Discover the essential strategies for endurance athletes to maintain their aerobic capacity during the off-season. Learn about the minimum training doses needed to sustain fitness without overexertion. The discussion emphasizes the crucial role of impact exercises in preserving bone health, especially for runners transitioning to different training modes. Plus, get insights on upcoming rehabilitation courses tailored for runners and cyclists, ensuring you stay ahead in your fitness journey!
Endurance athletes can effectively maintain aerobic capacity during the off-season by training just two days a week while keeping intensity constant.
Incorporating high-impact exercises like jump rope or plyometrics at least three times a week is essential for runners to sustain bone health.
Deep dives
Maintaining Aerobic Capacity in Off-Season
Endurance athletes can maintain their aerobic capacity during the off-season by adjusting their training. Research shows that reducing training frequency from six days to just two days per week, while keeping the volume and intensity constant, is effective for preserving VO2 max. Athletes can also reduce overall training volume by a third while maintaining the same frequency and intensity without losing their long endurance capabilities. This approach allows athletes to stay fit even when they train less frequently during their off-season period.
Impact Exercise for Bone Health
Maintaining bone health is crucial for runners, particularly during the off-season when they may not engage in high-impact activities. Studies indicate that incorporating high-impact exercises, such as jump rope or plyometrics, can help maintain or even improve bone mineral density. For example, older adults who performed exercises like jump rope twice a week showed significant improvements in bone density over a six-month period. Based on these findings, it is recommended that runners incorporate at least three sessions per week of high-impact exercises to maintain their bone health.
Practical Recommendations for Endurance Athletes
To effectively maintain their capacity during the off-season, endurance athletes should follow specific training recommendations. They should engage in at least two training sessions per week, focusing on maintaining the intensity of their workouts while decreasing the overall volume by 33%. Additionally, incorporating short high-impact exercises or plyometric activities, like squat jumps or tuck jumps, for three sessions per week is beneficial for maintaining bone health. Cyclists are also encouraged to spend some time on the bike during the off-season to preserve their cycling-specific physical capacity.
1.
Optimizing Off-Season Training for Endurance Athletes
Dr. Jason Lunden // #FitnessAthleteFriday // www.ptonice.com
In today's episode of the PT on ICE Daily Show, Endurance Athlete division leader Jason Lunden discusses the critical topic of maintaining aerobic capacity during the off-season for endurance athletes, particularly runners and cyclists. He shares insights on the minimum dose of training necessary to sustain aerobic fitness, referencing a comprehensive review by Spearing and studies conducted by Hopkins. Additionally, Jason addresses the importance of maintaining bone health through impact exercises for runners who may switch to different modes of training during the off-season.