Exploring the Latest Research in Fueling Strategies for Endurance Athletes

There’s always a lot of interesting research being done in the field of exercise physiology. 

Here to translate some of the takeaways from the latest research specifically around energy expenditure and fueling strategies for endurance athletes is Patrick Davitt, a Professor of Exercise Physiology at Saint Joseph’s University who specializes in energy metabolism and fitness testing with various populations, from sedentary individuals to elite professional athletes. 

Specifically, we discuss: 

• what it means to be metabolically flexible and the benefits of this flexibility in a running context
• takeaways from research on the low-carb/ketogenic dieting process for various types of runners
• fueling with different carbohydrate beverages
• the impact of pack weight and fatigue on energy expenditure and perception of effort/cognition in endurance athletes in running and hiking settings
• the metabolic and physiological impacts of varied macronutrient combinations,

Not only is Professor Davitt passionate about his research, but he’s also an avid runner himself having most recently completed the Eastern States 100 Miler in 2021 and brings a lot of excitement about the community to this conversation as well. Let’s get into it!

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This week’s show brought to you by:

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