Endurance Training 101

Endurance is your ability to do work and withstand discomfort over a period of time.

Training for a specific endurance sport requires you to have general endurance and skill to that sport.

For example, if you are training for a mountain bike race, you need general endurance to be able to work for a period of time and skill to be able to ride and handle a bike.

You can build general and specific endurance at the same time through performing the specific endurance sport in training.

Aerobic System

General endurance is typically focused on the aerobic system and cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

In simple terms, the aerobic system requires oxygen and primarily uses fat as an energy source.

Training the aerobic system creates more mitochondria. The mitochondria are the part of your cells that create energy for your cells, and therefore your body, to use. The more mitochondria you have, the more energy you have available to use.

You use the aerobic system when you are performing exercise at a light to moderate intensity level, such as running or cycling where you can still have a conversation while doing it.

To increase your endurance, you must build your aerobic capacity which is your ability to perform steady-state work over a period of time. The bigger your capacity, the more efficient you are at using oxygen, and better endurance you will have.

To build your aerobic capacity, the key workout is at an easy to moderate intensity. Here are some examples:

• Run at an easy pace for 1 hour.

• Bike at an easy pace for 2 hours.

• Swim at an easy pace for 45 minutes.

An easy pace is where you are able to hold a conversation or can even breathe through your nose while performing the exercise. You should not be breathing hard and you should be at a comfortable pace.

To build your endurance, the majority of your workouts should be performed at this pace, especially in the beginning of your training program to build a solid aerobic capacity.

To continue to build your aerobic capacity, you will need to gradually increase either the time and/or distance of your workouts to progressively overload.

This will force your body to get better at going farther and for longer.

Most people often go too hard when attempting to train their aerobic capacity.

My number one tip to stay aerobic is to slow down, and if that feels slow, then slow down some more.

Anaerobic System

The second aspect of training for endurance is to incorporate workouts focused on the anaerobic system.

The anaerobic system does not use oxygen and primarily uses stored carbohydrates as energy.

When using the anaerobic system, you are not able to perform at this intensity for a long time. For example, you are using the anaerobic system when you are sprinting 100 meters. You are unable to maintain that level of effort for long.

You switch from using the aerobic system to the anaerobic when you cross your aerobic threshold.

This is the point where the intensity of exercise is too difficult to maintain as steady-state and lactate builds up quicker than your muscles can get rid of it. Lactate build up is the “pump” and the burning muscle sensations that lead to you not being able to use your muscles anymore during intense exercise.

Anaerobic exercise is important to include in your endurance training as it increases your speed and helps you become more efficient at using energy at higher intensities so that when you go back to your easy pace, it feels easier.

Here’s some example anaerobic workouts:

• Run: warm-up 20 minutes easy, 400 meters, hard intensity, repeat 5-10 times, rest for 30 seconds in between repeats.

• Bike: warm-up 20 minutes easy, 3 minutes at a hard intensity, 2 minutes at an easy pace, repeat 10 times.

• Swim: warm-up 400 meters easy, 50 yard, hard intensity, repeat 10 times, rest 30 seconds in between repeats.

In your training to improve your endurance, you will perform these workouts less than aerobic ones. Anaerobic workouts can generally make up 10-30% of your training program, depending on your goal.

Mixed Workout

The final aspect of endurance training is to vary your intensities during a single workout.

I call this a mixed workout.

The purpose of this is to work different energy systems in the same workout because you will likely switch from your aerobic system and anaerobic system several times throughout a race.

To perform this mixed workout, you can start at an easy pace, then go moderately hard for 10 minutes, back to easy, and then really hard for 1 minute.

Get creative. There are many possibilities for this type of workout.

Conclusion

Incorporating aerobic, anaerobic, and mixed workouts into your endurance training will prepare you for any endurance endeavor.

The distance or specific demands of the endeavor will alter your training but generally most of your training will be done in the aerobic zone (about 70%), some in the anaerobic zone (about 20%), and some that mix it up in one workout (about 10%).

These are just estimates but your breakdown depends on your experience level, the specific endurance endeavor, and what works best for you.

Enjoy your training!

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