The next big thing..........

Endurance is the going to be the next ‘big thing’ in training. With more people looking to take on greater and greater challenges in their lives, with more people running, biking swimming and Tri-ing (Pardon the pun)! The only way is to go beyond and take on epic sportives, Long distance triathlons and Ultra marathons. We’re going to explore one way of going about this.

Have you done any cardio-vascular training in the past 3 weeks?

No! Yes skip to following paragraphs.

Have you done any cardio-vascular in the past year?
 
No: Keep it easy! Endurance training is becoming efficient at utilising fuel in your body (Carbohydrates, fats and proteins), to produce energy aerobically (with oxygen), without undue fatigue.” Your first job is to build your aerobic base. This is all about low intensity exercise that allows you to become more efficient at using fat for energy production. An easy way to identify the heart rate that equates to your maximum fat burning intensity is, 180 minus your age. This is the formula suggested by renowned kinesiologist Phillip Maffetone. TEST: Warm up to this heart rate over 5min then hold for 20min. Record the distance you travel in the 20min. Cool down over 5min by reducing your heart to as close to the starting value as possible. Start training on non consecutive days. A minimum 3 times per week, for 20mins, below your magic number. Build the duration of your main sessions you by 3 -5% each week until you reach the maximum time you have to train. Every 2^nd  week run the test. Every 6^th week cut your training by 50%.  Once you no longer travel further in your test, it’s time to sep it up!

Have you done any cardio-vascular training in the past year. Assuming you have not done any in past 3 weeks?

Yes: Start training @ 33% of your pervious training volume.

This will prevent you from over stressing your body and picking up injuries. The most rapid fitness loss occurs over the first 3 weeks. Build your weekly training by replicating the above training pattern for 12 weeks. Now is the time to add in some higher intensity training.

Have you done cardio-vascular training in the past 3 weeks?

Yes: Become a lactate munching monster. The next threshold to work on is your Maximum Lactate Steady Sate (MLSS). Lactate is a by-product of glucose being broken down in muscle to make energy. “The maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) is defined as the highest blood lactate concentration (MLSSc) and work load (MLSSw) that can be maintained over time
without a continual blood lactate accumulation. A close relationship between
endurance sport performance and MLSSw has been reported.” (Sports Med 2003; 33 (6): 407-426)
Lactate shuttle, identified by George Brooks, is a key energy system for people wishing to improve there endurance to work on.
A simple way to establish the heart rate at which MLSS appears is: TEST warm up for 5 – 20min at increasing intensities. Ensure that you do not fatigue yourself doing this. Then record your average heart rate for the last 20min of a 30min maximal effort time trial. Cool down at a low intensity for 5 – 10min. Sub tract 5 beats per min from your average heart rate for the test. Each week add a session where you are working at this heart rate for intervals up to 20min long. E.g. A nice main session on a bike might be: 3 x 20min with 10min low intensity, easy effort recovery.

Have you been doing cardio-vascular training in the past 3 weeks?

Have you plateaued?

Yes. Ask yourself, am I absorbing my training,? Many people don’t allow the body to recovery sufficiently to adapt to training stress. Add recovery days and weeks into your programme. Alternate easy day of training with hard days of training. Have a day off each week. Every 3 to 6 weeks reduce your training by >50% in volume and keep the intensity low.

Have you been doing cardio-vascular training in the past 3 weeks?

 Yes

How much time do you have each week to train?

< 8hours

If you are able to, build up to 8 hours of training each week. This is a point of diminishing return for aerobic exercise. Each hour after this you get less punch for your pound!

>8hours

Make sure you are recovering as hard as you train. It could be better for you to have a couple of 30min power naps and a sports massage each week rather than training those extra 2 hours!

Hopefully by following a few of these steps they will help you on your way to going ultra. Always consult your GP and speak to a personal trainer before you start training. Follow us on facebook or twitter @djptsmater.

How to deal with stress part 3

Stress 3: trying to change you thought patterns

For many of the different ways that you might find yourself affected by stress current psychological theory would suggest that tackling your thoughts is another pretty effective strategy. One idea might be to begin by list all the individual worries or stresses that you have, Writing them down physically can often help to offer some clarity about the causes and can allow you to prioritise the order in which to tackle the issues and identify who could help you with each.

A cognitive behavioural therapy approach to managing stress would also suggest that our bodies respond physically to thoughts as though they are facts. For example, if you’re hungry and start to think of your favourite food you’ll salivate. In the same way if you have any “worst case scenario” thoughts your body will respond with a higher level of physical reaction than might be needed. Try to notice if your thoughts are balanced, or as is often common when feeling stressed, if some of the automatic thoughts that pop into your head are overly negative. Try thinking of a moment when you were especially stressed and then record all the negative thoughts that pop into your mind. Once you’ve written them down the evidence suggests that if you can evaluate them from a non-biased perspective, or get someone to help you to do this, then you might be able to reduce some of the emotional distress. There are lots of books or online resources that can help you with this or other CBT techniques if this seems like it might be helpful for you.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/understanding-stress.aspx

http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/8045_how_to_manage_stress

http://www.stresscds.co.uk/free-worksheets.html

A big thank you to Dr Katherine Preedy of putting this together for us. To conatct katherine please email preedypsychology@hotmail.co.uk

Prevention is better than cure!

The third article in the running series.

Many factors make up an increase risk of injury but most can be controlled. These factors include your diet, posture, running style, training plan and goals. We have started of addressing some of these by setting realistic, time lined goals and working on an efficient way to run.

When running it is important to keep perfect posture and engage your pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles, however listed below are 4 key exercises that will help prevent injuries’

Toe Curls

Using a damp towel, lay it down in front of you, heels on floor, ball of foot on towel, scrunch your toes and foot up to pull the towel along the floor. Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Eccentric calf raises

Stand on a step with just the ball of both your foot on the edge of the step, lift up squeezing your calf muscles, take one leg away (you may wish to hold on to something!), slowly lower yourself back down over 6secs, both feet back on and repeat the process on the other leg, repeat six times.

¾ side plank with knee lift

Lying on your side, weight on your elbow and knee, hips off the floor. Ears, shoulders, hips and knees in line, knee should be bent at 90 degrees, keep feet together as you lift the top knee to the ceiling whilst keeping pelvis still. Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each side.

Single Leg Squats

Stand on one leg, drop your hips back keeping chest wide and tall, once you have 15 degrees of bend at the knee, and engage the muscles in your bum, drive hip forward to stand tall, leg straight.  Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions each side.

If you would like an individual programme or just further information please contact us at david@davidjonespersonaltraining.co.uk or call 07973 533943