Endurance Training 101

Beginners attempting their first endurance event, rarely consider more than one variable when developing their training plan.

Whether it be an open water swimming event, long bike ride or competitive fun run, most people train under the belief that “more is better!”. Countless hours are spent training, with no real thought applied to developing a solid endurance base.

The three biggest factors

Naturally some people are born with a genetic make up that gives them an advantage at endurance events. But in actual fact, genetics aside, an athletes ability to perform well at an endurance event relies on 3 main factors.

• Aerobic Capacity
• Anaerobic Threshold
• Efficiency of Movement

Aerobic Capacity - the huff and puff!!

Aerobic capacity is a term that refers to the bodies ability to transport oxygen to the working tissues. In an endurance event our muscles require a continuous supply of oxygen so that they can keep producing the energy needed to work (swim, ride, run etc…).

Typically, a person starting from scratch can increase their body’s ability to transport and use oxygen by up to 25%, however athletes who are already reasonably fit should only expect gains of approximately 10% with extra training.

Increasing aerobic capacity can be done in three ways; reducing body fat, increasing distance covered in training; training at higher intensities.

Decreasing body fat

By decreasing body fat, athletes “carry” less body weight through a race, and therefore allow more oxygen to be available for the working muscles. Forces working through joints and being carried by muscles are also decreased, meaning that overall energy requirements will be less.

Increasing distance - “Run Forest, run…..!!!”

By gradually increasing the distance covered in training sessions, our heart begins to work harder and become more efficient. As the heart’s ability to pump more blood increases, muscles start to develop more capillaries which in turn supply more of the oxygen rich blood to the working muscles. With increased blood circulation, our muscles become more efficient at breaking down fuel for energy, and everyone is a winner!!!

Get intense

After some long bouts of training, the body adapts, and increasing the distance covered in sessions no longer has the same benefits on aerobic capacity.

When this happens it’s time to increase the intensity of your workouts by training at a higher heart rate, over a shorter distance. The higher heart rate will have a positive effect on aerobic capacity, however it’s important to ensure that the distance covered in a session drops. This prevents over training, and tiredness which should be avoided so as to not disrupt future training sessions.

Anaerobic Threshold - oooohhh the burn!

Anaerobic Threshold is an exercise intensity where the body starts to produce lactic acid at a rate that is faster than it can be removed. This results in a build up of lactic acid in the blood stream which eventually inhibits muscle function.

Put simply - that is the point when it starts to hurt!

Anaerobic Threshold training can shift the intensity at which this accumulation of lactic acid starts to occur. The higher an athlete’s threshold means that more work can be done before their muscle function is inhibited.

In an endurance event this is perhaps the most important quality to have. The higher your threshold, the better you will race.

Interval sessions are great for increasing anaerobic threshold, but be warned as this type of workout is hard. Most athletes will only do an interval session twice a week, and it is important to warm up and cool down thoroughly to avoid muscle soreness.

Efficiency of Movement

On top of working hard to increase aerobic capacity and anaerobic threshold, an athlete needs to ensure that their body is using the available oxygen efficiently.

Generally most people are 20-25% efficient. This is, of the available oxygen that is burned to create energy, only a quarter is used to race - the rest is lost as heat.

It is therefore important to reduce all the factors that use oxygen but don’t generate speed.

Time to get a coach

This can be done by ensuring that technique is close to perfect.

Swimmers need to body roll, runners and cyclists need to be relaxed in the upper body whilst having a strong lower back an core to support the work done by the legs, and rowers need to relax in the recovery phase of each stroke.

Employing a coach is a great way for athletes of all levels to ensure that they are efficient in their movements, so that they experience improvements in a race.