Fat Burning Profile

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Many endurance athletes struggle with reducing their body fat despite high levels of training. One big contributing factor overlooked by most athletes is that body fat, as a percentage of a athletes overall weight is influenced by water content than by any other single factor. Also the concept of “less is more” as it refers to body fat can decrease health and athletic performance. When some of my athletes begin to struggle in their training and racing performance one factor I consider is that the athlete may be below their optimum performance weight. That is, the weight at which their body produces the best performance. Therefore the athlete should base their required weight and percentage of fat on levels of performance verses an arbitrary weight or body fat percentage. This brief article will focus on finding related to competitive athletes and weight loss.

The truth is that many athletes as compared to non-athletes are more concerned with thoughts of weight loss and eating and engage in one or more methods weight control or weight loss. For those attempting to lose weight or decrease body fat, proper training will produce the best results. The goal should be to focus on good aerobic training. Many over-fat athletes have excess anaerobic function and are deficient in aerobic function. Many studies demonstrate that over-fat athletes had increased proportions of anaerobic muscle fiber and decreased aerobic muscle fiber. Although many athletes attempt “aerobic training” they are confused as to what this really means. Simply engaging in slow or long training regimens may not work. Athletes should be careful to note their training heart rate zone when training to burn fat. Most studies demonstrate that aerobic training occurs at lower heart rate capacities (60-70% HRM) and that to maximize the fat-burning the training session should exceed 75 minutes.

There are some nutritional “tricks” that can be employed to help athletes burn more fat:

1. Fiber – improves carbohydrate metabolism by reducing the glycemic index of a meal. Stabilizing the glycemic load (i.e. balancing sugar levels in the body) can help the body reduce body fat percentage.
2. Water – can assist with fat burning especially if protein intake is increased.
3. Hot red peppers – those that contain capsaicin have a positive effect in burning fat.
4. Omega-6 & omega-3 balance – can improve fat burning.
5. Chromium, vitamin B-6, & magnesium – can also assist with fat burning.

Coach D Notes: Researchers point out that rather than focusing exclusively on a list of fat-burning nutrients, athletes should realize that too low levels of just about any nutrient can directly or indirectly impair fat burning ability. Finally all athletes should try and spread out food intake, focusing on smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 big meals. This can significantly produce more stable insulin and blood sugar and can help burn more body fat. Finally endurance should remember that they are not immune to increased body fat. Higher levels of training does not mean athletes get the green light to eat whatever they want whenever they want. On the contrary, they should be more aware of what they eat and when they eat it. This basic concept will help athletes help turn their bodies into fat-burning machines!