Type I fibers have a high mitochondrial density and oxidative enzyme capacity which allows the majority of energy production to come from aerobic metabolism. This has a sparing effect on carbohydrate allowing a higher intensity to be maintained for longer.Įlite endurance athletes exhibit a high proportion of type I muscle fibers (11,12). With training, a greater percentage of fat is used as fuel at any given work rate (8,9,10). If and when carbohydrate stores are depleted exercise intensity must reduce accordingly. However, when exercise intensity is higher (>70% VO2 max), there is a greater reliance on carbohydrate than fat for fuel (8). The oxidative energy system can utilize either fat or carbohydrate to produce energy. As such many researchers believe economy of exercise – be it stride length, swimming technique or body position on a bicycle – is an important contributor to endurance performance (5,6,7). Athletes with a high exercise economy expend less energy (consume less oxygen) at any given workload. ![]() Yet what is far more relevant is the speed or workload at which the athlete is exercising when they reach these two markers. Two athletes may have the same VO2 max expressed in ml/kg/min and they may have the same lactate threshold expressed as a percentage of their VO2 max. what is agreed upon is that training can have a favorable effect on lactate accumulation and when it occurs (3,4), which is associated with improved endurance performance. Numerous terms have been proposed to describe the relationship between blood lactate accumulation and increasing exercise intensity and it’s a subject that generates much debate. If VO2 max can be seen as an upper limit for aerobic exercise, the lacate threshold determines how much of that ‘aerobic’ upper limit can be used. In athletes with the same or similar value for VO2 max, those who perform best tend to have a superior… ![]() A goal of any endurance training program is to help the athlete reach thier genetic upper limit for aerobic power. However, in untrained individuals VO2 max can be improved by as much as 20% (2). Elite endurance athletes typically have a high VO2 max and for the most part it seems to be genetically determined (1). It’s difficult to talk about endurance performance and endurance training without mentioning VO2 max or maximal oxygen uptake. However, exercise scientists have identified several major causes of exhaustion and research has shown that they can all be manipulated (some to a greater extent than others) with proper training: Unfortunately, fatigue is a complex issue and one that is likely to consist of both physical and psychological factors. In endurance sports those limiting factors are based predominantly around the causes of fatigue. Factors Affecting Endurance PerformanceĬentral to the study of Exercise Physiology is determining the limiting factors in a particular event or activity. While the type and amount of endurance training will change according to the specific demands of the sport, even some traditional strength and power based games demand a solid aerobic base. This section of the website focuses primarily on aerobic endurance conditioning and the various training methods that have been developed to help athletes reach peak aerobic fitness.Įndurance training is important for many sports – not just the pure distance events like running, swimming and cycling for example. It’s often used interchangeably with terms like “aerobic”, “anaerobic”, “strength” and “speed”. Endurance training is quite a broad sweeping term.
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