If you quickly run out of steam and get tired, then it’s time to develop endurance! With our cool anaerobic training program, you will not only improve your endurance, but also lose those extra pounds!
If you get tired quickly and cannot perform exercises for a long time even with a weak load, then it’s time to switch to aerobic training. These are special exercise programs aimed at developing aerobic or general endurance.
They will activate your body's energy system and help increase endurance, which is very important both for professional athletes and for people who simply take care of their health and love sports. You will be able to work on your body much longer without fatigue, take on a larger load and recover quickly.
Isn't this the dream of every active fitness enthusiast?
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During these exercises, two energy systems that peacefully coexist in our body are actively involved in the work: aerobic and anaerobic.
These systems are responsible for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, which plays an important role in the process of energy metabolism). A well-developed aerobic energy system quickly converts carbohydrates into energy, and during systematic, long-term exercise, fats and proteins are also included in this process. This makes aerobic training almost ideal for losing weight and burning excess fat.
If you are interested in how to properly develop your endurance and get less tired in training and in everyday life, you are on the right track.
Endurance is also characterized by the aerobic and anaerobic performance of the body.
Anaerobic energy is produced without the participation of oxygen. Its sources are phosphates and glycogen reserves accumulated in the body (a product of glucose metabolism). Anaerobic energy is produced by the body in very limited quantities and is used for short and intense bursts of activity, with activities lasting up to 4 minutes, after which phosphate and glycogen stores are depleted and aerobic energy begins to be produced.
In turn, anaerobic energy is produced using two mechanisms: creatine phosphate (the maximum of its performance occurs in the second - third seconds of work) and glycolytic (the maximum performance occurs in the first - second minutes of work). The peculiarity of the body’s work is such that each of the energy processes (anaerobic creatine phosphate and glycolytic, as well as aerobic) comes into action sequentially after the capabilities of the previous one are exhausted.
Aerobic energy literally means energy obtained from oxygen. Aerobic energy is the type that is produced during training to develop the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the body. The body uses aerobic energy during prolonged physical activity. It occurs mainly during the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats with the participation of oxygen.
ATP production during aerobic exercise
Known as adenosine triphosphoric acid, ATP is involved in the release of energy. The work of ATP comes down to the fact that it provides all the cells of our body with energy, which is so necessary for metabolism and for our life in general.
Almost any process occurring inside the body cannot do without ATP, including muscle contractions.
Aerobic training and exercises to develop endurance are precisely aimed at increasing the amount of energy produced by the body. This is especially important during long-term, low-intensity exercise, such as jogging.
Aerobic endurance training
The best way to develop aerobic endurance is through general cardio exercise. These include physical activities that strengthen the heart and lungs. For example, jumping rope, jogging, walking, swimming, etc. Methods aimed at increasing aerobic endurance can be divided into three levels:
- beginning;
- average level;
- advanced.
Let's take a closer look.
Beginning
This level is intended for people who are just getting started with aerobic training. You can easily incorporate some cardio exercise into your daily routine. You just need to show a little enthusiasm in ordinary things:
- Instead of the elevator, take the stairs.
- Walk quickly to the nearest supermarket or gym. You can complicate the task a little - walk home from the supermarket with all your purchases in hand. A brisk walk will do. See how much faster your heart beats.
- Walk around the apartment at a brisk pace or even go for a run. If someone asks you to help bring something, don’t refuse.
Average level
The intermediate level is intended for more experienced athletes who have already done cardio exercises. You can start with a short aerobic workout and gradually increase its duration. For example, you started with 15-20 minutes 4 times a week. Now, over the next 2-4 weeks, increase the time to 30 minutes.
What is aerobic exercise
Aerobics is a set of exercises (this includes running, jumping, walking) that are performed to rhythmic musical accompaniment. Aerobic exercise improves physical fitness, flexibility, endurance, and has a healing effect on the entire body. A set of aerobic exercises was developed as a health system. It is actively used for weight loss, but cardio exercises bring benefits of a much wider range.
During exercise, blood circulation improves, the heart muscle contracts more often, the number of red blood cells increases, blood pressure returns to normal, resting heart rate decreases and the risk of diabetes decreases. Increased ventilation of the lungs provides additional oxygen saturation, activating recovery processes in the body. Such training reduces the risk of depression and has a positive effect on a person’s mental state.
