caladin
-Flesh Eater-
Endurance Training Options
From Building Strength & Stamina-2nd Edition by Wayne Westcott, Nautilus Human Performance Systems
Now let’s look at the many training activities available for designing a workout program. The most popular indoor endurance exercises include treadmill walking and jogging, stationary cycling, and using stepping and rowing machines. Outside the workout room, running, bicycling, swimming, and in-line skating are among the favorites.
In addition to a variety of exercise activities, you can choose from four endurance training methods. The first and most common exercise procedure is steady pace training. The second and most productive exercise procedure is interval training. The third and most comprehensive exercise procedure is cross-training. The fourth and most individualized exercise procedure is known as fartlek training.
Steady Pace Training
Most people prefer steady pace training because it involves a consistent and comfortable exercise effort. For instance, you may find it convenient to walk at a specific speed, such as 3.5 miles per hour. This facilitates a steady heart rate response at a given training level for safe and effective endurance exercise sessions. Walking at this pace may raise your heart rate to the appropriate conditioning level, which will be discussed in chapter 7. As you become more fit, you may need to increase your pace to four miles per hour to produce the same training effect.
Steady pace training should not be too easy or too difficult. Make it vigorous enough to stimulate the cardiovascular system but not so strenuous that it is uncomfortable or unpleasant. As a rule, if you are able to converse in short sentences during steady pace training, you are probably exercising at an appropriate (moderate) effort level.
Interval Training
Interval training divides an endurance exercise session into harder and easier segments. For example, you may be able to run four miles at a 9.5-minute-per-mile pace, but you would like to improve to a 9-minute-per-mile pace. Try alternating harder and easier mile segments for the four-mile distance. That is, run the first mile in 9 minutes, the second mile in 10 minutes, the third mile in 9 minutes, and the fourth mile in 10 minutes.
Although your total running time is the same, the effort you put into your workout and the benefits you gain will be greater in the interval training session. This occurs because the 9-minute-mile segments place higher demands on the cardiovascular system, while the 10-minute-mile segments provide recovery intervals, helping you to maintain a desirable overall heart rate response throughout the workout. Interval training provides better cardiovascular conditioning while preparing the body for a faster running pace.
Another physiological advantage of interval training is that it provides more than one cardiovascular stimulus per training session. Each high-effort training interval has a positive impact on your heart’s stroke volume, which helps develop a greater blood pumping capacity.
A psychological advantage of interval training is the faster than normal training pace. Although the high-effort segments may be relatively brief, they demonstrate greater performance potential, making the usual training pace seem a little less demanding by comparison.
The concept of interval training is fairly simple, yet the training options allow considerable personalization. Several interval training variations are possible as you progress to higher levels of cardiovascular fitness:
Increase the exercise effort required during the harder intervals.
Increase the exercise effort required during the easier intervals.
Increase the length of the harder intervals.
Decrease the length of the easier intervals.
5. Increase the number of hard and easy intervals that you complete during a training session.
Cross-Training
Cross-training is another approach to endurance exercise. While interval training alternates harder and easier segments of the same exercise, cross-training combines two or more exercise activities. For example, a 30-minute cross-training session may include 10 minutes of recumbent cycling, 10 minutes of stepping, and 10 minutes of jogging. You may do cross-training exercises at a moderate pace or use higher- and lower-effort intervals throughout the workout. Many endurance athletes cross-train during the off-season to maintain their cardiovascular fitness and avoid overuse injuries.
The advantages of cross-training are twofold. Psychologically, by frequently changing the exercises, you are less likely to experience boredom during your training sessions. Physiologically, the cardiovascular system receives a training stimulus throughout the entire exercise session as long as you perform each activity with at least moderate effort. And by using different muscle groups in different activities, you both increase the general conditioning effect and decrease the risk of overuse injuries. For example, cycling emphasizes the quadriceps muscles, jogging emphasizes the hamstring muscles, and stepping targets the quadriceps and calf muscles.
If you prefer to spend an entire exercise session on a single activity, you can apply cross-training on a week-by-week basis. For example, you may do 30 minutes of cycling on Monday, 30 minutes of stepping on Wednesday, and 30 minutes of jogging on Friday. Once again, by including three types of endurance exercise you alternate the use of different muscle groups, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. The benefits to your cardiovascular system are similar for each aerobic activity as long as you follow the basic principles of endurance exercise explained later in this chapter.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek is a Swedish term that means speed play. Fartlek training represents an exercise program with periods of faster-paced activity interspersed with periods of slower-paced activity. However, unlike interval training, fartlek exercise is more impulsive, or playful, in nature. Whenever you feel like picking up the pace you do so, for as long as you desire. For example, you may row at a moderate pace for a few minutes, then row very fast for several seconds, then row easily for a couple of minutes before again rowing at a powerful pace. You do not time the various segments of your training session but simply exercise as you feel throughout your entire workout, without any attempt at regimentation.
Cardiovascular Training Design
Although endurance exercise can provide many physical benefits, you must train in a certain manner to maximize cardiovascular conditioning. Because the effectiveness of endurance exercise methods varies considerably, we recommend the same training principles researched by the American College of Sports Medicine.6 These highly respected exercise guidelines provide a solid framework for improving your endurance fitness safely and productively. For maximum cardiovascular benefit, we suggest that you do a variety of aerobic activities that use large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and are rhythmic in nature.
