if we let it. In their short and easy-to-follow treatise, the secret to duping your body into becoming a fat burning dynamo is – drum roll please – swapping carb calories for fat calories. That’s right – keep the carb intake low enough for long enough and you enter into a state of nutritional nirvana called nutritional ketosis.

In this state you are telling your body “burn fat!” And fat it will burn, allowing you to run, bike, swim or…for longer periods of time without hitting the “wall” or having to refuel during your endurance endeavor.

It’s possible that this information could change the face of endurance training forever. And it should! Science should always supersede opinion (at least when science is well done as it is by Drs. Volek and Phinney). The smart athletes who jump on and take a ride on the ketogenic train will find themselves leaner, stronger, and with energy that knows no bounds, since even the leanest athlete has enough body fat to fuel several marathons.

If you are a strength athlete, no worries. Drs. Volek and Phinney’s research has shown that when you are fully fat-adapted, intramuscular glycogen is spared. So you don’t have to worry that you’ll run out of fuel for your high intensity, muscle building workouts. You most certainly won’t. As a professional trainer myself, I can attest to this for both myself and my clients. In fact, many of my clients have gotten much stronger in a short period of time by upping the fat, lowering the carbs and keeping their protein intake adequate for their needs.

So if becoming a better athlete and losing extra body fat like a bad habit is something that interests you, get thee to Amazon and get your copy of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.

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