RP Strength Podcast Fasted Cardio, VO2 Max & Building a Better Fat-Burning Machine With Dr. Mike T Nelson
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Mar 2, 2026 Dr. Mike T. Nelson, exercise physiologist and researcher focused on metabolic flexibility and HRV. He breaks down fuel switching and how training and fasting affect fat burning. He explains why carbs power high-intensity work. Learn when fasted cardio helps, how to use HRV to guide cardio, and why improving VO2 max aids recovery.
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What Metabolic Flexibility Actually Means
- Metabolic flexibility is your ability to use carbs at high intensity, use fat at low/moderate intensity, and switch rapidly between them.
- Mike T Nelson frames it as a spectrum: maximize carb end, fat end, and the transition speed for task-specific performance.
Genes Matter But Don’t Fully Decide Fuel Use
- Genetics influence substrate use but explain only part of metabolic flexibility; populations like Inuit or Pima show clear differences tied to history.
- Mike gives Inuit and Pima examples where habitual diet and genetic SNPs affected fat or carb oxidation capacity.
Increase Both Fat Use And Carbohydrate Access
- Train both ends: increase maximal aerobic/carbohydrate capacity while upregulating fat oxidation without compromising high-end glycolysis.
- Avoid long-term keto for athletes needing speed because PDH activity (access to carbs) downregulates without carb-specific training.