2.3.3. Summary and Future Directions

Overall, the importance of consuming CHO before exercise increases as the exercise duration increases and exercising in the fed vs. fasted state appears to have a far greater effect on performance than the size or timing of the meals. To better understand the influence of pre-exercise energy availability vs. CHO availability and its effects on HIIT, future studies should compare fed vs. fasted exercise, along with pre-exercise protein ingestion, in the absence of CHO, prior to both HIIT and steady-state performance tests.
