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Quick takeaways
- Muscular endurance relies on neural energy and can be built through exercises like push-ups and planks.
- Long duration endurance is associated with activities like running and swimming and helps build mitochondrial density in muscles.
- Anaerobic endurance involves high-intensity efforts and relies on energy stored in the muscles.
- Cardiovascular endurance involves sustained aerobic exercise and challenges the cardiovascular system.
- Increasing speed during prolonged endurance activities can tap into alternative fuel sources and sustain performance.
Deep dives
Building Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to perform work over time. It is not dependent on cardiovascular fatigue but rather the fatigue of the muscles themselves. To build muscular endurance, you can perform 3-5 sets of 12-100 repetitions of exercises like push-ups, planks, or kettlebell swings. Rest periods can range from 30 to 180 seconds. This type of endurance mainly relies on neural energy and does not involve major eccentric loading.
Long Duration Endurance
Long duration endurance is the type of endurance often associated with activities like running, swimming, or biking. It involves sustained effort for 12 minutes or longer, typically lasting several hours. This type of endurance relies on fuel utilization in the muscles and the activity of neurons involved in central pattern generators. It is less than 100% of maximum oxygen uptake. Efficiency of movement is key, and it helps build mitochondrial density and capillary beds within muscles.
Anaerobic Endurance
Anaerobic endurance is the ability to sustain high-intensity efforts for a short duration, typically less than 2 minutes. It mainly relies on energy stored in the muscles, such as phosphocreatine and glycogen. To build anaerobic endurance, you can perform high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or engage in activities like sprinting or weightlifting. The rest periods between efforts are crucial for recovery and adaptation.
Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles during sustained aerobic exercise. It typically involves moderate-intensity exercise for an extended period. To build cardiovascular endurance, activities like jogging, cycling, or swimming can be performed for 20-60 minutes or longer at a pace that elevates heart rate and challenges the cardiovascular system.
Building Capillaries and Mitochondria in Muscles
Long duration efforts of 12 minutes or more can increase the number of capillaries in muscles, allowing for more oxygen to be delivered to the muscles. This helps in increasing endurance and making subsequent runs or workouts feel easier. Additionally, long duration efforts can also increase the number of mitochondria, the energy-producing elements of cells, in muscle cells. This type of training is distinct from muscular endurance exercises and focuses on building the capillary system and energy utilization within the muscles themselves.
Anarobic and Arobic Endurance Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves two types of endurance training: anarobic and arobic. Anarobic endurance training consists of three to eleven sets of intense effort followed by short resting periods. This type of training helps improve the muscles' ability to generate force in short bursts and repeatedly. On the other hand, arobic endurance training consists of three to twelve sets of less intense effort followed by longer resting periods. This type of training improves mitochondrial density and respiration, enhances stroke volume, and helps deliver more oxygen and glucose to the muscles and the brain.
Pacing and Mental Aspects of Endurance
During endurance activities, focusing on a landmark or milestone can help improve performance. By using visual cues, runners or cyclists can pace themselves and direct their attention towards specific goals, allowing them to generate more effort. However, relying too much on pacing or having a physical pacer is not allowed in competitions. Additionally, proper hydration, rest, and nutrition play important roles in recovery and maximizing endurance training benefits.
Importance of Breathing for Endurance
Proper breathing techniques are crucial for optimizing endurance performance. Breathing allows for the uptake of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide, both essential for fuel utilization and overall bodily function. Nasal breathing is generally preferred over mouth breathing as it has numerous benefits, including improved air filtration, microbial balance, and overall efficiency. However, during high-intensity training, incorporating mouth breathing is necessary for increased airflow. Additionally, warming up the intercostal muscles and diaphragm before endurance activities can enhance breathing efficiency and oxygen delivery to the muscles, allowing for greater work capacity.
Tapping into Alternative Fuel Sources
When engaging in prolonged endurance activities, such as long-distance running or cycling, hitting a 'wall' where energy levels seem depleted is common. However, one way to overcome this is by increasing speed during the activity. Accelerating shifts the muscles and nerves towards utilizing different fuel sources, such as the phosphocreatine system or the combination of lipids and glucose. By tapping into these alternative fuel sources, endurance performance can be sustained, providing a new level of energy output. Additionally, this approach reinforces the concept that the body is adept at utilizing multiple fuel sources rather than relying solely on one.
2.
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2min
This episode I discuss endurance: our ability to perform effort over extended amounts of time. I describe the four kinds of endurance: muscular endurance, long duration (single-set) efforts, and the two kinds of high intensity interval training (HIIT). I discuss efficiency of effort and maximizing quality of effort, and a hydration formula. I review how our heart literally gets stronger when we oxygenate muscles properly. I also discuss motivation for long bouts of work and the visual physiological basis of the "extra gear" we all can leverage for effort. Finally, I review how accelerating as we fatigue can allow us to access untapped energetic resources.
Access the full show notes, including referenced articles, resources and more at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors:
AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
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Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac
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