EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES
Understanding the elements required to maximise endurance performance is all well and good. But the key to success is knowing how to blend these components in a way that maximises performance potential, while minimising the risk of injury and burnout.
In this section, you’ll find information on exactly what this means in terms of planning and structuring your training programme.
in Base endurance training, Endurance training, High intensity training, Training structure and planning
Rick Lovett explains how science can improve your threshold training Tempo runs have long been a staple of endurance training. As far back as the 1960s, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman got his University of Oregon distance runners to do 3-mile ‘up-tempo’ runs on the track during the fall and winter off-season, recalls Bob Williams, who... MORE
in Training structure and planning
How can you best plan your training and reduce the chances of overtraining or illness? James Marshall looks at a simple measuring tool that allows you to measure your overall training load across all your sessions... MORE
in Training structure and planning
John Shepherd looks at multi-event transitions, and how you can enhance them to boost your overall performance Endurance multi-sports, such as triathlon, biathlon and swim-run events require changes in locomotion between the disciplines. These changes also account for elapsed time – time that could affect the overall event result. Indeed, in triathlon, these transitions are... MORE
in Training structure and planning
Andrew Hamilton presents some of the latest findings from the world of sport performance science MORE
in Training structure and planning
Article at a glance: When planning a cycling training program, a common mistake made by cyclists is to be over zealous during the October to December period. Coach Joe Beer uses a simple zone training system based on heart rates to approximate three zones of effort and reward for cycling: Zone 1 (Z1) – this... MORE
in Training structure and planning
One simple way to become a better endurance athlete is to increase the amount of training you’re doing. Provided you don’t overtrain, increases in your workout load will generally produce upswings in aerobic capacity (V02max) and lactate threshold (LT), both of which will lead to heightened performances. However, if you’re going to increase your quantity... MORE
in Training structure and planning
Just how hot should your warm-up be? There is considerable disagreement among athletes and coaches about how intense a warm-up should be. Current thinking, however, suggests that a significant portion of the warm-up should be very intense if the ensuing workout or competition is to be carried out at a high intensity. One theory is... MORE
in Training structure and planning
In professional sport, coaches are under intense pressure to perform. Coaches have a tendency to tackle poor performance by increasing training load(1), which may actually exacerbate the problem rather than solving it. Underperformance can be caused by a number of factors, including injury, fatigue, loss of confidence or motivation, relationship problems (within or outside the... MORE
in Training structure and planning
Most previous triathlon research has focused on the effect of the cycling leg on running performance but has not considered the effect that the initial triathlon swim may have on both subsequent disciplines. But new Australian research has concluded that completing the swim leg of a sprint triathlon at time trial intensity impairs subsequent cycling... MORE
in Training structure and planning
How to set the speed and inclination of the treadmill to mimic hill training Hill training is great for athletes engaged in sports that involve running, because hill training enhances running economy, functional strength, lactate threshold, and VO2max. However, outdoor hill workouts can be problematic under windy and wet conditions – or for athletes who... MORE
