Going Long: A Time and a Place

What we know about anaerobic training is that it decreases body fat and increases cardiovascular function, muscle mass, strength, power, speed, aerobic capacity, capillarization, and mitochondrial growth. You can’t anaerobically train yourself to win the Boston marathon, however.

What we know about aerobic training is that increases cardiovascular function, improves fat utilization, improves capillarization, and increases mitochondrial growth. However, we also know that aerobic training decreases muscle mass, strength, power, speed, anaerobic capacity, and testosterone.

These are not my opinions. This is science.

Today we will go long (relatively). Furthermore, the training will be largely aerobic, which given what I just stated above seems to give up quite a bit considering what we could gain keeping things more anaerobic. I agree, but remember what our mission is:

“..broad, general, inclusive fitness.”

We are after General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and no matter how compelling the science is for anaerobic training is, we still need to go long. We spend a great deal of time in much shorter, much more aerobically focused training, and we do so for good reason. Yet, to completely cut out exposures like this one today would be a failure of our mission.

Today we’ll build some aerobic capacity and hopefully grow the margins of our experience beyond our normal twenty-minutes-or-less training bubble. Of course, all training is relative and I anticipate very few students to complete the workout as it’s written below, so come with an open mind and some excitement to round out your training.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach

 

 

References:

– www.zone5endurance.com
– Lydiard A, Running to the Top, Meyers and Meyers Sport, 1995, pgs. 41, 78, & 105
– Maffetone P, Training for Endurance; Guide for Triathletes, Runners, & Cyclists
– David Barmore Productions, 1996, pg 78
– Burgomaster K, Hughes S, Heigenhauser G, Bradwell S, Gibala M. Six Sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans J Appl Physiol 98: 1985-1990, 2005
– Coyle, E. Very intense exercise-training is extremely potent and time efficient: a reminder J Appl Physiol 98: 1983-1984, 2005
– Runners Train Less and Be Faster: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/