Stop Starving Your Cardio

The Performance Fueling Framework Most Athletes Get Wrong

Here's a question that might make you uncomfortable:

Are you treating your cardiovascular training like a punishment for eating... or like the athletic discipline it actually is?

I ask because I just finished reviewing check-ins with a client who's training for multi-hour hiking events, and it reminded me of a critical distinction that separates mediocre endurance performance from exceptional results.

The Calorie-Burning Trap

Most people approach cardio with what I call "deficit thinking" – the idea that the primary value is calories burned. They show up fasted, push through on willpower alone, and wonder why their performance plateaus after a few weeks.

This isn't just ineffective. It's leaving significant performance gains on the table.

When you shift from deficit thinking to performance thinking, everything changes. Your training quality improves. Your recovery accelerates. And counterintuitively, your body composition often improves faster than when you were trying to maximize calorie burn.

The Performance Fueling Framework

Real athletes fuel their training based on three variables: intensity, duration, and goals. Here's a beginner’s framework I use with clients who are serious about their cardiovascular performance.  As someone improves their fitness and ability to sustain higher outputs, the carbohydrate numbers will climb (yes, MORE CARBS!):

For sessions under 60 minutes:

• Zone 2 (conversational pace): Train fasted with ¼ tsp salt

• Zone 3 (moderate effort): 10g carbs per 15 minutes + ½ tsp salt

• Zone 4+ (high intensity): 20g carbs per 15 minutes + 1 tsp salt

For sessions over 60 minutes:

• Zone 2: 10g carbs per 15 minutes + ½ tsp salt per hour

• Zone 3: 20g carbs per 15 minutes + 1 tsp salt per hour

• Zone 4+: 30g carbs per 15 minutes + 2 tsp salt per hour

Note: These carbohydrates are IN ADDITION to your daily nutrition targets, not subtracted from them.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Here's what happened when my client implemented this approach:

Week 1: She was skeptical about "eating more" while trying to improve body composition 

Week 2: Training intensity increased noticeably, and body weight continued trending down 

Week 3: Completed a 20K hike, feeling stronger than previous shorter efforts

The data doesn't lie. When you fuel performance, performance improves. When performance improves, you can train harder and more consistently. When you train harder and more consistently, results follow.

The Hydration Reality Check

But here's where most people fail before they even start: hydration.

If you're doing serious cardiovascular training on 2-3 liters of water per day, you're not just suboptimal – you're actively limiting your potential. The minimum for someone training at your level should be 4-5 liters daily.

Not negotiable. 

Not "when you remember." 

Every day!

The Bottom Line

Your cardiovascular training deserves the same strategic approach you apply to your strength training. You wouldn't walk into the gym and wing your lifting program based on how you feel that day.

Stop winging your cardio nutrition.

The question isn't whether you can push through another under-fueled session. The question is: what could you accomplish if you actually supported your training with the nutrition it requires?

If you're ready to find out, send me an email to [email protected] and tell me about your current cardiovascular training goals. I'd be curious to know where you might be leaving performance on the table.

P.S. - The most successful clients I work with have one thing in common: they're willing to challenge their assumptions about what "should" work in favour of what actually does work. If you're still treating cardio like penance instead of performance, we should talk.

This approach to performance nutrition is precisely what we implement with Master Athletic Performance clients who are committed to optimizing every aspect of their training. Want to see how this applies to your specific goals? [Reply to this email] and let's discuss your situation.

Stay Strong,

Paul Oneid, MS. MS. CSCS

Founder and Head Coach