Improving Ultra Marathon Performance through Metabolic Flexibility with Marco Altini

While everybody has spent 2025 increasing their carbohydrate intake, Marco spent his year improving his metabolic flexibility and fat oxidation through periodised nutrition. Although he agrees that carbohydrate availability is essential for performance and recovery, his approach challenges the assumption that simply increasing carbohydrate intake is always the primary lever for improvement.In this episode, I speak to Marco Altini about what metabolic flexibility actually is, what it is not, his metabolic flexibility and fat oxidation journey, along with practical tips and suggestions on how athletes should approach the topic of metabolic flexibility.Marco has a wealth of knowledge and I am very happy that he has decided to share some of it with my audience.Looking for coaching or guidance? Learn more at https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/coachingUSEFUL LINKS[TrainingTalk] Periodized Nutrition and Metabolic Flexibility for Endurance Performance: Data and Insights from a Case Study: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/periodized-nutrition-for-endurance[TrainingTalk] Learnings From a Year of Periodized Nutrition and Metabolic Testing: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/trainingtalk-learnings-from-a-year[CoachCorner] When Metabolic Flexibility and Performance Move Together: Matteo’s Case Study: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/coachcorner-when-metabolic-flexibility[CoachCorner] Should We Test?: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/coachcorner-should-we-testRELATED BORN ON THE TRAIL CONTENTDo You Really Need 120g of Carbohydrates per Hour?: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/do-you-really-need-120g-of-carbohydratesFOLLOW MARCODo you want to be coached by Marco?: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/coachcorner-my-training-philosophySubstack: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altini_marco/WATCH THIS SHOW ON OTHER PLATFORMSSubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFOih1rUBA2F_3Bi7Ii-cAqieAQSumU_Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6o5yHthUidO0No4VA3xdVb?si=nWhg4BjyQNa8F8lcsmXkJw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-on-the-trail-going-longer/id1857231629YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFOih1rUBA2F_3Bi7Ii-cAqieAQSumU_BORN ON THE TRAIL ON SOCIAL MEDIASubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bornonthetrail/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bornonthetrailFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bornonthetrail/ Get full access to Born on the Trail at bornonthetrail.substack.com/subscribe