If you are hungry before exercise, you are more likely to benefit from it – in training terms – if you are male. It seems that the lower your energy reserves, the sooner your body and muscles are put under stress, causing them to adapt to the exercise. This would seem to make a lot of sense, but the 2010 Massey University study that demonstrated it says it goes against conventional advice to eat before exercise. The researchers examined blood and muscle samples before and after moderate exercise in two groups of novice cyclists. The first group cycled after a high-carbohydrate breakfast, and the second cycled before breakfast. After four weeks’ training, the riders who cycled before eating had greater muscle storage of glycogen (a fuel used in exercise) and superior peak power and lung function. Also, the muscles of the males who cycled first had greater fat-burning ability but, for an unknown reason, the females burned more fat if they ate breakfast before training. Associate Professor Steve Stannard, head of the University’s new School of Sport and Exercise, says "Training is all about putting the body under stress, not going faster. So by starting out with less fuel, you will reach the point where you really begin to stress the body quicker. This means you will spend longer under stress and ultimately the training will be more beneficial.” While this may have practical benefits for training, the advice for competing has not changed: eating before a race is still necessary.