Scientific research has identified lactate threshold (LT) and maximal exercise performance as being very important contributors to endurance performance. A well-designed endurance training program can lead to improvement in both LT and maximal exercise performance within a single season and from season to season.
This section from the book, Developing Endurance, gives an overview of how to plan and develop a program for endurance athletes by following four steps.
Personal trainersTSAC FacilitatorsCoachesProgram designEndurance TrainingEndurance AthleteProgrammingDeveloping Endurance
Endurance sports are typically not thought of as highly technical endeavors, but proper movement during training and competition for endurance sports can affect both performance and health.
Research shows that the appropriate integration of resistance training into the endurance athlete’s training can result in significantly better performance when compared to classic endurance training plans that focus only on aerobic endurance.
CoachesExercise Sciencetraining for runnersweight trainingstrength trainingsport performance trainingEndurance training
A sound year-round aerobic endurance training program should be divided into sport seasons with specific goals and objectives designed to improve performance gradually and progressively.
CoachesProgram designExercise program designoff-season trainingpostseason trainingin-season trainingpreseason training
The VO2max test is the most effective measurement of the body’s ability to deliver and use oxygen for producing energy that can be used by the muscles. VO2max (i.e., maximum aerobic power) simply stands for the maximal volume of oxygen that can be used.
CoachesExercise ScienceTesting and EvaluationAerobic enduranceaerobic trainingendurance trainingstrength and conditioning
This excerpt from the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning outlines what training typically looks like in the preparatory period, or off-season.