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Endurance Training goes by many names and takes many forms. If you spend a considerable amount of time in health clubs around Nanaimo, it’s likely “cardio” (probably the most popular terminology in general); cardio often involves a treadmill or an exercise bicycle. If you’re a woman, I would imagine you have, on occasion, referred to it simply as “aerobics”; aerobics are usually done in some type of dance class.
If you’re an athlete, or at least athletically-inclined, you probably know it as “conditioning”, or, if your athletic interests take a decidedly Eastern European bent, it may even be “General Physical Preparation”; depending on your particular athletic pursuit, conditioning/GPP may have you running a lot and doing many, many bodyweight exercises. My personal favorite, and the nomenclature that we prefer at Integrated Conditioning, is ‘work capacity’; work capacity is typically developed via the use of various ‘weighted’ protocols, such as kettlebells (H2H drills, TAPS multi-level drills, etc.) and strongman implements (tire flip, sandbag carry, etc.).
People will typically perform their Endurance Training for one or more of the following reasons: heart health, fat loss, and/or improved physical performance.
Other than for occasional inclusion during specific periods or phases in an athlete’s training program, most people generally (I realize it’s wrong to generalize, but generalities are not always wrong) seem to think of Long-Slow/Steady-Distance (LSD) work as the best/most-effective-for-everything/only type of Endurance Training worth doing. This type of exercise has been around for a very long time, and it still persists to this day – even in spite of the mounting evidence that indicates that there may be a far better way to get your Endurance Training (no matter the reason you are performing it).
(In all fairness, interval training is receiving a little more ‘press’ in the fitness community, but certainly not near what it deserves. I’m hoping that this article will open the eyes and expand the possibilities of at least one person who hasn’t already considered switching from LSD to intervals.)
LSD training, also often referred to as Steady-State aerobic exercise, is “steeped in tradition”, and anything with so much history behind it is going to be difficult to overcome. People often spout that useless rhetoric about how “… it’s worked in the past, it will work now! Why should I do it any differently?”
First, though, it’s important to note that there are essentially two forms of Endurance Training – aerobic and anaerobic – and they take place within the body’s three energy systems. Anaerobic exercise occurs in the Immediate and Non-Oxidative Energy Systems. The Immediate Energy System, sometimes referred to as the ATP/CP Pathway, involves the breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate and Creatine Phosphate in the cells for energy; it provides instant energy for very brief bouts of intense exercise, typically lasting no longer than about three seconds. Heavy, one-rep weightlifting would be an example. After those three or so seconds, the Non-Oxidative/Glycolytic Pathway takes up the slack. This pathway produces short bursts of energy via the breakdown of glucose (sugar in the bloodstream) and glycogen (sugar stored in the muscles and liver), and typically is called into play for physical activities lasting between four seconds and one minute. A couple examples might be 100- and 400-meter sprints.
O'Dwyers Fitness
Personal Fitness Training, Nutritional and Supplement Sales, Sport Specific Consulting
Pat O'Dwyer - Certified Personal Trainer
Mailing Address: 4621 Bates Road, Nanaimo, BC. V9T 3C2
Ph: 250-755-9560 Fx: 250-758-7465
podwyer@telus.net |