Efficiency of Carbohydrate Burning in Different Exercise Zones

During exercise, the body can change fuel sources and muscle fiber recruitment, leading to variations in carbohydrate and fat burning percentages even within the same intensity zone. Aerobic exercise can still significantly burn carbohydrates at high rates, with the most efficient ATP production occurring when carbohydrates are burned aerobically. Although fat oxidation can sustain high-intensity exercise theoretically, in practice, carbohydrate burning is more efficient due to oxygen delivery to muscles. This efficiency dilemma poses a choice between powering exercise through high carbohydrate or fat burning rates.