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in particular, a look at the changes you can expect through training

The purpose of training is to reduce the stress on the body imposed by exercise, so that any level of work can be carried out more comfortably and there is an increase in the maximum amount of work that can be achieved.

In cycling terms: the result of training is that you will be able to cover more distance in the same time…. or complete a set distance such as a race more quickly.

Overload

The body is dynamic and will respond to the stresses put upon it.

This means that if you do more exercise, the body will lay down more tissue - muscle, connective tissue such as tendon or bone - to cope with that exercise.

To stimulate the laying down of new tissue, the body has to be exposed to repeated bouts of exercise which overload the system. This principle of overload is fundamental to training and can be brought about by increasing the intensity, duration or frequency of exercise.

Intensity

On the question of intensity, there are two key concepts. One relates to what goes on at the bottom of the range, the other defines the situation when you're hitting an intensity close to the top.

Aerobic threshold.

There is an aerobic threshold below which there is insufficient stimulus to the cardiovascular system to bring about any long-term changes. This threshold is generally at a value of 60% of maximal heart rate.

One rider who came along to Surrey League's Starter Pack training session last month established a max figure of 195. As a result, she now knows that a pulse reading of 117 (ie 60% of max pulse) has an importance as a benchmark:
*** below 117 and she's out on a recovery ride
*** higher than 117 and she's stepping into zone 1 (60%-65% of max pulse) which is the first of the six intensity zones.

Anaerobic threshold.

Equally, there is an upper limit above which the body can no longer sustain aerobic exercise. It then has to recruit anaerobic resources and therefore will fatigue quickly. Anaerobic threshold depends on age and fitness but is generally no greater than 90% of maximal heart rate. It can be much less in untrained people.

So what this all means is that…

aerobic training is training in which the oxygen transport system is supplying all the oxygen needed to do the work.

while in anaerobic training, the body is working so hard that all the oxygen needed cannot be supplied by the oxygen transport system. Oxygen is present but there is just not enough of it. If work is to continue, it is necessary to recruit the fast-twitch muscles fibres which can release energy without needing oxygen. In this situation the body can build up an oxygen deficit, but there will come a point where no more deficit can be tolerated and the performer has to stop or slow down so the debt can be repaid. The point where the deficit starts to build up is described as the anaerobic threshold.

Frequency.

It has been suggested that the optimum frequency of aerobic training is four times a week. There are individuals already training more often than this. those currently training more often may be doing poor quality work and therefore receiving little benefit. Nevertheless, for some individuals, training more than four times a week may be necessary to bring about improvements. You will have to decide what is most appropriate for yourself.

Recovery

The effect of training is to destroy tissue and there will be little or no adaptation if training occurs every day.

Providing the body is given time to recover, the body lays down new tissue in slightly greater quantities than the tissue destroyed in response to training.

Every training programme should highlight the recovery days and ensure they occur at frequent intervals - preferably more often than once per week.

Adaptations with aerobic training

Following aerobic training, the most significant functional changes are:

*** The same amount of oxygen can be delivered with less physiological stress - so the same task feels much easier to perform after training

*** the maximum amount of oxygen which the body can deliver to the working tissues is greater after training. As a result, the maximum amount of work the body can do aerobically increases with training.

… and now a quick trip round the various bits of the body

lungs

The capacity of the lungs increases due to the greater elasticity of the air sacs and stronger respiratory muscles. Well-trained endurance performers are able to improve their maximum minute volume (ie volume of air expired per minute) by as much as 40% above their untrained state.

heart

The trained heart is both larger and stronger. Most adaptations with training relate to stroke volume - thanks to an increase in the size of the heart chambers and greater stretching of the heart's walls. The outcome is an increase of up to 50% in maximum stroke volume with training.

blood

Blood volume will increase with training. Studies using the same individuals before and after training have shown improvements of 8%.

The increase in plasma is greater than the increase in the cells which leads to a relative drop in concentration of the cells. This is advantageous in that it makes the blood thinner and therefore easier to pump…. but can lead to a wrong diagnosis of anaemia.

Since the total amount of red cells, and therefore haemoglobin, has increased with training, more oxygen can be carried in the blood.

muscle

The highly trained endurance performer may be capable of using 50% more oxygen every minute than the untrained, partly because far greater amounts of oxygen can be transported to the muscles and partly because the muscles can use more oxygen.

Aerobically-trained muscles will have up to 50% more capillaries than untrained muscles, thus improving the flow of blood through the muscle and bringing each muscle fibre closer to the supply of oxygen.

The mitochondria are the power-creating factories where oxygen is used to release energy from both carbohydrates and fats. Mitochondria increase in number and size with training.

Since training increases the ability of muscle to utilise oxygen, the blood leaving highly trained muscles will be lower in oxygen

Specificity in training is important. Cyclists and runners might at first sight appear to have much in common as their heart and lungs might be equally well trained. However, they are using different muscles, different fibres within the same muscle, or the same muscle fibres in different ways.

What next?

Keep topping up your general knowledge of how the lungs, heart and blood-vessels work to deliver oxygen to working muscles and appreciate how energy is released in muscle under different exercise conditions.

Although many aspects of training are effective, the reasons are not always known. So keep looking and learning.

January 2005