How Sleep-Low Training Can Make You Faster?
For runners heading out early in the a.m., that really is the question. And for the last few years, the answer has often been “don’t.” Forgoing food is a form of depleted training, and a tactic pro runners have been using for years to enhance their performance.
The idea is simple: Start a run in a fasted or low-carb state. This way your muscles are already low on the crucial carbohydrate stores that supply energy, which forces your body to store more carbs in preparation for another run and, in turn, get better at burning fat.
Join Runner's World+ for unlimited access to the best training tips for runners
There’s one major problem, though. Running on empty is hard—so hard that, in the past, researchers have seen very little evidence that it actually makes runners faster overall (though it does enhance cellular adaptation that can lead to improvements like revved-up fat-burning capacity). This is why scientists are testing a new protocol that seems to offer it all—high fat-burning capacity, better glycogen stores, and speedier splits.
It’s dubbed “sleep-low training.” To start, rather than run in the morning, you sleep in, eat normally all day, then do a fully fueled hard interval workout. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back (protein is okay), letting your body adapt while you snooze. The next morning you do an easy-paced, fasted run.
To eat, or not to eat:
The results so far have been impressive. In one study, 11 triathletes improved their 10K time by 2.9 percent after three weeks of sleep-low training, with three fasted sessions per week. Another 10 triathletes trained exactly the same, but timed their meals differently: lots of carbs after evening workouts, and breakfast before morning runs. As predicted, the latter group didn’t improve their times. A follow-up study with cyclists shortened the protocol to just six days, and still the fasted athletes saw a 3.2 percent improvement.
If you’re training for a goal race, experiment with sleep-low training blocks two or three weeks in advance, repeating the two-day cycle three times. You can vary the details of your interval workout, but aim for a total of 20 to 40 minutes of fast running in blocks of at least 3:00 to deplete muscle glycogen stores. Example: A ladder workout of 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 5:00, 3:00, with 1:00 to 2:00 recovery.
Just remember, the goal isn’t to restrict overall carb intake. In each study, the sleep-low and control groups ate the same amount of carbs (6 grams per kilogram of body weight); the only thing that changed was the time they consumed them. So on carb-free-dinner days, compensate with carb-heavy meals earlier in the day. The goal, in the end, is metabolic flexibility. That way, rather than choosing between burning carbs or fat, your body learns to do both.
Do It
Nutrition - Weight Loss:
Day 1: Eat normally during the day, including a carb-rich snack. Do a long interval workout after 5 p.m., such as 5:00 hard with 1:00 recovery, 4 to 8 times. Eat a dinner with few (or zero) carbs, and down a protein shake to avoid muscle loss.
Day 2: Wake up and hit the road for a steady one-hour run before eating. (Some research shows enhanced fat burning kicks in after the hour mark.) Don’t expect to feel peppy. Have breakfast when you get back, and eat normally for the rest of the day.
