J291_Feature_Intensity_rr_mf.qxd:Training
5/13/08
1:10 PM
When the intensity of exercise is reduced, not only does the rate of ROS production decrease, but also the muscle cells are able to regenerate glutathione, the most important muscular antioxidant, enabling the muscle cells to neutralize ROS at a higher rate. As a result, fatigue dissipates. The more the exercise intensity is reduced, the faster this recovery process proceeds.
FATIGUE IS FATIGUE IS FATIGUE In the final analysis, it matters very little what causes fatigue at supra-threshold intensities. What matters is preventing it and, to the degree that it does occur, reversing it. The best way to push back the wall of fatigue in an XTERRA, or in any other race, for that matter, is not to figure out the precise physiological origins of the fatigue you experience therein but is instead to perform workouts that challenge your capacity to resist fatigue in ways that are similar to the race itself. Again, in the case of XTERRA, this means you need to include in your training regimen some workouts in which you challenge yourself to recover from a brief, supra-threshold effort while cycling or running at roughly threshold intensity. Performing such workouts will stimulate physiological adaptations that enable your muscles to restore their optimal pH balance, increase muscle cell polarity and so forth more quickly and at a higher exercise intensity than would be possible otherwise. Here are three such workouts.
HILL/FLAT INTERVALS In conventional hill intervals, whether done on the bike or on foot, each interval is performed at a steady intensity and
Page 136
entirely on an upward slope. Hill/flat intervals are a little different. You do the first half at supra-threshold intensity on an incline and the last half at threshold intensity on level terrain after cresting the hill. You must recover from the first half while completing the second. The particulars may vary. I suggest you start with shorter climbing segments and slightly increase their duration each time you repeat the workout while maintaining a steady duration in the flat segments. This will challenge your body to recover from increasing levels of fatigue in equal time. Here’s a sample threeweek progression that works for the bike and the run (warm-up and cool-down are not included): Week
8 x 30 seconds uphill @ 120% threshold effort/30 seconds flat @ threshold speed, spin/jog back to starting point for recovery
Week
8 x 45 seconds uphill @ 120% threshold effort/30 seconds flat @ threshold speed, spin/jog back to starting point for recovery
Week
8 x 60 seconds uphill @ 120% threshold effort/30 seconds flat @ threshold speed, spin/jog back to starting point for recovery
1 2 3
The tricky part of this workout is finding just the right starting point on the hill so you crest it at 120 percent of threshold effort after the planned amount of time (30, 45 or 60 seconds) has elapsed. Recall that threshold intensity is defined as the max-
In t r od uc i n g 2 Ne w F l a vo r s o f EFS
Now Available in Grape and Fruit Punch EFS energy drink combines the latest clinical research and technology with input from some of the best cyclists in the world.The result: a great-tasting energy drink that has ALL the ingredients you need to maximize endurance. EFS is the first energy drink to be fortified with clinically effective doses of the amino acids Glutamine, Leucine, Iso-leucine and Valine to improve glycogen resynthesis and delay mental fatigue. EFS also delivers a clinically effective mix of complex carbohydrates, glucose (dextrose) and sucrose because the latest research shows a mix of carbohydrate sources provides superior energy and endurance over a single carbohydrate source. Plus, each serving gives you all five electrolytes, in the levels endurance athletes require, to prevent cramping and dehydration. So, you don’t need to carry those extra electrolyte pills or add anything else to your bottles anymore. Times have changed.
firstendurance.com 866.347.7811
136
T R I AT H L E T E
|
J U LY 2 0 0 8
|
T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M