Building on from our previous discussions on optimal fuelling for endurance exercise, in this episode we go deep into the details of why carbohydrates are the rocket fuel for our bodies, and how we can take advantage of metabolic agility and different fuel strategies to unlock performance gains. To do this, we are joined by Dr Jamie Whitfield, a postdoctoral researcher in exercise nutrition and an expert in muscle physiology and metabolism. We explore how your body ‘chooses’ whether to burn fats or carbs as fuel and which carbs it prioritizes as we change our intensity and diet. We discuss whether fasting or feasting before exercise is beneficial, and we learn whether ketogenic diets hinder or enhance exercise performance. SHOW NOTES: Jamie’s X account: @jwhitfie Jamie’s page at the ACU The article by Jamie and a former guest, Prof Louise Burke, responding to Prof Tim Noakes on Keto diets and performance. The entire point-counterpoint is available at the link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38485731/ A research study that Jamie referred to that looked at how ingesting carbohydrates at different rates affected total carbohydrate use during exercise: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05019-w Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.