Fuel Selection during a Wrestling Match

The major factor that dictates what fuel you use during exercise is the relative exercise intensity (% VO₂peak). The second factor that dictates which fuel you use during exercise is the training status of the athlete. The third factor that dictates fuel use is substrate availability. The greater the exercise intensity the greater the reliance on carbohydrate, while the lower the exercise intensity the greater the reliance on fat. The more highly endurance trained an individual is the greater the reliance on fat as a fuel up to higher intensities than in the untrained state. However, at intensities of exercise of ~80% VO₂peak, carbohydrate is still the predominant source of fuel for exercise even in the highly endurance trained individual. It is unlikely, under normal conditions, that exercise at 100% of VO₂ max is fueled by fat. However, McCartney et al. reported that fat contributed substantially to a fourth one-minute bout of high-intensity exercise with four minutes of rest between bouts. The caveat here is that power output declined substantially from bout 1 to bout 4, suggesting utilization of fat instead of carbohydrate will impair high-intensity exercise performance, and your best bet is to rely on carbohydrate for the performance of high-intensity exercise such as wrestling.