Simply put this occurs due to a greater effectiveness of blood flow to the muscle increasing the ability to extract oxygen.Īdaptations to VO2 Max occur as a combination of cardio and respiratory adaptations. The anaerobic threshold is the most commonly referred to metric in endurance sport e.g. There is two ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) – these can be referred to as the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. The ventilatory threshold (commonly exchanged with lactate threshold) or the point at which ventilation starts to shift upwards is also extended. Overall ventilation (moving air in and out of lungs) is decreased at submaximal exercise intensity, so you’re not breathing as hard as you did before! But at maximal intensities ventilation goes up, sometimes greater than 180L/min, at maximal intensity for elite athletes. Arteries, arterioles, and capillaries adapt in structure and number inducing an improvement in oxygen delivery to the working muscle among a host of other benefits. Through this, changes in haematocrit are observed or the ratio of red blood cells to total blood volume. Blood plasma (liquid that holds blood cells) increases as do red blood cells. Regarding adaptations to the blood and blood vessels, overall blood volume increases by up to 20-25% in trained individuals 3. This is again due in part to increased parasympathetic activity along with the adaptations mentioned above in relation to stroke volume. When starting off your heart rate seems high for a given power/ pace but over months you notice the power/ pace remaining the same but heart rate decreasing. With consistent or chronic endurance training heart rate at sub maximal levels is also decreased, you may see this over a base period. This is the branch of the nervous system responsible for our “rest and digest” functions meaning it should be properly functioning while resting, in times of over-reaching you’ll notice your resting heart rate higher, this is due to a decrease in parasympathetic activity and increase in sympathetic activity or your “fight or flight” response. Resting heart rate is decreased perhaps due to increased parasympathetic activation 2. The amount of blood pumped by the heart in litres per minute. Thus, cardiac output is also increased i.e. This is in part due again to that left ventricle mass and its increased ability to contract. Stroke volume increases – stroke volume, put basically, is the volume of blood your heart pumps with each beat, obviously the higher this is the more oxygen rich blood being delivered! Trained individuals can have stroke volumes in excess of 180ml/min during exercise. Through this the filling capacity of the left ventricle is increased meaning more blood can get in! Increase in heart size – this is due to the left ventricle (a chamber in the heart muscle) wall undergoing hypertrophy like any other muscle in the body and becoming thicker. So, what are some of the common adaptations to endurance training if the athlete is producing power over extended time periods? Here we’re talking about cardiovascular (your heart and veins), respiratory (lungs) and metabolic (fuel usage) gains. As an endurance athlete you are predominantly required to produce power over extended periods of time or distances usually with a high reliance on aerobic (with oxygen) metabolism. Endurance sport is characterised by lactate threshold, VO2 Max and economy 1.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |