More often then not, we train when there are “kakis” and as age groupers we have almost complete autonomy over what training we would like to do. As such, it become absoultely necessary to understand what are we training for.
In this article, I shall write a bit about training for performance.
Basically there are 3 major energy systems in our body:
- ATP-PC (Adinosin Triphosphate- Phosphocreatine, i.e. breaking down of Phosphate bonds for energy)
- Anaerobic Glycolysis (Breaking down of glycogen to produce ATP)
- Aerobic Glycolysis (Breaking down of Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates with oxygen to produce energy)
ATP-PC
- Lasts for 2-10 seconds depending on athlete
Anaerobic Glycolysis
- Lasts for up to 2 mins
Aerobic Glycolysis
- Lasts “forever”
Basically in good training, we must be able to train all 3 systems but in different intensity according to what our sport or race distance demands.
For triathlon or endurance racing, the sport is predomintenly aerobic in nature due to its length. Needless to say, it is most important to exercise aerobically. However training aerobically is not all that simple, to do so requires careful attention spent on watching our heart rate (not the best method but the most convenient). The below is a heavily simplified version of what systems we are training at different heart rates.
Our theoretical Max Heart Rate is determined by this formula:
220 - Age (Yrs) = Max Heart Rate
At 55-65% Max Heart Rate (MHR), we are training our aerobic Fat metabolism. That means that almost all the calories burned at this intensity level comes from the breakdown and usage of fats.However, because the intensity of exercise is low at this level, the amount of calories burned during the exercise work out will generally be less(unless you are spending hours and hours).
At 65-80% MHR, we are training our Aerobic glycolytic metabolism. This means that a proportion of calories burned during exercise at this level is both from fat and also from glycogen(Stored fuel in your muscles and liver). This level can be considered as the most optimal level for training especially if you are training for an endurance event. Swimming particularly keeps you within this range of intensity because of your body’s prone position in water(heart does not need to pump against gravity) and also because it is not weight bearing.
At 80%-95% MHR, we are training our Anaerobic glycolytic metabolism. At this intensity level, there is the highest danger of damaging our body (muscles, bones, blood). Muscles have increased lactate production due to the intensity and the inability of our cardiovascular system to clear the lactate. This makes the muscle acidic and its ability to work diminishes.In addition, at high intensity, free radicals are built up in our blood, these free radicals impair our immune system and reduces its ability to protect us against viruses and sickness. Finally the intensity requires a large amount of minerals and that demand for minerals is provided by our bones. As the bone minerals get used up, the bone density drops and it becomes more brittle and prone to bone related injuries(osteoarthritis, stress fractures, shin splints). Hence one should be extremely cautious when exercising at such intensity levels. Proper and progress base building(periods of exercising at low intensity) should be done prior do engaging in activity at these levels.