Essential Endurance Training For Sport

If your sport requires a high level of aerobic endurance... and there's a good chance it does, sport-specific endurance training must form an integral part of your training plan.

It can be a great confidence booster when your competitors... even your team mates start fading and you have reserves to spare.

There are few sports and performance related outcomes that won't involve some level of endurance training somewhere along the line... unless you play darts... or pool... or... well you get the idea.

The term 'endurance' is often used interchangeably with 'speed', 'strength', 'aerobic' and 'anaerobic' and so on. This page focuses on providing you with information and conditioning tools for 'aerobic' endurance training specifically.

So what exactly is aerobic endurance and how should you train for it?

It is the ability of the aerobic systems to produce a certain level of work or exercise for a prolonged period of time. More importantly the efficiency and conditioning of your aerobic system is what determines the level of aerobic endurance you can sustain.

The purpose of aerobic endurance training is to...

• Improve the heart and cardiovascular system so blood (and oxygen) can be delivered around the body more efficiently.
  
• Increase the body's ability to utilize oxygen.
  
• Increase the body's ability to recover from heavy bouts of intense exercise.
  

So what are the limiting factors in an athlete's cardio-respiratory endurance and more importantly...

Can endurance training overcome them? Your performance in endurance activities is affected by 3 variables...

1. VO2max
VO2max is simply the maximum amount of oxygen the body can take in and utilize. Imagine your VO2max as your 'aerobic potential'. Endurance training won't increase VO2max significantly for trained individuals and decreases steadily with age.

2. Anaerobic or Lactate Threshold
If VO2max is your 'aerobic potential' your lactate threshold determines how much of that potential you are tapping. Endurance training can significantly increase your lactate threshold.

3. Locomotion Velocity
Two athletes may have precisely the same VO2max and lactate threshold. Yet one athlete may be able to run at, say 16kmph when she hits VO2max compared to the other athlete who only manages 15kmph. What is the difference?

Running economy and efficiency. The same applies to swimmers and cyclists. Athletes can improve their performance significantly if their endurance training helps to improve their movement economy.

Enurance training encompasses quite a big area. For example, to get the best our of your training it's useful to understand what your VO2max is, how your Lactate threshold impacts your performance and how to measure exercise intensity.

The articles below cover all the information you need to produce a highly effective endurance training program. And remember...