Aerobic exercise refers to cardio exercise. Their main difference from power (anaerobic) exercise is the source of energy. Aerobic exercises are performed using one source - oxygen, while anaerobic exercise requires energy to be produced by the muscles. There are no exercises that are purely aerobic or anaerobic, so when dividing them, it is more likely to mean which type of energy is predominant. The main criterion that determines the type is the pulse rate: if the pulse is up to 85% of the maximum, the load is aerobic.
Types of aerobic exercise
Before we talk about the main types of aerobic exercise, let's find out what intensity your workout should be. The intensity depends on the degree of your preparation and the physical condition of the body. In gyms, to determine the degree of load, they use the Borg scale (CR10), according to which aerobic exercises occupy positions 4-6 (moderate, heavy). It’s easier, especially at home, to conduct a speech test - you work out intensely, sweat, but your shortness of breath does not prevent you from pronouncing words clearly.
Types of aerobic exercise:
- high-impact - intense exercise with lots of jumping, exercises, running;
- switching or free motion - alternating exercises on simulators with cardio and aerobics;
- dance aerobics;
- slide aerobics - average in load between strength and dance, based on the sliding effect;
- bodyflex - breathing exercises;
- Oriental martial arts (tai chi, kung fu) and yoga are also considered separate types of such stress.
Aerobic sports
If you want to take care of your health, but don't want to go to fitness aerobics, there are other aerobic sports. These include: swimming, skiing, aerobic dancing, jumping rope, jogging in place (you can use a machine), water aerobics. All these sports serve to strengthen muscles, burn excess calories, and improve the health of the body as a whole.
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As soon as you feel that you are accustomed to such loads and by the end of the aerobic workout your working heart rate is the same as when you just started training (20 minutes, 4 times a week), increase the number of workouts by 1-2. That is, now you work out 5-6 times a week.
The duration and amount of aerobic training should be increased gradually, and not immediately over 2-4 weeks. For at least 2 weeks, do the same time or number of workouts. The body needs time to adapt to the increased intensity.
Advanced
The advanced level is designed to take you to a completely new level. But let's go back to anatomy for a second.
The main factor that limits the energy systems of our body is the formation of lactic acid. The same one that leads to early muscle fatigue during physical activity.
The graph clearly shows how different the level of performance of a trained and untrained person is with an increase in heart rate (heart rate).
Developing anaerobic endurance increases muscle tolerance to lactic acid release. This way, you will be less tired, which means you will have time to do more.
The right moment is coming for HIIT (from HIIT this is High-intensity interval training) exercises. High-intensity interval training significantly increases physical anaerobic endurance, provided you give 100% every time.
In short, HITT is a cardio workout that alternates periods of high-intensity sprinting (80% - 95% of maximum heart rate) and periods of low intensity - brisk walking or running (60% - 75% of maximum heart rate).
Typically, high-intensity periods are shorter to allow you to work at the highest possible speed, and low-intensity periods are longer. Here your heart rate returns to its original level, which was before the intense phase.
And then sprint again. The following daily workout programs are presented in order of increasing difficulty for the trained athlete.
Development of anaerobic endurance
During the fight, the athlete performs active work (at the same time in a ragged rhythm) for 2 - 3, less than 5 minutes. At the same time, the fight consists of several rounds, which are alternated with fairly long (1 minute) rest periods. Thus, the anaerobic performance of the body becomes of utmost importance for a fighter.
Methods for developing anaerobic endurance are extremely diverse and differ in the nature of the impact on the training ability. In any case, the exercise aimed at developing anaerobic performance is performed for one to four minutes.
The most common method of developing anaerobic performance through general means is circuit training. In this case, each exercise is performed with your own weight at the maximum pace, for example:
- push-ups while lying down with a jump;
- pull-ups on the bar;
- lifting the torso and legs while lying on your back;
- deflections in the lower back when lying on your stomach;
- jumping out of a squat.
The number of repetitions in each exercise is 10–12. 2–4 series of 3 specified complexes are performed in each.
Pauses between complexes in one series are 10–15 seconds, and between series – from one to three minutes and are filled with breathing exercises and shaking movements of the limbs. At the same time, it is necessary to strive to constantly reduce the time required to complete each series.
Development of a HIIT schedule
If you want to develop your own high-intensity interval training schedule, here are a few things to consider.
