Training Prescription for Aerobic Adaptation

Question 1

What are the physiological adaptations of easy and steady endurance training?

Answer 1

Blood volume increase of 7-20%
Initially the plasma volume increases at around 10 days followed by red blood cell concentration around 4 weeks.
Increased blood volume = increased EDV = increased SV = reduced HR.
Enhanced concentration of haemoglobin = increased O2 carrying capacity.
Increased capillary density in muscle = increase in transit time.
Increased size and density of mitochondria, accompanying increase in aerobic enzymes

Question 2

What are the three simple intensity levels for endurance training?

Answer 2

Easy - Steady, below threshold
Threshold training - LT typically 30-60mins
Interval, high intensity

Question 3

What can the increases of lactate threshold be attributed to?

Answer 3

Reduced production due to less reliance on anaerobic glycolysis and increased ability to generate ATP aerobically. This is due to the fact the size and desnity of mitochondria has increased as well as an increase in the key enzymes in the krebs cycle and ETC.

Question 4

It is clear that Interval training has its benefits but what is the physiological reasoning behind these benefits?

Answer 4

-Reduced CHO oxidation and Lactate accumulation at the same absolute intensity.
-Enhanced buffering capacity of Hydrogen ions (H+). Increased buffering = maintenance of hgih-intensity muscular activity and higher glycolytic ATP yield.
Potentially due to enhanced heat tolerance.

Question 5

What impacts does increased H+ have?

Answer 5

H+ affects muscular force production, ATPase activity, muscle cross bridge formation, inhibition of key glycolytic enzymes such as PFK.

Question 6

Is there an optimal training intensity distribution?

Answer 6

80:20 Ratio of low intensity to high intensity training.

Question 7

With the 4 intensity model, used on a lactate graph, what are the characteristics of each zone?

Answer 7

Zone E - easy running = HR <149beats.min lasting longer than 1hour. Low intensity <13kmh
Zone S - steady running = Heart rate <171 beats.min main bulk of the training session, lasting 45mins <15 kmh
Zone T - tempo running = 171-178 beats.min 15-16kmh
Zone I - Aerobic interval training = >178 beats.min >16kmh used for all intermittent or interval sessions