In this interview, Thomas DeLauer, Dave Castro, and Mike Giardina discuss performance on a low-carbohydrate diet and Thomas and Dave’s 35-mile ruck. The first part of the video digs into the appropriateness of a low-carbohydrate diet while trying to perform well in CrossFit. Dave Castro shares some of his own experiences training on a low-carb diet, explaining how his performance didn’t change much but he felt much better overall. Thomas DeLauer provides some strategies for using carbohydrates effectively to improve performance while on a low-carbohydrate diet, but he also explains that most people entering the CrossFit gym could benefit from strict adherence to a low-carb approach to improve their metabolic flexibility.

The second half of the interview digs deep into Thomas and Dave’s 35-mile ruck while fasted and wearing a 35-lb pack. The two of them go back and forth as they discuss the dietary protocol prior to starting the ruck, the plan to avoid cramping, the science behind different “schools” of fasting, ketone production and its impact on performance, and some of the mental and physiological responses to doing an enduring event without taking in any calories.

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