NCSF – Certified Strength Coach

Training Methods for Endurance Sports

 Training Endurance Athletes
Key physiological aspects which promote optimal performance during endurance sports:

Aerobic capacity Anaerobic threshold Economy

 Aerobic Capacity
❑ Ability to deliver and use O2 in working muscles, VO2max = limit

❑ Based on the density of capillaries, mitochondria and enzymes

❑ A low aerobic capacity forces greater reliance on anaerobic

pathways and premature fatigue

❑ Aerobic vs. anaerobic energy = more sustainable, formed using

various substrates, byproduct is neutral (H2O vs H+)
 Enhancing Aerobic Capacity
✓ Improve stroke volume – challenge myocardium,
ventricular size/strength, conduction efficiency, use
HIIT to achieve maximal aerobic steady state

✓ Improve capillary density – use HIIT and LSD training

to activate VEGF (angiogenesis)

✓ Improve mitochondrial density – various high-volume

endurance training stimuli promote
glycolytic-to-oxidative fiber conversions

✓ Increase expression of aerobic enzymes – also occurs

with fiber characteristic conversion
 Assessing Aerobic Capacity
• Max-effort field tests are better than GXTs
for athletes

• 1.5 mile run test vs. Astrand test

• VO2peak is measured among athletes who

perform isolated muscle work

• VO2max is rarely the highest intensity

achieved during competition
Aerobic Capacity - Elite Endurance Athletes
 High VO2max = Guaranteed Success?
➢ Among elite athletes - VO2max is not the primary predictor of success
➢ Among lower-level athletes - the athlete with the higher capacity will likely win if
VO2max values differ by at least 15-20 ml/kg/min
➢ Elite athletes experience little change in their capacity and do not compete at VO2max
➢ Use values for comparative proposes as they do not necessarily predict race outcomes

Key concept: the relative % of VO2max that can be sustained

(highest tolerable speed) is more important than VO2max itself
 VO2max – Age and Gender Differences
• Primary contributing factor:
– For children/adolescents - O2 uptake (a-vO2 diff)
– For adults - O2 delivery

• VO2 decreases by ~1% per year during adulthood

among the untrained

• Linked to lifespan, QOL and all-cause mortality (~20

ml/kg/min for independence)

• ~15-30% lower among females due to smaller heart

size, higher body fat, lower hemoglobin
Anaerobic Threshold
Respiratory
compensation
VO2 slow
Metabolic shift where aerobic metabolism must be Steady-state is
component
supplemented with anaerobic energy lost
begins
(~85%VO2max or ~92%HRmax)

Most endurance events require notable anaerobic Hitting the

support to work above steady-state threshold:
Type II fibers are Elevated
recruited glycolysis
Higher anaerobic threshold = higher tolerable
speeds during a race

Acidity leading to fatigue – lactate accumulation in Lactate, H+, and

Tissue acidity
muscle vs. H+ accumulation in circulation CO2
 VO2 Slow Component
Work ≥85%VO2max leads to a slow, upward 5K illustration of the VO2 slow component:
drift in HR until VO2max is reached
VO2 slow component = drag; greater drag
leads to earlier fatigue A 5K will take most runners about 20 min

At the end of the 1st mile - HR may be 180bpm

By the end of the 2nd mile - the HR may rise to 190 bpm

HR may climb to max (200 bpm) at the end of the race

Gradual rise in HR and VO2 reflects the “upward drift”

 • Becomes
just before
difficult
glycogento
speak
becomes
(ventilatory
the
threshold)
predominat
• Nonlinear
e fuel
rise in blood
(~65%
lactate (~4.0
threshold
VO 2
max or
mmol/l),
80% HR, Anaerobic
ventilation,
HRmax) Turning point #2:
•glycolysis
Lactate
• Respiratory
production
muscles
begins to
demand
exceed
~15% of
muscular
total
disposal
O2 (vs. max)
3-5%),
rates not
compete
total-body
Aerobic limit (Fat
•with skeletal
Lactate is
Turning point #1:
• Increasing
cleared by
systemic
the heart,
acidosis
kidneys,
ultimately
brain and
forces
other the
athlete
Metabolic “Turning Points” During Endurance Training
aerobicto
stop/slow
fibers
•down (~30
Represents
Estimating The Aerobic Limit
Steps to calculate an aerobic limit HR:

Subtract the athlete’s age from 180 (180 - age)