- First of all, training is no more than 20-30 minutes. If you feel like you can do more, it means you haven't worked hard enough.
- Second, warming up before and stretching after is extremely important. High intensity increases the risk of joint injury. Therefore, before training it is necessary to warm them up well.
High-intensity periods should last 30-120 seconds, and your heart rate should be between 85% of your maximum. And periods of low intensity are 60-75% of mHR (75% is the maximum in the low-intensity phase). In addition, the ratio of easy running: sprinting should ideally be 2:1.
This means 2 minutes of easy jogging and 1 minute of sprinting. To complicate the task, change the ratio, for example, 3:2 or even 1:1. For beginners, you can increase your rest time using a 3:1 ratio. The remaining periods give the body time to get rid of accumulated lactic acid, which causes fatigue during physical activity.
- Finally, do HIIT on weekends when you are not training at the gym; and, depending on your goals, do high-intensity training 2-3 times a week. Allow recovery days to avoid overtraining.
If you feel good with your chosen training frequency, you can increase the number of training sessions.
In addition, the frequency of HIIT should be planned so that you have one day of rest before and after strength training on the lower body. People with heavier builds or those with knee problems may want to work slower. For beginners, you can sprint at 75% of your maximum heart rate, and light jogging at 60%. Remember, sprints are bad for your knee joints.
Let's move on from general advice to how to combine strength training, cardio, and stretching to create a workout that develops aerobic endurance.
Based on the workouts above, we offer you a 9-week aerobic training program that consists of strength training and the methods listed earlier. Here the focus is on the cardio and intensive training parts.
Aerobic endurance training program
| A week | Day | Training |
| 1 | Mon | Cardio 70% of maximum heart rate for a 20 minute morning workout. In the evening – strength training (upper body, chest, deltoids). |
| W | HIIT for 20 minutes (for example, the first workout option) | |
| Wed | Rest | |
| Thu | Evening strength training for the lower body | |
| Fri | Cardio 70% of maximum heart rate for a 20 minute morning workout. | |
| Sat | HIIT for 20 minutes (for example, the first workout option) | |
| Sun | Cardio 70% of maximum heart rate for a 20 minute morning workout. In the evening – strength training (upper body, chest, deltoids). | |
| 2 week | Same as the first week. | |
| 3 week | Increasing the duration of cardio training to 30 minutes. | |
| 4 week | Same as week three. | |
| 5 week | Change the HIIT workout, for example, from option 1 to option 2. | |
| week 6 | Same as week 5. | |
| week 7 | Increasing the duration of cardio training to 45 minutes. | |
| 8 week | Change the HIIT workout, for example, from option 2 to option 3. | |
| Week 9 | Time to reduce the load. Reduce the time of your morning cardio session from 45 to 30 minutes. Reduce the number of strength training sessions from 3 to 2. | |
Stretching should be done before and after exercise, as well as after strength training. Stretching before training increases blood flow to the muscles, warms them up and prepares them for intense work.
Nutrition and supplements
Health and general tone of the body requires careful treatment and constant support: an active lifestyle, proper nutrition and taking special supplements - vitamin-mineral complexes, omega-3, antioxidants and glutamine for joints and ligaments. These drugs contain elements necessary for the proper functioning of your body during intense training.
| Beta-alanine | Helps stabilize muscle acidity, which prevents the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles and leads to an overall increase in muscle performance. |
| Pre-workout complex | Increases productivity during sports, strength, endurance, recovery speed between approaches. |
| Vitamin-mineral complex | During intense physical activity, vitamins and minerals are consumed by the body faster. They are also responsible for protein synthesis and are the engine of metabolic processes. |
| Isotonic | Replenishes fluid and microelements during physical activity. Brings the water-salt balance to the physiological norm. |
| BCAAs | Allows muscle fibers to recover faster and provides building material for the growth of lean muscle mass. |
Everything you need to know about long running
In professional sports, there are cases when, when preparing for a marathon, long training sessions of 45-50 km improved the marathon runner’s personal record by almost 10 minutes! This, of course, does not mean that you urgently need to start doing 45 km, but a long jog on Sunday can really be very useful.
Since the 1960s, long running has become an important component of the weekly training cycle of serious athletes at distances ranging from 800m to marathon.
