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Endurance Training
Endurance
training is an effective training program to make athletes tougher than
the toughest in terms of quality of output in the face of complete
fatigue. The body should be able to force that extra mile out, even when
it is at the very end of its capacity. This is what makes winners and
champions. This is what is obtained through long and arduous endurance
training, something no athlete is ever complete without.
There are
four types of endurance training and these are (1) Speed Endurance, (2)
Anaerobic Endurance, (3) Aerobic Endurance and (4) Strength Endurance. A
brief description of each of these follows:
Speed
Endurance
This type
of endurance is usually encouraged when you need to develop optimum
muscle contraction speed. The best exercises used for this purpose are
through repetition of the set in two ways:
-
Repetition of sets in
number and less intensity
-
Lower repetition of
numbers, but increase in intensity (85% and more) over distances
that cover 60-120% of the distance earmarked for a race
Anaerobic Endurance
This type
of endurance training would be based upon repetition of exercises
focusing on high intensity and limited recovery periods. These
endurances are categorized into the following sub-divisions:
-
Alactic short anaerobic
which will usually last less than 25 seconds.
-
Lactic medium anaerobic
which lasts 25-60 seconds.
-
Lactic and long anaerobic
(includes aerobic) lasting 60-120 seconds.
The meaning
of the word anaerobic is oxygenless or without oxygen. When applied to
exercise, this term means the capacity of the body to go beyond the
oxygen starvation level in the body. When exercises ask the maximum
effort, usually the body asks for more oxygen than is supplied to it
forcing it to use the reserve fuel stored in the body. However, when
this is used, lactic acid is produced as a waste product. A time comes
when there is too much lactic acid produced and no more reserve fuel in
the body, then the body ceases to function in a painful manner. It will
start moving only when the lactic acid has been removed and oxygen has
reached the muscles in its stead. The production of lactic acid is
scientifically known as the 'lactic anaerobic energy pathway.' This
pathway is what we are talking about in anaerobic endurance – and this
usually lasts for about four seconds at maximum exertion.
The
anaerobic threshold is measured at the exact moment when muscles get
lactic acid accumulated in them; this would be happening at when you
reach about 85-90% of your maximum possible heart rate. The anaerobic
threshold heart rate would be some 20 beats higher than that of the
aerobic one.
Aerobic
Endurance
The meaning
of aerobic is with oxygen. These are exercises when the body works at
levels that the body can feed oxygen for. There is no lactic acid
produced here as waste; only carbon dioxide and water, which are removed
from the body through breathing and sweat. As with anaerobic exercises,
the aerobic ones too are divided into sub-divisions:
-
Lactic aerobic short
endurance – that usually lasts 2-8 minutes
-
Aerobic medium endurance
– that lasts for about 8-30 minutes
-
Aerobic long endurance –
30 minutes and more
This type of endurance is normally developed through interval and
continuous running training. The continuous running would improve the
capacity for oxygen intake, while the interval training is used to
improve the capacity of the heart to pump at its hardest. The aerobic
threshold is usually when the activation of the anaerobic energy pathway
commences, which would normally be at 75% of your maximum heart rate
beat. This threshold is 20 beats less than the anaerobic one.
Strength Endurance
In this type of exercise attention is given to the quality of the muscle
contraction increasing the force of the muscles to contract. As with
others, these exercises require intensive training. Some examples of
strength training are, harness running, weight training, circuit
training, hill running, etc.
For a newcomer into the arena of endurance training, one can use the
help of a heart rate monitor to keep a track on the intensity and
capacity of your body in the endurance training exercises. This could be
an invaluable tool for those who are not guided by experts in the field.
However, it is always advisable to have a personal trainer to monitor
your progress.
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