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GUEST SERIES | Dr. Andy Galpin: Optimal Nutrition & Supplementation for Fitness

Huberman Lab

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Understanding the Fitness Fatigue Model for Better Performance

The fitness fatigue model states that when you engage in physical activity, you experience both an increase in fitness and an increase in fatigue. However, if your fitness and fatigue levels increase at a similar rate, your performance will not improve. To enhance performance, you need to reduce fatigue. One way to do this is through tapering, which involves reducing training volume by about 50% over the course of a week for every eight weeks of training. It is important to note that intensity is not the main driver of fatigue, but rather volume. Therefore, you can maintain intensity during a taper. Cross country runners who underwent a three-week taper experienced a 50% reduction in volume, but their VO2 max did not decrease. Their muscle enzymes responsible for oxidative metabolism were also maintained. Additionally, they saw a 10% increase in fast twitch muscle fiber size. This illustrates that by reducing fatigue, performance can be enhanced as it removes the stimuli that suppresses performance.

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