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21 " Now it is believed that phytonutrients are actually weak toxins that stimulate the body’s endogenous antioxidants through a stress reaction, much as other positive stressors such as exercise strengthen various systems of the body. In any case, we know that men and women who consume high levels of fruits exhibit higher antioxidant capacities, are less prone to chronic diseases, and live longer. "
― Matt Fitzgerald , Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance
22 " Based on my review of the scientific literature, I suggest that you aim for a daily carbohydrate intake target that is based on your training workload as indicated by Table 6.1. Be sure to use your optimal racing weight instead of your current weight to make these calculations, as you’re not trying to fuel your excess fat stores for optimal performance! "
23 " You cannot change your height, the width of your hips, the length of your feet, or any of several other anthropometric variables affecting endurance performance that I have discussed in this chapter. You can’t change your genetic potential for leanness, either. But you can reduce your body-fat percentage (and thereby adjust your weight) to the level that is optimal for performance in your chosen endurance sport given your unchangeable genetic constraints. "
24 " Anticarb sentiment in the endurance sports community is an ideological spillover from the weight-loss diet culture. "
25 " The most successful football linebackers are massive because their job is either to be immovable (offensive linemen) or to move the immovable (defensive linemen). Tennis players typically have average builds because their sport requires a combination of qualities—quickness, power, leverage, balance, and stamina—that favors no extremes of size or shape. Endurance sports, of course, tend to favor two related characteristics: low body weight and lean body composition (or a low body-fat level). This is the case because endurance racing demands the ability to move economically so that a high work rate (or speed) can be sustained for a long time and a low body weight and lean body composition contribute to movement efficiency. "
26 " Each sport favors a particular body type. The principle of “form follows function” determines the particular physique that tends to perform best in a given sport or in a given position or role within a sport. "
27 " you don’t want to change your training for the sake of shedding more fat without regard for how the changes will affect your performance. You should train for performance and trust that your body will move toward racing weight as your fitness moves toward peak level. "
28 " Body weight and body-fat percentage have no meaning in isolation for endurance athletes. These variables have meaning only in relation to performance. Weighing 145 pounds is not better than weighing 155 pounds unless you perform better at the lighter weight. A body-fat percentage of 12 is better than a body-fat percentage of 13 only if you’re faster at 12 percent. "
29 " Consider the example of saturated fat. This nutrient is widely considered to be bad, but the human body uses saturated fats in all kinds of helpful ways. Saturated fat is good. It just so happens that the modern diet contains too much of it. In most cases, what we really mean when we label a certain nutrient bad is that we tend to consume it in excess. "
30 " Remember, anything you do as an athlete that helps you perform better is likely to make you leaner as well; including enough carbohydrates in your diet is another example of this principle. "
31 " This great attitude is one that every endurance athlete should emulate. The only way to determine your optimal racing weight is to discover it through experience, and the only way to attain your optimal racing weight is to focus on performance. If you eat and train for maximum performance, you will ultimately achieve your best performance, and your weight and body-fat percentage on that day will define your optimal racing weight. In the meantime, be patient and enjoy the mental challenge of trying to figure it all out. "