Program Design for Endurance Training

2 major goals of aerobic training

1. develop capacity of central circulation to deliver oxygen via RBCs

2. enhance the capacity of the active musculature to supply and process oxygen

**how quickly can we get nutrients in and how fast can we clear byproducts

VO₂max

the greatest amount of oxygen that is taken in, transported, and used at the cellular level

how do we determine how much oxygen is used

(a-v) O₂ difference

VO2 at rest

~3.5mL/kg/min = 1 MET

O2 uptake is directly related to

mass of exercising muscle

metabolic/mechanical efficiency

exercise intensity

big factors in determining aerobic output

1. maximal aerobic power - vo2 max

2. anaerobic threshold - lactate threshold

3. exercise economy

exercise economy

measure of energy cost of activity at a given exercise velocity

move more efficient = enhance max aerobic power

maximal aerobic power

as duration of aero event increases, so does proportion of energy supplied by aerobic metabolism

lactate threshold

point where lactate and H⁺ ions accumulates faster than it can be cleared

in aerobic events, the best competitor among athletes with similar VO2 max values is usually the person who can sustain high aerobic energy production without accumulating a lot of lactic acid

Cori cycle

recycles lactate into glucose via gluconeogenesis

cyclic path between muscle and liver

Lactate shuttle

A universal metabolic network of transport and oxidation

Delivers immediate oxidative fuel and metabolic signals across tissues

Fuel available in liver glycogen vs muscle glycogen

liver glycogen = 200-400 kcal

muscle glycogen = 1,000-3,000 kcal

Fuel available in adipose tissue TG vs muscle TG

adipose tissue: 50,000-100,000 kcal

muscle TG: 2,000-3,000 kcal

maximal fat oxidation rates

elite endurance athletes have trained and shifted their LT such that they are still using fat at 80%

__g of carb/minute can be used for energy

1 g

Athlete’s Paradox

endurance athletes have high levels of intramuscular triglyceride storage

Unlike sedentary or insulin-resistant individuals, athletes remain insulin sensitive

Their muscles store these fats in small, specialized lipid droplets right next to the mitochondria, using them as an efficient fuel reservoir

Program Design steps for aerobic

1. exercise mode

2. training frequency

3. training intensity

4. exercise duration

5. exercise progression

Training intensity

• Heart rate

• RPE

• Metabolic equivalents

• power measurement

greater intensity, more carb use & (maybe) more type II fiber use

Step 1: Mode

exercise mode is the specific activity being done

more specific to sport, the greater the improvement in performance

Step 2: training frequency

number of training sessions per week and per day

depends on interaction of exercise intensity and duration, training status of athlete, and specific sport season

Step 3: Training Intensity

adaptations are specific to the intensity of the training season

high intensity aerobic increases cardiovascular and respiratory function and allows for improved oxygen delivery to working muscles

increasing exercise intensity may also benefit skeletal muscle adaptations by affecting muscle fiber recruitment

measuring usually always relates back to HR

Cardiovascular/HR drift

HR increases despite steady/same effort

CO = SV * HR

increase in HR to sustain CO

can be due to respiratory fatigue of intercostal/diaphragm muscles, fluid loss, sympathetic tone/nervous system fatigue

Crossover effect

crossing of the anaerobic threshold

aerobic metabolism uses for lipid oxidation while anaerobic uses greater carb through glycolysis

Crossover effect - lactate threshold

aerobic metabolism = controlled rate of lactate production and clearance

anaerobic metabolism = upward shift in blood lactate over time

crossover effect - ventilatory threshold

aerobic = steady state ventilation rate

anaerobic = increased respiratory rate due to metabolic acidosis (hyperventilation)

crossover effect - muscle fibers

aerobic = engages O2 efficient, low fatigue, type 1 muscle fibers

anaerobic - transition to low efficiency, high fatigue, type 2 muscle fibers

peak HR

highest HR you actually reach in an effort/workout/bout

can change and be more variable over time

max HR

stays more consistent

highest number of bpm your heart can safely and physically achieve under maximum physical stress

