The publication of the FASTER Study was a watershed moment in both sports physiology and metabolic health.
The data from FASTER clearly showed humans are capable of burning a lot more fat and at much higher intensity levels than the science previous to FASTER suggested.
Why is this important?
FASTER forced researchers to reconsider the long held notion that carbohydrates are the be all, end all and do all for sports performance.
The significance of this cannot be overstated because the ability to burn significant amounts of body fat at higher intensities is a true “game-changer” because it potentially solves the fueling challenges of carbohydrates.
The carb loading challenge with the gels, the shot blocks, the sports drinks, etc all in an attempt to avoid the dreaded bonk of your body being entirely dependent on glucose (sugar) for sustained physical activity. The conventional “science” even told us about how unsustainable our glycogen stores were to create the “need” for ever more external fueling . . . .brilliant marketing that……but with this also came the GI issues of bloating, nausea, puking and diarrhea….once again, does this sound familiar?
On top of all that, harnessing your own limitless onboard energy has huge implications for your health because of the sharp reduction in oxidative stress and lactate load caused from burning massive amounts of sugar.
Taking the Faster Study Beyond Keto
The FASTER Study focused on comparing a Ketogenic Diet to a High Carb diet and left out some key factors responsible for the Low Carbohydrate Diet Cohort’s real world performance success; Vespa & OFM. In fact, these subjects and I knew there was a LOT of untapped performance data missing in FASTER due to the exclusion of VESPA and Strategic Carbs. This included talk of peak fat oxidation rates well over 2 grams per minute for fat adapted runners.
Since the FASTER Study came out in 2015 we’ve been working to develop data on Vespa. An independent study with one of our top R&D Team members, Jeff Browning, yielded data showing his peak fat oxidation at 2.22 grams per minute! In 2019 we were finally on track for a formal Vespa Study based upon this Pilot Study. . . and then the Panicdemic happened.
But this wasn’t about to stop our team. We knew from our N=1 experiences there is a LOT more out there so I took matters into my own hands organized for several Vespa athletes to perform some basic VO2 Max testing, and I want to share with you what is possible when you learn to burn fat as your primary energy source.
Here is a graphic representation of the raw data on energy substrate utilization with one of our R & D athletes - Peter Mortimer.
The top blue line is the fat burning and the bottom yellow line are the carbohydrates. Peter Mortimer did this VO2Max Test fasted + only taking Vespa. Not only did he go well above 2 grams per minute of fat oxidation but averaged over 2 grams per minute for over 10 minutes…..and he NEVER crossed over to burning carbs!
What makes this even more impressive is this test was run after a week of hard trail running and with 7 vials of Blood drawn the day prior to testing!
Even though this is a snapshot of the data, over 2 grams per minute for over 10 minutes with a few data points above 2.5 is exceptional! Think about that and do the math...even dialing back the intensity to a sustainable level this fundamental shift to 'fat as fuel' completely 'disrupts' the conventional fueling science to a sustainable level without GI risks.
The athletes we work with broke the 1 gram per minute ceiling with FASTER. We now have data showing fat adapted athletes can go well above 2 grams per minutes using Vespa…..is it any wonder Dr. Jeff Volek stated, “You Guys are leading the Science.”. . . because we are!
What does this mean for you?
What this means is you have unlimited energy on board to tap into, without the sacrifices and potential risks of tradition fuelling. For Peter Mortimer, using Vespa has helped him win the 2022 HURT 100 and 2nd Overall at the 2021 Cocodona 250 without the ups and downs of bonking nor the GI issues, all while juggling a family and a high stress job (as a medical rep / technical advisor). But don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Peter has to say here in the video above.
Your next steps in learning to burn fat
So if you are finding it difficult to perform and hit your best due to bonking or GI issues you might want to consider starting to optimize your fat metabolism, just like Peter has. Connect the dots. The data doesn’t lie and real world results are, ultimately, what you seek.
You will then realize the source for metabolic health and performance is here. Like many of our athletes, start your journey by grabbing a 12 pack of Vespa, because you don’t have to change a thing. Then begin to explore your limitless potential for “Higher Health & Peak Performance”.
We have more compelling data to roll out and are continuing testing because we learned so much from this initial round. If you want access to the data and be kept abreast of the latest register here [LINK].
At the end of this video above shows Jeff Browning setting an FKT or Fastest Known Time for a double Rim to Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon, covering over 85 miles with approximately 22,000 feet of elevation gain/loss in less than 18 hours ....all at the age of 50!
If the science and data don’t convince you to grab a 12 pack of Vespa perhaps Jeff’s “EPIC” journey will inspire you to start your EPIC today.
