Training Load | Metabolic Efficiency™

Life begins and ends at the cellular level.

​Lifestyles are determined by habit. The most insidious aspect of habit is its ability to dull awareness. This is when the mayhem begins…

Training load impacts metabolic efficiency by influencing the body’s energy sources. This is a life and sport game changer.

High-intensity training loads, especially those with short rest periods, can increase metabolic stress, leading to adaptations that improve strength, endurance, and the body’s ability to utilize fats for energy.

Accumulating muscle mass through resistance training increases resting metabolic rate because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. 

Training load and metabolic adaptations

→ Increased metabolic stress:
Training with moderate loads and short rest intervals causes significant metabolic stress, characterized by increased blood lactate and other hormones. This stress is a key driver of the metabolic and structural adaptations that improve performance. 

→ Enhanced fat metabolism:
Endurance training can lead to adaptations that make the body more efficient at burning fat for fuel, particularly during longer exercise bouts, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-based study. 

→ Muscle mass and resting metabolism:
Building muscle through resistance training increases your resting metabolic rate (RMR) because muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain at rest compared to fat tissue. 

→ Impact of load carriage:
Exertion such as running with a heavy pack, rucking, and related activities directly increases the energy cost [VO2 cap V cap O sub 2𝑉𝑂2], so optimizing load can improve efficiency and reduce fatigue. 

Training load and Metabolic Efficiency™ [ME™]

→ ME™ definition:
ME™ is a method for endurance athletes that aims to improve the body’s ability to use fat as fuel and reduce reliance on carbohydrates to quell gastrointestinal issues during long events.

→ How it works:
ME™ involves carefully controlling macronutrient intake [protein, fat, and carbohydrate – CHO] in relation to the training cycle to support fuel use and recovery. Fat adaptation is the key.

→ Nutrition periodization:
The strategy focuses on adjusting the athlete’s diet to be more fat-adapted and ensuring proper nutrition for performance and recovery during intense loads.

→ Teach your body to burn more fat;
→ Want consistent energy throughout the day;
→ Improve your athletic performance;
→ Speed your recovery;
→ Improve cognitive functioning;
→ Optimize your health span.

ME™ focuses on optimizing how the body uses fuel [CHO and fats] during exercise. Training load is the amount of stress placed on the body that can influence ME™.

Strategically managing training load, particularly through adjusting intensity and duration of workouts, it’s possible to improve the body’s ability to burn fat and preserve CHO, leading to potential improvements in both performance and body composition. 

Metabolic Efficiency™

→ ME™ refers to the body’s ability to utilize stored CHO and fats as fuel during exercise;
→ It optimizes the body’s fuel source by burning more fat and conserving glycogen [stored CHO];
→ This can be achieved through both nutrition and exercise strategies. 

How Training Load Impacts Metabolic Efficiency:

→ Low-intensity training
Exercising at lower intensities, notably in Zone 2, can promote the body’s ability to burn more fat for fuel.

→ Increased Training Volume in Zone 2
Incorporate more training volume in Zone 2 workouts to improve the body’s ability to use fat as fuel. 

→ High-intensity training
While high-intensity training can be beneficial for overall fitness, it can also lead to a greater reliance on carbohydrates as a fuel source. Strategically managing training load and intensity makes it possible to burn more fat at higher levels of intensity. 

→ Training Load and Fuel Utilization
Research suggests that increasing training load can affect how the body utilizes different fuel sources. For example, studies have shown that increasing training load can impact the body’s CHO and fat utilization. 

Strategies for Optimizing Metabolic Efficiency through Training:

→ Prioritize Zone 2 Training
Spend more time in Zone 2 training, characterized by a moderate intensity where you can still maintain a conversation;

→ Adjust Training Volume
Gradually increase the volume of Zone 2 training to improve the body’s ability to burn fat

→ Consider Training Periodization
Periodize your training by incorporating low-intensity periods and higher-intensity periods to optimize both fat burning and overall fitness;

→ Monitor Fuel Source Utilization
Use heart rate monitors or other tools to track fuel source utilization during workouts

The Role of Nutrition:

The foremost nutritional limiter to endurance sports performance is depleted glycogen stores. Reliance by many athletes on CHO as their primary fuel source remains pervasive and indefensible because it sabotages one’s health and potential.

Endurance athletes erroneously fixate on replenishing the limited supply of CHO [1,200 calories] in the tank while transporting nearly unlimited fuel stored as endogenous fat [80,000 calories]. Visualize an oil truck.

Bob Seebohar, Registered Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a High Performance Endurance Coach, bluntly lays it out: ‘The best training plan is worthless if the nutrition plan fails.’ He is the creator of the Metabolic Efficiency™ and nutrition periodization concepts.

The Issue

The body shifts its primary fuel source from fat to CHO as intensity levels increase. This shift is an ineffective route to optimal health and sports performance.

The typical diet induces nutritional stress. Ingest commercial sports drinks composed of simple sugars [sucrose or fructose] or maltodextrin, and you get both quick energy and an unhealthy cycle of blood sugar spikes and crashes.

Insulin-stimulating CHO represents an insidious path to the podium of self-destruction.

The Solution

Preservation of glycogen until it is needed ought to be the maxim. Insulin sensitivity is paramount to this process, and it is attainable only via ME. Fat adaptation is paramount.

ME™ is the catalyst for optimal health and performance. Its profound impact on mitigating health markers while maximizing sports performance is unparalleled. It is an inside-out approach to disease prevention and sports performance.

The Benefits

→ Enhanced concentration and focus;
→ Increased sustained energy;
→ Lower caloric needs during exertion;
→ Reduced cravings;
→ Satiety;
→ Enhanced moods;
→ Better fasting blood sugar levels;
→ Improved sleep quality;
→ Accelerated body fat loss;
→ Enhanced HbA1c levels;
→ Decreased risk of chronic and degenerative diseases

The Key

ME™ manifests sports performance excellence because of your diet and exercise regimens — not despite them. A by-product of ME™ is its innumerable benefits to health markers.

Consuming protein, fiber, and healthy fat represents the nutritional foundation of ME™.

→ Nutrition is crucial for ME™:
A diet that supports stable blood sugar and provides adequate protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates can help optimize fat adaptation.

→ Modify CHO intake:
Adjust CHO intake based on training intensity and goals, using low-glycemic carbohydrates during Zone 2 training and potentially higher-glycemic carbohydrates during higher-intensity workouts. 

Strategically managing training load, particularly by incorporating low-intensity training and adjusting training volume, it is possible to improve the body’s ability to burn fat and conserve CHO, leading to potential improvements in both performance and body composition. 

Nutrition plays a crucial role in optimizing fuel utilization. Combining the right training strategies with a balanced diet, individuals can enhance their ME™ and achieve their health and performance goals.

Teaching your body to oxidize fat as its primary fuel source [fat adaptation] changes the scope of longevity and performance.

Synergy is the key to your mansion of optimal health, endurance sports performance, and self-actualization. It begins and ends at the cellular level.

Growth has no endpoint…

We have the technology to eliminate guesswork, decode superhuman, and propel your limitless potential. Challenge yourself today to boldly manifest the keys to your mansion of unparalleled health, performance, and longevity.

A limitless life is a choice…

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