From Building Strength & Stamina-2nd Edition by Wayne Westcott, Nautilus Human Performance Systems
Now let’s look at the many training activities available for designing a workout program. The most popular indoor endurance exercises include treadmill walking and jogging, stationary cycling, and using stepping and rowing machines. Outside the workout room, running, bicycling, swimming, and in-line skating are among the favorites.
In addition to a variety of exercise activities, you can choose from four endurance training methods. The first and most common exercise procedure is steady pace training. The second and most productive exercise procedure is interval training. The third and most comprehensive exercise procedure is cross-training. The fourth and most individualized exercise procedure is known as fartlek training.
Steady Pace Training
Most people prefer steady pace training because it involves a consistent and comfortable exercise effort. For instance, you may find it convenient to walk at a specific speed, such as 3.5 miles per hour. This facilitates a steady heart rate response at a given training level for safe and effective endurance exercise sessions. Walking at this pace may raise your heart rate to the appropriate conditioning level, which will be discussed in chapter 7. As you become more fit, you may need to increase your pace to four miles per hour to produce the same training effect.
Steady pace training should not be too easy or too difficult. Make it vigorous enough to stimulate the cardiovascular system but not so strenuous that it is uncomfortable or unpleasant. As a rule, if you are able to converse in short sentences during steady pace training, you are probably exercising at an appropriate (moderate) effort level.
Interval Training
Interval training divides an endurance exercise session into harder and easier segments. For example, you may be able to run four miles at a 9.5-minute-per-mile pace, but you would like to improve to a 9-minute-per-mile pace. Try alternating harder and easier mile segments for the four-mile distance. That is, run the first mile in 9 minutes, the second mile in 10 minutes, the third mile in 9 minutes, and the fourth mile in 10 minutes.
Although your total running time is the same, the effort you put into your workout and the benefits you gain will be greater in the interval training session. This occurs because the 9-minute-mile segments place higher demands on the cardiovascular system, while the 10-minute-mile segments provide recovery intervals, helping you to maintain a desirable overall heart rate response throughout the workout. Interval training provides better cardiovascular conditioning while preparing the body for a faster running pace.
Another physiological advantage of interval training is that it provides more than one cardiovascular stimulus per training session. Each high-effort training interval has a positive impact on your heart’s stroke volume, which helps develop a greater blood pumping capacity.
A psychological advantage of interval training is the faster than normal training pace. Although the high-effort segments may be relatively brief, they demonstrate greater performance potential, making the usual training pace seem a little less demanding by comparison.
The concept of interval training is fairly simple, yet the training options allow considerable personalization. Several interval training variations are possible as you progress to higher levels of cardiovascular fitness:
Increase the exercise effort required during the harder intervals.
Increase the exercise effort required during the easier intervals.
Increase the length of the harder intervals.
Decrease the length of the easier intervals.
5. Increase the number of hard and easy intervals that you complete during a training session.
Cross-Training
Cross-training is another approach to endurance exercise. While interval training alternates harder and easier segments of the same exercise, cross-training combines two or more exercise activities. For example, a 30-minute cross-training session may include 10 minutes of recumbent cycling, 10 minutes of stepping, and 10 minutes of jogging. You may do cross-training exercises at a moderate pace or use higher- and lower-effort intervals throughout the workout. Many endurance athletes cross-train during the off-season to maintain their cardiovascular fitness and avoid overuse injuries.
The advantages of cross-training are twofold. Psychologically, by frequently changing the exercises, you are less likely to experience boredom during your training sessions. Physiologically, the cardiovascular system receives a training stimulus throughout the entire exercise session as long as you perform each activity with at least moderate effort. And by using different muscle groups in different activities, you both increase the general conditioning effect and decrease the risk of overuse injuries. For example, cycling emphasizes the quadriceps muscles, jogging emphasizes the hamstring muscles, and stepping targets the quadriceps and calf muscles.
If you prefer to spend an entire exercise session on a single activity, you can apply cross-training on a week-by-week basis. For example, you may do 30 minutes of cycling on Monday, 30 minutes of stepping on Wednesday, and 30 minutes of jogging on Friday. Once again, by including three types of endurance exercise you alternate the use of different muscle groups, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. The benefits to your cardiovascular system are similar for each aerobic activity as long as you follow the basic principles of endurance exercise explained later in this chapter.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek is a Swedish term that means speed play. Fartlek training represents an exercise program with periods of faster-paced activity interspersed with periods of slower-paced activity. However, unlike interval training, fartlek exercise is more impulsive, or playful, in nature. Whenever you feel like picking up the pace you do so, for as long as you desire. For example, you may row at a moderate pace for a few minutes, then row very fast for several seconds, then row easily for a couple of minutes before again rowing at a powerful pace. You do not time the various segments of your training session but simply exercise as you feel throughout your entire workout, without any attempt at regimentation.
Cardiovascular Training Design
Although endurance exercise can provide many physical benefits, you must train in a certain manner to maximize cardiovascular conditioning. Because the effectiveness of endurance exercise methods varies considerably, we recommend the same training principles researched by the American College of Sports Medicine.6 These highly respected exercise guidelines provide a solid framework for improving your endurance fitness safely and productively. For maximum cardiovascular benefit, we suggest that you do a variety of aerobic activities that use large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and are rhythmic in nature.
