Is There a Difference Between Light Female and Light Male Athletes?

Tim Podlogar, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the University of Brimingham, Assistant Professor at the University of Primorska (Slovenia), and nutritionist for the Bora Hansgrohe World Tour cycling team. One of Tim's main areas of expertise is the science and practice of carbohydrates in endurance sports, and this is the topic for today's interview.         

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Carbohydrates before, during, and after competition

-When and why to use glucose and fructose

-Is 120 g/h carbohydrate feeding superior to the commonly recommended 90 g/h? 

-Training in a glycogen-depleted state

-Reverse engineering your carbohydrate intake by looking at upcoming workout demands

-Continuous blood-glucose monitoring

-Training the gut

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts354/

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration - Optimise and individualise your fueling and hydration strategy using their FREE Fuel & Hydration planner. Book a FREE one-on-one consultation to chat with the team and refine your fueling and hydration even further. Listeners of That Triathlon Show get 15% off their first order of fueling and hydration products. If you didn't catch the discount code in the episode, email Andy and the team at hello@pfandh.com and they will be happy to help. 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a one of a kind swim bench for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve their swim technique, power and propulsion, and consistency of swim training. It is very affordable, about the price of a pair of running shoes, and Zen8 offer free shipping in the US and the UK. Best of all, you can try it risk-free. If you don't love it after two weeks, send it back and get a full refund. Get 20% off your order at zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Tim's website, Instagram and Twitter
• Nutrition at the cycling World Tour level with Robert Gorgos (Bora-Hansgrohe nutritionist) | EP#267
• RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports) with Margo Mountjoy | EP#233
• The menstrual cycle and oral contraception – impact on exercise performance with Kelly McNulty | EP#280
• Carbohydrate intake in racing – a case for going very high with Aitor Viribay Morales (Astana Pro Team) | EP#269
• Musculoskeletal adaptations, “train low” strategies, and muscle fiber types with prof. John Hawley | EP#248
• High carbohydrate, low carbohydrate, or periodised carbohydrate intake with Louise Burke, PhD | EP#236
• High rates of fat oxidation are maintained after the sleep low approach despite delayed carbohydrate feeding during exercise (NB. Delayed feeding in train-low strategies) - Podlogar et al 2021 (full text link)
• Increased exogenous but unaltered endogenous carbohydrate oxidation with combined fructose-maltodextrin ingested at 120 g h -1 versus 90 g h -1 at different ratios (NB. 90 g/h vs. 120 g/h carbohydrate) - Podlogar et al. 2022
• Progressive increase in glucose transport and GLUT-4 in human sarcolemmal vesicles during moderate exercise (NB. GLUT4 needs time to be translocated to the muscle membrane - reason for progressive feeding) - Kristiansen et al. 1997
• Muscle glycogen utilization during prolonged strenuous exercise when fed carbohydrate (NB. No muscle glycogen sparing with CHO but prolonged endurance -> yet blood CHO source then rescues low muscle glycogen levels -> so 120 might be better than 90 if being able to oxidise it) - Coyle et al. 1986
• Glucose Plus Fructose Ingestion for Post-Exercise Recovery-Greater than the Sum of Its Parts? (NB. Why fructose?) - Gonzalez et al. 2017
• Performance effects of periodized carbohydrate restriction in endurance trained athletes - a systematic review and meta-analysis (NB. review of CHO restriction) - Gejl & Nybo 2021
• Effect of Carbohydrate Content in a Pre-event Meal on Endurance Performance-Determining Factors: A Randomized Controlled Crossover-Trial (NB. Blood glucose rises similarly as lactate on a graded test) - Aandahl et al. 2021
• "Addition of fructose to a carbohydrate-rich breakfast improves cycling endurance capacity in trained cyclists" (NB. Breakfast study) - Podlogar et al. Will be published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
• Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance - Book by Scott Powers et al. 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

NEW BASE TRAINING PLANS - 60% LAUNCH DISCOUNT

We have just launched a set of brand new base training plans. There is a low-volume (7 hours per week average), mid-volume (10 h/wk) and high-volume (14 h/wk) version available. 

For a limited time only, until the 31st of August 2025, these plans are available on a massive discount of 60%, meaning you can purchase a plan for 30$ instead of the regular price of 75$. Use the code "BASE1" at checkout to apply this discount code. 

The plans are only available on TrainingPeaks. You can learn more about each of the plans (and purchase them, if you so desire) through the links below. 

• Low-volume Base Training Plan
• Mid-volume Base Training Plan
• High-volume Base Training Plan