FEATURES

Training Volume Vs. Reality...

Friday, 08 January 2016 00:10

By Dr. Michael Williams

If you are similar to the average endurance athlete out there, you probably understand the ever-pressing limitation of time. You may have thoughts on the lines of, “How do I balance training volume with reality?” or “Do I skip going to a movie with my friends, or having dinner with my family to get yesterday’s workout in?”

Well I’ve got good news for you…huge training volumes are more often than not an old way of thinking. That’s right, you can still love your family and find time for your career and other non-athletic hobbies, as long as you adapt to a more efficient (and science supported) way of training! It’s just the plain truth that working out 15-20 hours a week is quite tough and unrealistic for most competitors and non-competitors out there....

You might wonder what the heck I mean when I refer to a more efficient way of training. Well, it’s quite simple, but is often over-looked as to just accept the old fashioned concept of base building as the training standard for endurance athletes. Simply stated: putting in the same amount of time into your training during your ‘base’ period that you do during the remainder of your training year merely at lower intensities, will not build you a stronger aerobic fitness base!

One of the most important adaptations your body goes through with true base building is an increase in the function of mitochondria, a microcellular specialized structure found in living muscle cells that utilizes energy stores for exercise. Interestingly, this utilization of energy also includes a part of the process that breaks down lactate! So increasing the amount and function of mitochondria allows for more usable energy during exercise at all intensity levels. READ MORE

FYI - The photo has nothing to do with the story.