"Metabolic Efficiency Training" Book Review

After meeting Bob Seebohar and attending his clinic on Nutritional Periodization and Metabolic Efficiency Training and Testing at "TriFest 10" this past weekend I have begun to re-evaluate my athlete's, as well as my own nutritional needs. Bob's book is exceptional and sheds a new light and common sense approach to helping athletes and fitness professionals develop a periodized nutritional plan that is easy to follow and that makes sense.

Bob's first 4 chapters are dedicated to determining one's personal Metabolic Efficiency Point (MEP). This can only be done by being tested on a metabolic cart that measures both oxygen uptake as well as carbon dioxide output. This is the point where we stop obtaining your energy from fat and start to burn more and more carbohydrates.

Bob's theory is to determine where that point is (MEP) and then introduce training sessions and dietary changes that are periodized and designed to move that MEP forward in order to "train" your body to burn and rely more and more on fat stores for energy rather than carbohydrates. As a result, you will experience less GI distress from over feeding during your races and as a result be able to dial in your nutritional plan more accurately for your event. For those that don't race you will be able to lose more weight in a healthy and safe way.

One of the coolest things about Bob's book is that he provides a realistic nutritional plan that is based on a visualization of a plate of food. No calorie counting or obsessive counting of fat grams.

Based on this plate you are to fill certain portions of it with either lean protien and healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and yes....some whole grains depending on what training cycle you are in.

Bob turn's the supplement world and sports nutrition world up on its head with some of his pre and post training dietary recommendations.....But you know what....he makes perfect sense and reinforces what most have known all along....Less really is more. I have included my own example of Bob's Preparatory Cycle Stage of his periodized nutritional plan. It is very simple....First, get tested to determine your MEP (If you even have one,,,,, as some do not due to too much intensity in their training.) Then determine at what paces or power outputs you are burning the most fat at. Then train at these recommended intensity levels in your Base I and II periods and follow this nutritional plan below. No need to count calories or grams of fat....just get a circular plate of average size and fill it according to the pie chart you see below. Get Bob's book to see how the other nutritional stages are organized or visit his site to learn more.

I realize this graph is difficult to read and for some reason can't be enlarged. The blue section is made up of carbohydrates obtained from fruits and vegetables and should encompass most of your plate during all your meals in the Prep or Base stages. The red section is made up of lean protien and healthy fats. Notice no whole grains or sports nutrition products are to be used during this Prep Nutrition Cycle. Something most sports nutrition marketers would argue against...However, those products are introduced later in the periodization cycle....but not to the extent that most are using them at the present time.