Research
Macro partitioning
Training with low carbohydrate availability ('train-low') enhances metabolic adaptations (e.g., mitochondrial enzyme activity) but does not improve performance compared to training with high carbohydrate availability.
If you are an endurance athlete, be aware that training with low carbs might change your metabolism, but it won't make you faster in a race. It is generally better to train with adequate carbohydrates to ensure you can perform at your best.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
However, there is no clear evidence that performance is improved with this approach... performance in a 1-hour time trial after 3 weeks of training was no different between groups.
Why this rating
The paper cites studies showing no performance difference, but notes the strategy is still researched.
Source
Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery
Kathryn L. Beck et al. · Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine · 2015
DOI 10.2147/oajsm.s33605
narrative_reviewCited 216×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Carbohydrate loading (10–12 g/kg/day for 36–48 hours) improves performance by 2–3% and delays fatigue in endurance events lasting longer than 90 minutes.Good
- Post-exercise protein intake (approx. 20g) maximizes muscle protein synthesis, but its impact on strength or hypertrophy is equivocal if total daily protein intake is adequate.Good
- Dietary supplements carry a significant risk of inadvertent doping violations due to contamination, despite widespread use among athletes.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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