Winter is the best time to start planning your training for race season. Many things go into an effective training plan, such as time available, where you are located(cold, warm, rural, urban environments), and what you are training for. In any plan, it’s important to keep testing yourself in order to determine whether what you’re doing is helping your body adapt and improve, or falling short. In order to get maximum benefit from your training plan, it’s important to know where you are now so you, or your Coach, can plan a progressive strategy to help you achieve your goals.…
VO2 Max, Lactate Threshold, and the Body’s Energy Systems
For the beginner in multi-sport, or any endurance sport, the terms VO2 max and lactate threshold will inevitably become a part of his or her vocabulary. For most, it easy to be confused about what exactly each one is, and how they relate to training. Although it will involve a certain amount of scientific terminology, I will try to give you a better understanding of what these two terms mean, how they are important to you, and how the body creates energy for you to perform at your best. Vo2 max is of particular importance for endurance athletes. It is…
I know you’ve heard the sayings, “there’s always someone out there training harder than you,” or “you have to work harder than the next guy to win,” etc. It all sounds like something you remember from your old grade school gym teacher, or football coach. In fact, many people and coaches are still using these sayings to try to motivate themselves, or their athletes today. While it’s true that you have to train hard and be dedicated to succeed, training harder all the time doesn’t usually equate with better results, and can oftentimes lead to injury, or burnout. This is…
No matter what sport you are training for, in order to do well, you must have a plan. Elite level athletes never train at the same intensity all year long. If they did, they would not achieve anywhere near what they are capable of. More than likely, they would burn out or sustain various injuries. If you want to perform at your best when it counts, and continually build on your fitness level year after year, you need to plan your training using a methodology called “periodization.” In this article, I will define the term periodization as it relates to…
