Reducing Body Fat In Athletes

Why would a serious endurance athlete whop eats reasonably have trouble dropping a couple of pounds? The key isn't just how much he eats, but how his body uses and stores the fuel.

Ø Calorie reduction alone is not the answer. The human body is extremely complex. The intricate biochemical interactions between our digestive, circulatory, and endocrine systems, our brains, the metabolism of our working muscles, etc, goes far beyond the simple “calories in / calories out” equation. Simply reducing “calories in” may significantly reduce “calories out”. Scientific research and the millions of failed diet-attempts Americans experience each year testify strongly to that. Decreasing bodyfat requires a balanced approach that works patiently with your biochemistry and maintains or elevates resting metabolic rate, instead of reducing it.

Ø Consume protein every time carbohydrate is consumed. This prevents an exaggerated insulin response and “time-releases” carbohydrate, making it more likely to be burned with fat for fuel and less likely to be stored as fat. This also helps to control appetite and reduce carbohydrate cravings. The optimal ratio of carbohydrate to protein for meals is approximately 2.5 to 1. (This does not apply to carbohydrate consumed during workouts)

Ø Eat a breakfast that includes a balance of protein and carbohydrate. Muscle carbohydrate stores are low after a night of fasting, so athletes who eat a full breakfast burn more fat than athletes who skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to glycogen depletion and cannibalizing muscle tissue, not reduced bodyfat. However, when breakfast is composed primarily of carbohydrates, the calories are likely to be stored as fat. Adding a protein source to breakfast prevents the calories from being stored as fat and maintains steady blood-sugar throughout the morning. Consuming adequate protein at breakfast is a challenge. Most of our typical breakfast foods are almost entirely carbohydrate.

Ø Keep intensity very low during endurance workouts designed to burn fat. Burning carbohydrate is definitely not the optimal way to reduce bodyfat. A carbohydrate deficit will not lead to bodyfat loss. Since burning fat requires more oxygen than burning carbohydrate, as intensity increases, fat burning decreases. At a light intensity, fat burning is highest. At moderate intensity, the body burns more carbohydrate than fat. At moderately hard intensity (lactate threshold) and higher, fat burning ceases completely.

Ø Include longer (40+ minute) zone 1 warm-ups before hard workouts. Extra long warm-ups at low intensity before high intensity workouts are a key for high-level athletes who struggle to maintain race weight. It takes approximately 20 minutes of exercise for the body to mobilize fat stores into the blood and circulate the blood back to the working muscles. Until the fatty acids are delivered to the muscles, fat burning is negligible. Lengthening the warm-up enables an athlete to burn fat even on hard workout days.

Ø Regularly include workouts of 90 minutes or more. About an hour into a fat-burning workout, fat burning increases drastically due to hormonal shifts. For the first 20 minutes of workout, fat-burning is minimal. Up to an hour, fat burning is moderate. Beyond one hour, fat-burning becomes very high. Therefore, increasing the duration of a fat-burning workout from 60 to 90 minutes (a 50% increase) may more than double the amount of fat burned. Build up to these durations gradually, but consistently. Remember that the intensity of these workouts should be very light.

Ø Two-a-day workouts increase Growth Hormone secretion. Despite the name, Growth Hormone's primary function is fat burning. The body secretes extra growth hormone in response to each workout to aid with recovery. Including a second workout each day, even a very short one, keeps circulating growth hormone levels high throughout the day. This is one way to maximizing fat burning.

Ø During appropriate times in the season, perform intense weight training. Muscle burns about 95% of all our calories and is the only tissue in our bodies that can burn fat. Losing just a little muscle mass during weight loss drastically reduces metabolic rate. This makes continued weight-loss difficult and almost guarantees that the weight will be gained back. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. A pound of muscle burns between 35 and 75 calories per day just for maintenance (depending on its level of aerobic conditioning). Adding just three pounds of muscle results in burning an additional 54,750 calories per year while at rest or more than 15 pounds of fat! The off-season is the time of year for endurance athletes to be focusing heavily (no pun intended) on weight training.

Ø Don't rely on swimming to decrease bodyfat. Even hard swimming in relatively warm water reduces core body temperature (unless the water is 98.6 degrees!), making us hungry and stimulating fat storage. Core body temperature is a major factor in hunger and satiety. After swim workouts, athletes tend to consume more calories. This increase frequently exceeds the energy cost of the workout – making swimming an excellent weight gain activity! Additionally, swimming has a much lower energy cost than cycling or running and athletes tend to overestimate refueling requirements. One method to minimize this negative side-effect of swimming is to have the athlete spend a few minutes in a sauna or hot-tub immediately following swim workouts. This increases core body temperature which tends to curb appetite and increases metabolic rate.

Ø Within 2 hours of bedtime, eat only to refuel from a workout. Once fat is stored, it is difficult to access. Food consumed late in the day is much more likely to be stored as fat. Minimize eating near bedtime except immediately after a workout.

Ø Avoid over-consumption during and after workouts. Athletes trying to lose weight want to replace the glycogen burned during a workout, but not the fat. Therefore, it is best to consume carbohydrate during the workout, or to refuel afterward, but not both. Avoid the temptation of consuming plenty of Gu during your long workouts and then having a huge pasta feast to replace the carbohydrate burned.

Ø Eat foods with a low calorie density. Each person eats a fairly consistent weight of food each day. The feeling of heaviness in the stomach is one key trigger of hunger & satiety. Reducing the caloric density of the diet provides all the necessary nutrients and can be filling, without providing too many calories. An athlete trying to lose weight should opt for foods that contain less fat and sugar and more water and fiber. These foods are extremely filling for the number of calories they contain. The ideal diet includes mostly lean meat, fruits, and vegetables. Breads, potatoes, and pasta should be consumed primarily after workouts.

Remember that bodyfat reduction is not about depriving your body of food, but about keeping the metabolism active and eating in a way that minimizes fat storage. Follow these guidelines and the leaner you will be here before the warm weather.

Ken Mierke, author of Training for Triathlon Running (due out 2004) is head coach of Fitness Concepts and Director of Training for Joe Friel 's Ultrafit. Ken and his wife Melissa, both Exercise Physiologists have lost a combined 160 pounds and both gone on to win Triathlon National Championships. More information is available at www.Fitness-Concepts.com