Long running is an extended workout to improve endurance. This type of running helps:
- increasing the number of mitochondria and capillaries in muscle cells
- increase in aerobic power
- increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system
- increase in glycogen accumulated in muscles and liver
- development of the musculoskeletal complex
There is a common belief among experienced coaches that distance running should make up 20-25% of your weekly volume. According to this formula, a person running 60 km a week will focus on a long run of 12-15 km. Accordingly, for a runner with a volume of 120 km, this figure will increase to 25-30 km.
From a psychological point of view, long running teaches you to maintain a given pace and gives you confidence in completing a distance, especially a marathon.
The pace of your run is just as important as the number of miles you run because it affects the amount of stress you put on your body.
Traditional long running builds a strong aerobic foundation for all runners, but this type of running can be a little monotonous.
By changing the pace and intensity of a long run, you stimulate different energy processes in your body, thus making your workout more effective.
Long-distance training running can be roughly divided into three categories.
Conversational pace and progressive running
Talk running is the most fundamental of the three categories and serves several important purposes in a training program:
- for beginners, it is useful for developing endurance and strengthening the musculoskeletal system.
- For marathon runners, conversational running provides an opportunity to teach the body to use fat as fuel.
- For experienced runners, conversational running is part of the running volume that does not interfere with other training processes.
The intensity of such running should allow the runner to talk comfortably, as well as maintain his usual running stride. It is very important that the pace does not drop to the level of recovery running, which will lead to a softening of the psychological effect and affect the dynamics of movement.
A more challenging version of conversational running is progressive running. It starts at conversational speed but gradually speeds up in the second half. This often happens naturally: many experienced runners finish faster than they started, even if their effort level remains the same.
Long training run
Long run training incorporates fast intervals into the long run to develop running on tired legs, a key factor for racing success.
An approximate diagram of such a 35 km training run:
- 10 km warm-up
- 8 km/6 km/4 km/2 km at marathon pace after 1 km rest
- 2 km cool down
This run mimics race day in volume and intensity, but distributes the load well to allow for quick recovery.
This is also true for short distance runners. For example, a 5 km runner requires a mix of exercises from an 800 m runner and a marathon runner, but it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the distance and the characteristics of the body.
Almost any type of workout can be inserted into a long run: fartlek, marathon pace segments, tempo segments, even series of kilometer repetitions. What and where you include in your long run depends on the goal you are pursuing.
A marathon runner can perform an intense fartlek at the beginning of a long run to load the muscles and continue to run at the same pace for the second half. A 5K runner can include a 3-4K tempo segment at the end of a long run to practice running on tired legs. A qualitatively new load on the body can be very effective.
At the same time, not all long runs need to be training runs. Trainers recommend alternating one or two training runs with conversation runs. Don't forget that longer, faster runs require more recovery time.
Long and moderate-long distances
Recently, it has become popular to perform long runs in special blocks, in two long workouts in one day. But only first-class athletes can withstand this scheme; for us mere mortals, coaches suggest running long distances for two days in a row.
In this system, the first day's training is usually longer than the second day's training, but both days are equally important. These runs deplete the body's glycogen stores, allowing fat to be used more efficiently.
The task can be complicated by doing a long training run on one of the days. On what day depends on your goal. If quality and pace of training are important to you, then do the workout on the first day. If you want to work on the quality of your training when tired, for example, running at marathon pace with tired legs, then add a workout to the second day.
Long runs back to back are very taxing on the body and should therefore not be performed more than two or three times per training cycle.
There is, however, a shortened version - moderately long races (15-25% shorter than long ones), run at a conversational or slightly progressive pace. The trick is to do the moderate-long run mid-week, after a tempo or speed workout.
Here it’s time to recall the American trainer and marathon runner Pete Fitzinger, who argued that constant stress on the muscles every 3-4 days contributes to their better adaptation.
conclusions
To get the most out of your training, long, intense runs on the weekends are not enough. Long runs should fit into the overall concept of your training. Success isn't just about tempo running or long running, it's about the balance between the two.
Marathon runners should increase both the distance and intensity of their long workouts as race day approaches, while short-distance runners should gradually reduce distances and switch to shorter repetitions in training.
However, you should be careful and remember that long runs are dangerous due to overtraining and a high risk of injury. Therefore, approach this type of training wisely, listen to your body and gradually increase the load.
What else to read:
- Why is it so hard after long workouts - your legs hurt, you feel weak, you want to eat and sleep all day?