Recovering from a major illness, disease, operation or taking a

regular medication = subtract 10 bpm

Novice, deconditioned due to injury, or high susceptibility to

URTIs/allergies = subtract 5 bpm

Have trained at least 4x/week without injury for up to 2 years, do

not suffer from colds more than 2x/year = no value change

Have trained for >2 years without any injury and have been making
progress in your program = add 5 bpm
Benefits of Aerobic Limit Training
•Major benefits and adaptations:
• Reduced glycogen depletion during high-volume training
Aerobic limit • Hypertrophy of slow-twitch muscle fibers
• Increased strength of postural muscles (economy)
training may seem • Increased vascularization (angiogenesis) of slow-twitch fibers
easy but there is • Preferred recruitment of type I fibers and asynchronized firing
much to gain patterns (preserves energy)
• Increased fat oxidation capacity in muscle, fatty acid transport
and lipolytic activity in fat cells (Fat max)
• Decreased glycolytic enzyme activity (slows glycogen depletion)
Benefits of Anaerobic Threshold Training

•The benefits of training at the anaerobic threshold (maximal lactate

steady state):
• Increased power output at anaerobic threshold

• Reduced sensitivity to acid (↑ exercise tolerance)

• Improved fatigue resistance in type II fibers

• Increased caloric expenditure

Benefits of VO2max Pace Intervals

•The benefits of performing VO2max pace interval work, or above:

• Increased stroke and plasma volume

• Improved oxygen transport

• Improved oxidative capacity of fast-twitch fibers

• Thwarting of the VO2 slow component

 Anaerobic Threshold and Fatigue
High work Fast-glycolyt
Cascade of intensity or ic motor unit
events: reduced recruitment
efficiency
H+ Respiratory
accumulation
and drop in compensatio
n
buffering
Additional Increased
Increased O2 glycolytic rate of H+
demand motor unit accumulation
recruitment
Elevated Loss of
homeostasis
respiratory
and onset of
compensatio VO2 slow
n
component
VO2 on a Anaerobic
trajectory
toward -induced
VO2max fatigue
 Intensity Estimation - Talk Test
Exercise hyperpnea may not precisely indicate the anaerobic threshold has been reached, but for
most athletes it means they are close (buffering, chemoreceptor sensitivity)

•The talk test can estimate if one is crossing their

anaerobic threshold:
•The athlete can hear their own breathing (just
audible breathing)

•The athlete will find it difficult to articulate a full

sentence without pausing for air
 Intensity Estimation – Borg Scale
RPE Description
6 Rest
❖ RPE – meds, no HR monitor or measurements 7 Very, Very Light
8

❖ Loosely reflects bpm, can be modified to 1-10

9 Very Light
10
11 Fairly Light
❖ Is a great predictor of fatigue which is largely 12
13 Somewhat Hard
psychological in nature 14
15 Hard
❖ 11 = min CV benefit, 14 = aerobic limit, 17 = 16
17 Very Hard
anaerobic threshold, 18-20 HIIT near or at VO2max 18
19 Very, Very Hard
20 “Exhaustion”
 Sport-specific Movement Economy
➢ May be the most critical factor for success (45-60 ml/kg/min can all run 6:00 mile pace)
➢ Defined by the energy required to maintain a constant velocity during steady-state
➢ Higher economy = athlete can produce more power and energy while using less O2
➢ Calculating economy: oxygen (L) x min of work x RQ x 5 = kcals expended/min
➢ Lower RQ at higher intensities = better shape with higher “Fat max”

RQ in
RQ closer to RQ closer to between
1.0 = high CHO 0.7 = high (0.85) =
use lipid use mix of
energy
Key Training Zones (Gears) for Endurance Athletes

•Zone 1 - Aerobic limit training

•Zone 2 - Anaerobic threshold training
•Zone 3 - VO2max interval pace training
 Determining The Zones
▪ First obtain HRmax and VO2max pace values:
– HRmax = Astrand test or add 5 beats to the
highest HR reached during a race
– VO2max pace = Astrand test or multiply a
known 5K pace by 0.985
➢ Zone 1: ≤80% of HRmax, 180-formula, or
75% of VO2max pace
➢ Zone 2: ≤92% of HRmax, talk-test, or 90% of
VO2max pace
➢ Zone 3: 0-5 beats lower than HRmax, or
divide VO2max pace by 1.12
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 Marathon Pace
• ~85% of VO2max or 88% HRmax
• Not recognized as key intensity but is necessary
for competing in events >10 miles
• Must spend some time training at actual racing
pace before the event (recruitment, economy)
• General prep for marathon (26.2 miles):
– Progress LSD runs to 18-22 miles; perform 4-6 before race
– Perform 2-4 runs for 12-16 miles at race pace
– Optimal nutrient intake, rehydration strategies, &
adequate sleep
 The Junk Zone
➢ If allowed to choose their own intensity many athletes will work between their aerobic limit
and anaerobic threshold (65%-85% VO2max)
➢ RPE - between “somewhat hard” and “very hard” (13-17)
➢ Feels as though it is not too easy or hard – but least effective for improving performance
➢ Possible use: off-season training to maintain fitness and burn calories

