This applies to everyone trying to improve or at least maintain
fitness as long as possible. Fast or slow, old or young.
Nick
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Aerobic base training: Going slower to get faster
By Matt Russ
For Active.com
November 08, 2005


One of the hardest concepts for an athlete to understand and implement
is base training. It's counterintuitive to run or bike slowly in order
to gain performance later in the season.

It's also very difficult to take a step back from the intense training
you were doing a few weeks ago, and bring the speed and pace way down.
But if you have the discipline to train aerobically for a period of
time, when everyone else is still hammering away, it will pay you
dividends down the road.

First and foremost you need a break. I prescribe a three- to four-week
transition phase at the end of each season and immediately follow it
with base training. Transition is a time to rest and recover both
physically and mentally.

We don't take total time off because the fitness loss takes too long
to make up. Instead I give my athletes maximum flexibility with their
training, plenty of rest, and let them leave the heart rate monitor at
home. This gives them a few weeks to refocus before we begin
structured base training.

You can't train hard year round without taking regular periods of
reduced volume and intensity. If you do, you'll find yourself burned
out, over trained and perhaps injured. You'll also find your
performance degrading rather than improving. Most athletes build base
in the fall and winter when there aren't a lot of races. If one of my
athletes wants to race during base we call it a "C" fun/training race
and don't set any performance goals.

Physiology of base training

There are two basic energy systems you use when training: anaerobic
and aerobic. Unfortunately, you can't build both your aerobic and
anaerobic systems at the same time very well. The idea behind base
training is to train your aerobic energy system specifically and solely.

Why is this important? The more work you perform aerobically, or in
the presence of oxygen, the more efficient you are. Prolonged aerobic
training produces muscular adaptations that improve oxygen transport
to the muscles, reduces the rate of lactate formation, improves the
rate of lactate removal and increases energy production and
utilization. These adaptations occur slowly over time.

Fat is a primary fuel source for the aerobic energy system. Over the
course of a base period your body learns to break down and utilize fat
as an energy source more efficiently. As an added bonus, this
adaptation helps post-exercise fat metabolism as well.

This is an important factor, especially for long-distance athletes.
The fat we have in our bodies could provide enough energy to perform
many distance events back to back, whereas muscle glycogen depletion
can occur in as little as one hour. The less muscle glycogen you
utilize, the more efficient you are. Contrary to the aerobic system,
the anaerobic system consumes carbohydrate rapidly and the byproduct
is lactic acid.

Other adaptations of aerobic training include increased stroke volume
of the heart, capillary density and mitochondrial density. Stroke
volume increase simply means that your heart pumps more blood per
beat. Mitochondria are structures within muscle cells that produce
energy from fat and carbohydrate oxidation. Think of them as tiny
batteries for muscle contractions.

Regular endurance training can double these structures.1 By increasing
capillary density we can effectively transport more blood to the
working muscles. The process of building capillaries occurs gradually.
Because high-stress training breaks down capillaries, base training is
best for allowing the slow growth of capillaries.

Base progression

There should be progression during base season as with any other
training period. I normally prescribe 12-16 weeks of base training.
This will vary with the athlete's fitness level, and the type of event
they will be peaking for. Over the course of base, I progress from the
low end of the aerobic energy system and gradually proceed in steps to
the high end. The heart rate zones I use fall into the 71- to
90-percent range of lactate threshold or 61 to 80 percent of max heart
rate.

I also incorporate specific strength training at an aerobic level.
This entails different types of low-cadence cycling and slow hill
running or even walking. These workouts also increase in volume
throughout base. Base training is an excellent time to work on form
and economy as well. As intensities increase later in the season, it's
harder to concentrate on form.

By establishing good economy habits early in the season, the you'll
carry them forward. It's also important to incorporate drills and
technique work when you're training at low intensity to keep boredom
at bay. Base training doesn't mean you'll never move fast. Run
strides, foot speed drills and fast pedal work can all be integrated.
Towards the end of base, I start power work but use brief durations
and full recovery between efforts.

How does this transfer into performance gain?

Let me give you a hypothetical example. Suppose athlete Sam runs a
seven-minute mile at lactate threshold. His fastest aerobic pace, or
aerobic threshold, is an eight-minute mile. We start off Sam's base
training at the low end aerobic zones at which he runs a seven-minute
mile and he begrudgingly complies. Over the course of his 12-week base
program the above mentioned adaptations occur.

At the end of his base season he runs a 7:30-minute mile --
aerobically. This is the "base" for Sam to build on for the rest of
his season. Improving on the previous season is now more obtainable
with proper training. If Sam's race is an Ironman, in which the
aerobic energy system is used predominantly, this improvement in
aerobic speed is crucial.

Now the hard part ...

The hard part of base training is having the discipline to train at
these low intensities. It may mean running very slowly or even
walking. It may mean separating from your training group in order to
pursue your individual goals. It also means avoiding the contest of
egos that group training often turns into.

If you can find a training partner with similar goals and fitness
level you may be able to train with them, but more often I see base
work go awry. Even spending short amounts of time above your aerobic
zone degrades the workout.

The area between the top of the aerobic threshold and anaerobic
threshold is somewhat of a no-man's-land of fitness. It's a mix of
aerobic and anaerobic states. For the amount of effort the athlete
puts forth, not a whole lot of fitness is produced. It doesn't train
the aerobic or anaerobic energy system to a high degree.

This area does have its place in training; it's just not in base
season. Unfortunately this area is where I find a lot of athletes
spending the majority of their seasons, which retards aerobic
development. The athlete's heart rate shoots up to this zone with
little power or speed being produced when it gets there.

Another issue is having accurate zones. I regularly performance test
my athletes in order to ensure their zones are correct and to confirm
their training. After performing many of these tests, and comparing
them to race data, I get a very clear estimate of lactate threshold. I
use a percentage of LTHR to determine individual zones.

I also recommend validation through clinical testing. I have witnessed
athletes using zones that are several years old. Assuming fitness has
improved over this time, their zones would no longer be accurate and
they may have spent an entire base season training the wrong energy
system.

You have to let your anaerobic system atrophy during base. This means
you'll lose some of your anaerobic endurance and the ability to
sustain speed near lactate threshold. Expect to lose some top end
coming out of base, but this is what you're going to spend the rest of
your season working on. It often takes several seasons to see the
result of sound base training if you're a novice athlete. Be patient,
it's a slow process that can't be rushed, but the sooner you get
started the faster you'll be.

Reference
Holloszy, J. Biochemical adaptations in muscle. Journal of Biological
Chemistry 242: 2278-2282, 167.

Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes for over 10 years around
the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT,
USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt has coached athletes
for CTS (Carmichael Training Systems), and has been certified by Joe
Friel's Ultrafit Association. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more
information.