Supplements for Endurance Training
Olimp Sport Nutrition | Beta Alanine Xplode?
- Contains a matrix of additional ingredients that allow you to quickly and without loss overcome the gastric barrier and getting directly into the muscles, it does not turn into a by-product in the human body and does not overload the liver.
- Category: Amino Acid Complex More about the category
Recommendations for use: one serving before training. Recommendations for preparation: depending on body weight: up to 70 kg - dissolve 3 g in 80 ml of cold water. 70-85kg - dissolve 6 g in 160 ml of cold water. Over 85 kg - dissolve 9 g in 240 ml of cold water.
The advantage of Olimp Sport Nutrition “Beta Alanine Xplode” is that it is presented in powder form. This way you can choose the correct portion size depending on your body weight.
Olimp Sport Nutrition | Knockout 2.0?
- New formula for an excellent pre-workout complex. Benefits: 2g beta-alanine and 1g el-arginine for impact training!
- Category: Pre-workout supplements
Take one serving (6.1 g of powder or ½ scoop) 30 minutes before training mixed with 250 ml of water
Ingredients: L-citrulline, beta-alanine, citric acid, L-arginine hydrochloride, taurine, L-tyrosine, silicon dioxide, flavors, caffeine, guarana seeds, barley extract, acesulfame K, sucralose, sodium cyclamate, cayenne pepper seed extract , black pepper seed extract, ramus serrata leaf extract, carotene, carmine, riboflavin, E150c, E150d, E133, indigo, chlorophyll and chlorophyllin, curcumin, anthocyanin, paprika extract, betanin, plant carbon.
Weider | Multi Vita+ ?
- Contains an expanded amount of vitamins in the amount necessary for active sports.
- Category: Vitamin-mineral complex More about the category
Take one capsule with breakfast with water.
Vitamin C ensures the functioning of the immune system, which fights pathogens. It stimulates the production of hormones, neuropeptides and nerve impulse transmitters that improve nervous and mental activity. In addition, vitamin C strengthens connective tissue and blood vessel walls. Vitamin E performs a protective function; it neutralizes free radicals that destroy beneficial fatty acids and ensures oxygen respiration of cells, prevents inflammatory processes and has a beneficial effect on sexual function, and rejuvenates the body. Vitamin B1 strengthens the nervous system by providing nerve cells with glucose. Vitamin B2 is involved in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, cellular respiration, improves vision, skin and nail structure. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B3) prevents aging, the appearance of wrinkles, helps overcome stress and fights inflammatory processes, is involved in the synthesis of skin and mucous membranes, and hair growth. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in the synthesis of antibodies of the immune system and is involved in amino acid metabolism during the construction of proteins. Vitamin B12 triggers the synthesis of DNA and RNA, is necessary for the formation of bones, and revitalizes iron reserves in the body. Niacin is involved in the formation of hundreds of different enzymes involved in the production of gastric juice, heart function, and cholesterol control. Folic acid is the main active ingredient in the production of hemoglobin and nucleic acids; it synthesizes serotonin and norepinephrine - hormones of joy that elevate mood.
Olimp Sport Nutrition | ISO Plus Powder?
- Concentrate for preparing an isotonic drink in powder, with the addition of L-carnitine and L-glutamine. Thanks to this combination, the product will help support your body during prolonged physical activity.
- Category: Isotonic drinks
Directions for Use: Use as needed, especially during intense physical activity. Recommendations for preparation: 17.5 g of powder (2 tablespoons) in 250 ml of water.
Ingredients: sugar, maltodextrins, glucose, fructose, acidity regulator, sodium chloride, potassium phosphate, calcium phosphate, sodium citrate, magnesium carbonate, thickener, flavorings, L-glutamine, L-carnitine, vitamins, flavoring.
USPLabs | Modern BCAA+ ?
- 8:1:1 Formula. USPlabs Modern BCAA is an amino acid ratio of Leucine-Isoleucine-Valine 8-1-1
- Category: BCAA More about the category
mix 2 scoops per 350-400 ml of water or other drink and take 30 minutes before and immediately after training
Why is there so much leucine? The reason is that leucine plays a key role in increasing the concentration of mTOR and, therefore, the concentration of this amino acid should be at the highest possible level.
Sports nutrition recommendations are indicative only. Before purchasing, we recommend that you consult with a specialist in the store.
