Burn More Fat for Fuel - 3 Practical Tips

Training Your Body to Burn More Fat is a Game-Changer for Endurance Athletes

As endurance athletes, we’re constantly looking for ways to go longer, feel stronger, and avoid that dreaded bonk. One of the smartest things you can do for your performance and longevity in the sport is to train your body to burn more fat for fuel instead of relying mostly on carbs.

Here’s why that matters:

Your body has a limited supply of carbohydrates stored as glycogen—enough to get you through maybe 90 minutes to 2 hours of steady effort. Once that runs out, things get rough. Energy drops, legs feel heavy, your brain gets foggy… you know the feeling.

Fat, on the other hand, is like your unlimited backup tank. Even the leanest athletes have tens of thousands of calories worth of fat available for energy. The key is getting your body to tap into that source more efficiently, especially at race pace.

When you improve your fat-burning ability:

●       You spare glycogen and delay fatigue

●       You become more efficient at steady-state efforts

●       You rely less on constant fueling and avoid gut issues

●       You finish stronger and recover faster

How do you train your body to burn more fat?

●       Incorporate fasted or low-carb training sessions (with care)

●       Spend time in lower heart rate zones (Zone 2 is gold for this)

●       Reduce reliance on sugary fuel in every workout

●       Practice fat-fueling strategies in long sessions

Think of it like this: carbs are your high-octane fuel—great for surges, climbs, and finishing kicks. But for long, steady efforts (like Ironman, marathons, or multi-hour training blocks), fat is the diesel engine that keeps you cruising efficiently.

Get your body better at using fat, and you’ll unlock more endurance, better pacing, and more control over your performance when it counts. Here are three tips to help increase your fat burning.

1. Keep Lactate Low: Stay in the Fat-Burning Zone

If you spike your heart rate too high during training, your body starts producing more lactate — a byproduct of intense effort. When lactate builds up, your body switches fuel sources and stops using fat efficiently. Even during “easy” recovery between intervals, your body will choose to burn off that lactate first before returning to fat.

So, if your goal is to train your fat-burning engine, avoid short bursts of high intensity. Stick to steady-state efforts in your FatMax zone (roughly Zone 2). This is the sweet spot where your body burns the highest percentage of fat. Going too hard, even briefly, can interrupt that process for the rest of the session. Bottom line: save your intervals for performance training days. On fat-adaptation days, keep it steady and aerobic to maximize fat use.

2. Reduce Carbs Strategically to Train Fat Use

Training with lower carbohydrate availability (either by diet or timing) can help your body adapt by boosting fat-burning enzymes and making your metabolism more efficient. This doesn't mean going full keto — it just means being smart about when you fuel and how you periodize your intake.

For example, doing an easy endurance ride or run in a fasted state, or delaying carbs post-workout, can encourage your body to tap into fat stores. Over time, this leads to more mitochondria, better fat-burning capacity, and more metabolic flexibility.

Important: When you're low on carbs, avoid high-intensity workouts. Your body needs glycogen for those efforts, and pushing hard without it can lead to poor performance, slower recovery, and burnout. Use low-carb sessions for low-intensity training days only. Then refuel and reintroduce carbs around harder workouts to keep the balance.

3. Boost Your VO₂ Max for Better Fat Access

Here’s the science: the higher your VO₂ max, the better your ability to use oxygen — and since fat needs more oxygen to burn than carbs, this means better fat combustion.

VO₂ max improvements come from both ends of the training spectrum:

●       Lots of long, low-intensity volume (Zone 2)

●       Well-planned high-intensity intervals

Both methods improve blood flow, and convert your muscles toward more fatigue-resistant, slow-twitch fibers. All of this shifts your engine to rely more on fat and less on carbs, especially at moderate intensities. So don’t just focus on intervals to get fitter — include plenty of aerobic base work to build the foundation that lets your body burn fat more efficiently at all intensities.

The Bottom Line - Become a More Efficient Fat Burner

If you want to go longer, fuel less, and feel better deep into your training and races, focus on these three pillars:

●       Train steady to avoid lactate buildup

●       Use carbs wisely to drive fat adaptation

●       Build VO₂ max with a mix of intensity and volume

It’s not about ditching carbs or avoiding hard work — it’s about training smart and being intentional with how you structure sessions and fuel. When your body gets better at burning fat, everything else starts to click: pacing, recovery, fueling, and performance.

I'd love the opportunity to help you on your endurance journey! Let me know if you would like two weeks of workouts at no cost, powered by TriDot's AI platform, or a fat-adaptation plan tailored to your training! Curious to know more? Reach out and let's get the conversation started with a free consult! 

Keep being consistent!

Coach Chet