Carbs, fueling, and metabolic efficiency – few topics create more confusion in endurance sports. Sports performance nutritionist Dani Hofstetter joins us to clear it up.

Fresh off the release of his new book Train, Eat, Repeat, Dani shares a practical, no-BS approach to nutrition – cutting through the noise of extreme diets, high-carb trends, and supplement hype.

You’ll learn why most amateur athletes don’t need 120g of carbs per hour, how pros actually fuel differently, and why training intensity, not just nutrition, determines your metabolism.

This conversation goes beyond gels and grams per hour. It’s about building a sustainable system that supports performance, recovery, and long-term health – without obsession or perfectionism.

Whether you’re an elite cyclist, racing ultras or Gran Fondos, or simply want to feel better on the bike, this episode will change how you think about fueling.

What You’ll Learn

• Why most cyclists are undereating—not overeating
• The real difference between pro and amateur fueling needs
• How training too hard kills fat metabolism
• Why carbs are still misunderstood in endurance sports
• The truth about 90g vs 120g carbs per hour
• How to structure nutrition for training days vs rest days
• Why perfectionism in nutrition can backfire
• The biggest fueling mistakes causing GI issues and poor performance

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro

03:30 – Rapid fire: myths, carbs, and recovery

05:30 – Hydration mistakes and GI issues

06:20 – Why high performers often eat too little

10:00 – Use it or lose it metabolism explained

12:00 – Low-carb training and why it can backfire

13:30 – Perfectionism in endurance athletes

16:00 – Emotional + social role of food in performance

18:30 – Why carbs are still misunderstood

21:30 – Pro vs amateur fueling

23:30 – Why amateurs shouldn’t copy pro carb intake

25:00 – The engine analogy: amateur vs pro physiology

27:30 – How many carbs you actually need

28:30 – Gut training and fueling strategy

29:30 – Fat vs carbs: what really fuels performance

31:00 – The athlete who tolerates more fuel wins

33:00 – Why everyday nutrition matters more than supplements

34:30 – Why low-carb training is outdated

36:00 – Training zones mistakes (most athletes train too hard)

37:30 – Why fat burning depends on intensity

39:00 – Fasting: helpful or harmful for athletes?

42:30 – Structuring nutrition: rest days vs hard days

44:30 – Glycogen depletion and why recovery takes longer than you think

47:00 – Why most athletes underfuel their week

48:30 – The importance of planning nutrition

49:00 – Post-ride mistakes

50:00 – The real recovery window explained

51:10 – Outro

– LINKS –

TRAIN EAT REPEAT - The Endurance Cookbook

https://www.dorlingkindersley.de/buch/marlene-low-feride-dogum-dani-hofstetter-fabian-haefeli-train-eat-repeat-9783831050734

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Smart Nutrition for Hot Weather Riding

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000722138953

RED-S Ep. 1

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000671492861

RED-S Ep. 2

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000672166132

Sports Nutrition: Winter Training, Indoor Riding

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000639782748

Sports Nutrition: Race Day Fueling, Hydration Strategy

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000638271631

Sports Nutrition: What is the Optimal Diet for Cycling Performance

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000636862451

Sports Nutrition: Carbs, Fruits, Veggies for Everyday Performance

https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/castelli-cycling-podcast/id1669906821?l=en-GB&i=1000635636881

– CONNECT –

Dani Hofstetter

⁠Website⁠: ⁠

https://danihofstetter.ch⁠

Instagram⁠

https://www.instagram.com/dh_performance_nutrition/

Host: Soren Jensen⁠⁠⁠

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjensen77

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