How endurance training builds aerobic fitness

Endurance training is exercising to increase endurance, generally by training the aerobic system rather than the anaerobic system. The lessons answer how endurance training relates to performance, fitness, and other aspects of health. They connect training methods with ways of understanding progress and the broader effects of aerobic activity.

3 articles, 1 book · about 9 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   endurance training · Wikipedia · 5 min read

   Endurance training is used in cycling, particularly road cycling, and competitive swimming. These sports are combined with distance running in the triathlon. For endurance athletes, adding short-term (8 weeks) strength training to endurance training benefits endurance performance, particularly long-distance running. In cycling, wind makes cyclists' speed difficult to account for, so many cyclists use power meters built into their bicycles. The meters measure power output over a set duration or course, allowing direct comparison of fitness progression.

2. Read
   

   Aerobic exercise cognitive fitness - Harvard Health · Harvard Health Blog · 2 min read

   Aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function in the short run and help prevent cognitive decline over time. These changes may be related to the improvements in heart and circulatory fitness that come with aerobic activity.

3. Read
   

   Aerobic Exercise, Try It On For Size - Breaking Muscle · Breaking Muscle · 2 min read

   In a 5-week study, each participant did knee extensions on one leg and knee extensions plus one legged aerobic work on the other, with 45 minutes on a bike. The study reported that aerobic work did not slow lean mass gains and improved them.

4. Book
   

   Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen · Bookshop.org

   Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, is a 2009 best-selling non-fiction book written by the American author and journalist Christopher McDougall. The book has sold over three million copies.

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