Karvonen formula

uses HRR

(Max HR (220 - age) - Resting HR) * intensity + Resting HR = target

by factoring in resting HR, creates more personalized zones

Zone 1

easy/light

50-60%

RPE 4-6

LSD, easy, recovery

long durations, hour+

Zone 2

moderate/mod. light

60-70% HR_max

RPE 6-7

Steady state cardio

up to an hour+

Zone 3

somewhat hard

70-80% HR_max

RPE 7-8

tempo/long intervals

several minutes

zone 4

very hard

80-90% HR_max

RPE 8-9 short to midrange, intense intervals

30 seconds-few minutes

zone 5

exhaustive

90-100% HR_max

RPE 9-10

Short interval/Sprint

Seconds

Types of aerobic endurance training programs

1. long, slow distance training (zone 1-2)

2. pace/tempo training ~@ or around LT point

3. interval training - supra VO2max → anaerobic effort

4. repetition training

5. fartlek training = speed play

Long, slow distance (LSD)

1-2 times per week

race distance or longer (30-120 minutes)

~70% VO₂max and HRR (or ~80% max HR)

adaptations from LSD training

enhances oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle

enhanced mitochondrial energy production

enhanced utilization of fat as a fuel source (sparing muscle glycogen)

enhances the body’s ability to clear lactate

chronic use of this type of training causes an eventual shift of Type IIX fibers to Type I

Pace/tempo training

intensity at or slightly above competition intensity — corresponding to anaerobic/lactate threshold

steady pace/tempo training

20-30 minutes of continuous training at the lactate threshold

intermittent pace/tempo training

series of shorter intervals with brief recovery periods

aerobic/anaerobic interval training

objectives of pace/tempo training

develop a sense of race pace and enhance the body’s ability to sustain exercise at that pace

improve running economy and increase lactate threshold

enhance nervous system connection

Frequency, duration, intensity of pace/tempo training

stressful so the 2 training days should be spread out to allow recovery between sessions

for steady pace/tempo training, exercise duration is shorter than race distance to allow for a higher training intensity

athlete should perform at high intensity/training pace; high respiratory stress is required to stimulate race pace

interval training

exercise at an intensity ~VO₂max for intervals of 3-5 minutes

work:rest should be 1:1

allows athletes to train at intensities close to VO₂max for a greater amount of time

should be used sparingly and only when athlete has firm aerobic endurance base

benefits of interval training metabolically

increases vo₂max

enhances anaerobic metabolism — high rates of lactate production + improves metabolite clearance

frequency, duration, intensity of interval training

2 training days should be spaced out

total distance/duration (sum of interval work bouts) should approach the competition distances as athlete becomes more trained

run at intensity close to VO₂max

repetition training

conducted at intensities greater than VO₂max, with work intervals lasting 30-90 sec

work: rest ratio is about 1:5

long recovery periods req b/w sessions

benefits of repetition training

improved running speed and economy

increased capacity and tolerance for anaerobic metabolism

Frequency, duration, and intensity for REPS training

freq: only 1 day in week

duration: total distance/duration of training portion should approach competition distance

athlete should be at intensity (pace) higher than VO₂max when completing the work bout portions

fartlek training

combines other methods of training

easy running (~70% VO₂max) combined with hills or short, fast bursts (~85-90% VO₂max)

no real pattern - good for training body to adapt to unpredictable changes of pace during a race

benefits of fartlek training

enhanced VO₂max

increased lactate threshold

improved running economy and fuel utilization

breaks up monotony/boredom of training

frequency, intensity, and duration of fartlek training

1x per wk

total distance/duration should approach competition distance

athletes should work at intensity/pace close to VO₂max when completing the work bout portions of the Fartlek

HR zone for LSD

zone 1-2

HR zone for pace/tempo

Zone 3-4
working for ~20-30 minutes

Interval HR zone

zone 4-5

3-5 minutes, 1:1 work:rest

repetition HR zone

Zone 5+

30-90 second

1:5 work:rest

Fartlek HR zone

Zone 1-3, 4, 5

~20-60 minutes

Determining a threshold

tempo pace and build from there

• 10-60 minutes (20-30 minutes is optimal on avg)

results of HR_avg of the final 2/3 of the duration = training threshold zone

for aerobically trained athletes, a good rule of thumb is

80% zone 1/zone 2

20% zone 3+