Glycogen
Too hard to
Too easy to stores are
obtain LSD
provide HIT compromised
training
benefits for intense
benefits
work
 Comparing the Zones – Work Rates
Min CV Benefit Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

RPE Values 11 14 17 18-20

%VO2max 50% 65% 85% >85%
%HRmax 70% 80% 92% 95-100%
“Expected”
~1.0-2.0 mmol/l ~2.2 mmol/l ~4.0 mmol/l Usually >8-10 mmol/l
Lactate Level
Another increase makes
Ventilatory Unnoticeable change Increase in ventilation Individual cannot speak
prolonged speech
Responses in ventilation rate but still barely noticeable due to ventilation rate
difficult (talk test)
 Comparing the Zones – Running Speeds
%VO2max %HRmax Running speed
50 70 Very slow (warm-up, cool down, recovery)
60 75 Slow running (early LSD run measure)

70 82 Steady running (off-season work)

80 88 Half marathon pace

90 95 10K speed

95 98 5K speed

100 100 3K speed

110 100 1500m speed

Building an Endurance Program
•Each macrocycle will consist of four distinct mesocycles (phases):
•Foundation

•Speed

•Pre-competition

•Peaking

Similar to resistance training programs, each mesocycle must include balanced

training volume to expedite adaptations without overtraining – TRIMP scores
 Calculating TRIMP Scores

•Calculating the TRIMP score:

•The training zones are used to calculate the score;
each zone number functions as a multiplier
•The total weekly TRIMP score is calculated using
the cumulative time spent in each zone
•Zone 1: <Aerobic limit pace = total min x 1
•Zone 2: Anaerobic threshold work = total min x 2
•Zone 3: VO2max interval pace = total min x 3
 Foundation Phase
➢ Goals: ↑ postural endurance, metabolic proficiency
and Fat max
•S & C work:
➢ Lasts 1-2 months; weekly goals include a progressive • Trunk stability
• Hip/ankle ROM
LSD run and 3-4 easy runs • Muscle balance
• Prevent lower-cross
➢ Common struggle is to keep the athlete from • Foot mechanics
running too fast • Landing drills

➢ RT emulates prep and anaerobic endurance phases

➢ TRIMP: ~10-15% ↑ mid-phase

 Speed Phase
➢ Usually lasts 6-8 weeks
•S & C work:
➢ Perform a weekly LSD run that progresses to • Compound lifting
200-300% of race distance • Strength & power across the kinetic chain
• Foundation phase residuals
• Ballistics and plyometrics
➢ Weekly: alternate between two Zone 2 sessions • MB hip/trunk throws for posture
and one Zone 2 and one Zone 3 session

➢ RT emulates the hypertrophy and strength phases

➢ TRIMP: ~15% ↑ first week, 10%↑ mid-phase

 Pre-competition Phase
➢ 5-12 weeks of intense efforts; final week will be
hardest of macrocycle (overtraining) •S & C work:
•Combination exercises
➢ Weekly: a progressive LSD run (plateaus •Each muscle group 1x/week
~200-300% of race), a Zone 2 session, a Zone 3 (functional)
session, and one easy/recovery run •Neural residuals
•Reduced restriction
➢ A short “practice” race (5K) can replace a Zone 2 •Muscle balance
session without changing the program

➢ TRIMP: ~15% ↑ first week, 10% ↑ ~3 weeks

 Identifying Overtraining
Orth <10
ostati >15 bpm
c Within bpm: (5-7):
10-15 sympat parasy
intol bpm: hetic mpath
eranc normal overtra etic
e• Answering the following qualitative questions canining overtra
help indicate the risk for overtraining:
test:• Did I sleep well last night? ining

• Am I looking forward to today's workout?

• Am I optimistic about my future performance?

• Do I feel vigorous and energetic?

• Do I have a healthy appetite?

• Do I have little muscle soreness?

 Dealing With Overtraining
1.
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 Peaking Phase
➢ Goals: spare glycogen and prevent overreaching
while preserving neural patterns/adaptations

➢ Usually lasts 4-8 weeks; weekly: one short LSD

•S & C work:
• Few functional, total body exercises
run, one Zone 2 session, and one Zone 3 session • Few plyometrics (30-50 jumps)
• Remove eccentric loading
➢ One-week taper before race: • No lifting during taper
➢ Major reduction in volume (↓ Zone 1 and duration
of Zone 3 runs)
➢ Use a race-pace Fartlek run in Zone 2 and a Zone 3
session (3-4 short intervals)

➢ TRIMP: ↓ 20% first week, ↓ 40-60% during taper