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Why is Aerobic Training Important to Runners? - Runners Connect

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Aerobic running always confused me, but this article explains why it is important, and how to know if you are running aerobically. Very helpful!

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Why is it important?

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Why is Aerobic Training Important to Runners? - Runners Connect

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Aerobic running always confused me, but this article explains why it is important, and how to know if you are running aerobically. Very helpful!

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Fartlek - A Great Running Workout Where You Play With Speed

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http://www.tips4running.com/Fartlek.html Follow me on Twitter - http://bit.ly/TwitTiefsa Facebook - http://bit.ly/t4rFace Want to mix in some speed into your boring distance runs? Try the Fartlek workout. This is a strange word, which is actually Swedish for "Speed Play."

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Training Strategies - Principles of Training

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This program discusses the body's three main energy systems -- aerobic, anaerobic and lactic acid systems; different types of training; and the principles of training. This program looks at when the different energy systems are used by the body during physical exercise, and how different training strategies can be employed for improvement in each one.

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Training to improve your performance obeys the principles of training: specificity, overload, recovery, adaptation and reversibility

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ATP-CP, anaerobic, aerobic

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Frequency, intensity, type and time

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Periods of fast and slow running without stopping

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CoolRunning Australia - Australia's premier website for running information.

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Exercising at a intensity greater than your current capacity

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If you lift weights, you probably follow some kind of strategy for working all of your muscle groups. Certain exercises done for a certain number of reps and sets and using a certain amount of weight and doing those exercises two more times a week.

Many of us follow this kind of strategy when lifting weights without knowing where these rules came from.

So, where do these strategies come from? How can we know if they're right for our fitness level and goals?

It's true that we pick up information from everywhere-books, websites, magazines, friends, what we see other people do at the gym, but all of these resources have to rely on some kind of foundation to give us this information.

That foundation comes from the basic principles of strength training which teach us exactly how to lift weights for the best results. Those principles, known as F.I.T.T., include the frequency of our workouts, the intensity of our workouts, the type and the duration or time of our workouts.

From those principles, the most important when it comes to lifting weights is the intensity of your workouts. To get the most out of strength training you want to give your muscles more than they can handle, or you want to overload them.

When you lift enough weight, your muscles become stronger and you become fitter.

Here's what you need to know about overload.

The Basics of Overload

Overload may sound like a bad thing, like maybe you're overdoing it. But, what it means is that the intensity of the exercise must be high enough above normal for physiological adaptation to occur.

In other words, if you want to see results when lifting weights, you have to lift more than your muscles can handle.

The only way your body changes is if the muscles are taxed to the point where it must grow stronger to lift that weight. That overload will cause the muscle fibers to grow stronger and, sometimes, bigger in order to handle the extra load.

How to Overload Your Muscles

Overloading really has to do with how much weight you lift when you're strength training. If you're a beginner or you haven't lifted weights in a long time, you don't have to worry too much about how much weight you're lifting.

Everything you lift is considered overloading your muscles. In fact, you may not need any weight for some exercises to get that training effect. Sometimes just body weight may be enough to tax your muscles.

Essentially, that means it almost doesn't matter how much weight you lift because anything is more than what you were doing.

Once you're consistent with your workouts, overloading gets a little more specific and you have to continue to work harder from workout to workout to get that same training effect.

Below are the elements you can manipulate to keep progressing and avoid hitting a plateau.

Choose your reps: The number of reps you do depends on your goals. But, changing the reps you do can help keep your muscles working in different ways. If you usually do 15 reps, for example, dropping those reps down to 10 and increasing the weight you're using changes that exercise. These are the rep ranges that correspond to the most common goals:

For general fitness - 8-15 reps

For more endurance - 12 or more reps

For muscle mass - 6-12 reps

For strength - 6 or fewer reps

Choose your sets: Again, the sets you do are generally based on your goals but, like your reps, you can easily change the number of sets you're doing in order to mix things up and add intensity. These are the general set ranges recommended for different goals:

For general fitness - 1-2 sets

For more endurance - 2-3 sets

For muscle mass - 3-6 sets

For strength - 2-6 sets

Choose your weight: Once you know how many reps and sets you're doing, you can focus on how much weight to lift, which is the essential ingredient to overloading your muscles. So, how do you choose the right amount of weight? If you're an experienced exerciser, you probably know a general weight to choose for each exercise. Start there and do the number of reps you've chosen. If you get to 12 and you could keep going, you need to increase your weight for the next set. The idea is that the last rep should be difficult, but not impossible and you should be able to do it with good form. If your form slips, stop early or try a lighter weight next time around. For beginners it's best to err on the side of using lighter weights rather than heavy weights. You can always increase the weights once you get a feel for the exercises.

Keep track: Keeping a strength training log can really help with your weight workouts. That way you can track from week to week how much weight you're lifting and if you're seeing progress or you need to change things up a bit.

Progressing

Part of overload is progressing over time. Too often, we do the same workouts again and again, but in order to keep overloading the body, you have to keep progressing. That means you need to take your exercises to the next level.

