The "Blind Training" Dilemma: Training Harder but Getting More Tired
Many people believe that "fasted training" is the secret to burning fat. However, the data case of trail running coach Jiang Yanqing reveals the hidden metabolic trap behind this myth.
The Coach's Metabolic Truth
While preparing for the World Championships, Coach Jiang was accustomed to fasted short intervals and high-intensity training, hoping to improve performance. But when we used functional medicine's "Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism Testing" to check his "fuel gauge," the results were surprising:
- His fatty acid utilization rate was extremely poor, like a car that couldn't access its fuel tank.
- His carbohydrate utilization rate was exceptionally high, like a sprinter, completely inconsistent with what an endurance athlete should display.
While the coach's body was running, his energy system was "blind training," failing to achieve true fat-burning goals.
The Truth About Mitochondria and Insulin
True scientific training means precisely understanding what fuel your "energy power plant" is using.
1. Mitochondria: The "Fuel Gauge" of Your Power Plant
Mitochondria are responsible for converting food into body energy (ATP). Functional medicine testing can precisely assess the body's utilization efficiency of fatty acids (long-lasting fuel) and carbohydrates (quick fuel). The coach's short-term sprint training adapted his body to rapidly consuming carbs, shutting down the fat-burning switch.
⭐ Testing Recommendation: Through "Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism MITO-ENERGY", assess 6 major metabolic modules and 27 key indicators in one test, covering fatty acid, carbohydrate, mitochondrial, antioxidant, detox, and B-vitamin metabolism. Find the root cause of persistent fatigue, brain fog, and supplement ineffectiveness - revealing why cellular energy gets stuck.
2. Metabolic Breakdown Point: The Conflict Between Over-Conservation and High Carbs
The data further revealed two key conflict points in the coach's metabolism:
- Low Insulin Concentration: The coach's insulin dropped to almost near zero, reflecting that the body may have entered "over-conservation mode." Insulin is the key for energy to enter cells; with too few keys, the body cannot effectively utilize energy.
- Elevated Triglycerides: Despite fasted training, he had excessive carbohydrate intake normally. The body cannot store so much sugar, so it converts it to fat and releases it back into the blood, causing elevated triglycerides.
⚠️ Attention Dieters: If you frequently skip meals and then "reward" yourself with high-sugar drinks or refined starches, your triglycerides will likely skyrocket, trapping your body in a "fat accumulation" vicious cycle.
🛠️ YOUNGER's Four Solutions: Data-Driven Precision Adjustments
Based on precise mitochondrial metabolism data, YOUNGER developed four personalized solutions for the coach:
🍽️ EAT: Precision Nutrition Planning
Correcting Fasted Myths: Provide appropriate fuel before training to help the body activate fat-burning systems. Optimizing Fuel Ratios: Increase quality fats (nuts, olive oil, fish oil) and sufficient protein to help control inflammation.
Anti-Stress Nutrition: Supplement with magnesium, B-complex, vitamin C, etc., to support nervous system and antioxidant stress resistance.
💊 SUPPLEMENT: Scientific Supplementation Plan
Fat-Burning Accelerator: For low fat utilization issues, supplement with Carnitine, the key carrier that helps fatty acids enter mitochondria for burning. Energy Generation Support: Supplement with chromium, alpha-lipoic acid, etc., to help insulin work more efficiently.
Mind-Body Support: Supplement with GABA and L-theanine to help relaxation and improve sleep.
🏃 MOVE: Personalized Exercise Prescription
Cycle Adjustment: Training shifted from short intervals back to aerobic endurance training. Aerobic exercise re-sensitizes insulin. High-Quality Training: With data support, ensure ability to perform consecutive three-day high-load back-to-back training. Strength training increases muscle mass, giving blood sugar somewhere to go.
Stress Management: Combined with yoga and tai chi, relax mind and body together, reducing stress hormones.
😴 SLEEP: Sleep Quality Optimization
Deep Recovery: Ensure deep sleep to secrete growth hormone and repair pancreatic cells. Stress Management: Through mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, and regular schedules, activate relaxation response and reduce stress hormones.
Prevention Costs 1/10 of Treatment
Coach Jiang's story proves: True scientific training means reading the language of your body's "software" systems.
- Prevention Investment vs Treatment Cost: Prevention costs only 1/10 of treatment, but the effect is 10 times greater.
- Data is Power: Through functional medicine testing and professional consultant guidance, you can transform complex physiological data into actionable strategies, no more blind training or blind supplementation.
Start investing in your metabolic health now and upgrade your body with data!
Through Coach Jiang's case, we see the precise value of functional medicine testing and the importance of personalized health management. Everyone's body has its unique metabolic patterns; only through scientific data analysis can we find truly suitable health strategies.
