|
» »
Impact of fat consumption on endurance
Author: Frédéric Delavier and Michel Gundle - gym trainers. Although no one disputes that a carbohydrate-rich diet positively impacts the endurance of most athletes, this does not mean that fats can be neglected. But what should be the optimal amount of fats consumed with food? Over the course of four weeks, P. Horvath (2000) compared three levels of fat intake in trained running athletes:
During a sequential transition from resistance training to running at 80% of their maximum VO2, changes in endurance levels were observed due to the dietary regimen. The medium level regime increased endurance by 8% for men and 20% for women compared to the low-level regime. The high level regime did not yield significant results compared to the medium level. We clearly see that consuming a large amount of fats is not very beneficial, and the advantage of a fat-rich diet was mainly for women. However, a serious error was made during this study: the total calorie intake in the low-fat diet group was 15% less than that in the other two groups. Additionally, the actual fat intake in the high-level group was less significant than expected. Indeed, athletes find it psychologically challenging to consume that much fat. In practice, it is unlikely to strictly adhere to a fat-rich diet, although fats are necessary, if not for developing endurance, then for maintaining a caloric regime adequate to the continuously increasing energy expenditures in an athlete's body. For reference, the average total fat support for high-level athletes is about 25%. For the "ordinary" athlete, a total fat intake of 20% to 25% is desirable. Athletes with well-developed "oxidative" capacity may increase the proportion of fats at the expense of carbohydrates. But regardless of which group you belong to, you should choose a more effective approach than the percentages suggested by these ratios. SIMILAR ARTICLES
COMMENTS |