That might mean going from knee pushups to toe pushups, for example, or progressing from a chair squat to a dumbbell squat.

As soon as something starts to feel easy, it's time to up the ante so you're always overloading your muscles and adapting to get strong and fit. Just take care not to always work at high intensities, which could lead to overtraining.

Sometimes progressing is as simple as changing the exercise you're doing to something different or even changing the order of your exercises. Almost any change will make a difference in your workout. Learn more about how to change your strength training workouts so you're always making progress.
Bryant CX, Newton-Merrill S, Green DJ. ACE personal trainer manual. San Diego, CA: American Council on Exercise; 2014.​ Senter C, Appelle N, Behera SK. Prescribing exercise for women. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2013;6(2):164-172. doi:10.1007/s12178-013-9163-1.

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Get Strong and Fit by Overloading Your Muscles in Strength Training

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If you lift weights, you probably follow some kind of strategy for working all of your muscle groups. Certain exercises done for a certain number of reps and sets and using a certain amount of weight and doing those exercises two more times a week.

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Non-stop activity for a specified period of time

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Continuous training is when you exercises in a steady aerobic way and interval training is characterised by repetitions of work with a recovery period

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You get what you train for

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The principle of specificity states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce the desired effect. Additionally, training should progress from general conditioning to specific training for the particular skills required in that sport or activity.

Essentially, specificity training means that you must perform the skill in order to get better at it.

It is the principle behind that old saying, "practice makes perfect."

General to Specific Athletic Training

In order to perform most sports and physical activities, you need a base level of fitness. Whether you play soccer or basketball or you are training for a marathon, you need aerobic conditioning. It is an essential component of any athlete's general training.

The specificity principle of sports conditioning comes into play when an athlete wishes to excel in a specific sport or activity. Your training must go from highly general-lifting weights and cardio-to very specific so it includes performing that exercise or skill. To be a good cyclist, you must cycle. A runner should train by running and a swimmer should train by swimming.

In sports that require a wider set of skills, a training program may break down different components so you train specifically for each one. For example, in baseball you would train for batting, catching, throwing, or pitching.

In basketball, training would consist of agility and bursts of speed as well as shooting accuracy.

The training mimics the action and skills that will be needed in the game or activity. It may concentrate on any combination of fitness components, such as strength, power, and endurance. For instance, while a marathon runner will train more for endurance and strength, a weightlifter is more concerned with strength and power.

Benefits

The primary goal of specificity of training is to condition the muscles that will be used in the activity. Over time, you develop muscle memory for specific actions so you can perform them without having to concentrate on them.

As you train, you are able to master skills you will need and learn the best form to use. You can also progress to learning variations of those skills, which may be even more useful during a game or activity.

If you are training to run a race, for instance, you will work on your speed and endurance. But you also want to train under conditions that will mimic the race itself. This includes training in the same sort of terrain with hills, pavement, and weather conditions to build up to the distance and pace required. While you could simply run on a treadmill, that would not prepare you mentally and physically for the varied conditions you will find in a road race.

Drawbacks

A well-designed training program does not neglect aspects of fitness that aren't specific to a sport. You still need to maintain overall fitness and balance the development of opposing muscle groups. If you focus only on drills and skills specific to your sport, you may end up unbalanced.

This may inhibit your athletic ability and performance in the long run.

The Six Principles of Sports Conditioning

The six principles of sports conditioning are the cornerstone of all other effective training methods. These cover all aspects of a solid foundation of athletic training:

Individual Differences: Everyone is unique, so training must be adapted to each individual.

Overload: In order to improve your fitness, you need to increase the stress or load the muscles are exposed to.

Progression: As your fitness level improves, your training should become more difficult and the workload greater.

Adaptation: Your body's ability to adapt over time to an increase in exercise can dictate your training.

Use and Disuse: To maintain conditioning, you need to keep using your muscles.

Specificity: Training for a particular athletic activity.

Once put together, the most logical training program involves a periodized approach which cycles the intensity and training objectives. The training must be specific not only to your sport but to your individual abilities. This includes your tolerance to training stress, recoverability, and outside obligations, among others.

It is also important to increase the training loads over time, allowing some workouts to be less intense than others. Training needs to be regular as well. Sessions should be frequent enough to prevent a detraining effect and to force an adaptation to what you may encounter on game or race day.

A Word From Verywell

The best athletic training programs will offer a well-rounded schedule that applies to the principles of sports conditioning. The specificity of your training is going to depend on your sport of choice as well as your individual needs. Keep in mind, however, that developing great athletic skills should not be too focused and should include elements that work on your overall fitness.
Kenney WL, Wilmore JH, Costill DL, Wilmore JH. Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2015.

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What Is the Principle of Specificity in Athletic Training?

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The principle of specificity states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce the desired effect. Additionally, training should progress from general conditioning to specific training for the particular skills required in that sport or activity.

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Some websites to help you in your 2.3 write up