9781422272121

didwin the race. Add in our use of tools, and you get a recipe for a satisfyingmeal. While it wasn’t labeled endurance training, the ability to overcome fatigue and keep running became a very real life-or-death situation. Nowadays, we can rely on the comforts of modern society. So, why dowe need endurance training? Well, if youwant to be good at any endurance sport, youmust train for it. Swimming, running, cycling, rowing, and other athletic events are designed to test your endurance. Moreover, one’s aerobic fitness andmuscular endurance are correlatedwith better health, reduced stress, lower injury risk, and other benefits. TYPES OF ENDURANCE Endurance takes many forms— from themental ability to push through fatigue to the body’s structural resistance against stress. When people refer to endurance training, however, they’remost likely referencing either cardiovascular or muscular endurance .

IS THERE A LIMIT TO HUMAN ENDURANCE? Even the most elite athletes have a limit. According to recent research fromDuke University, that limit peaks at sustaining about 2.5 times the resting metabolic rate, or the amount of energy the body uses at rest. Past that, researchers say, the human digestive system can’t turn over food quickly enough to refuel. Now, these findings come from a study of participants in the Race Across America—a >3,000-mile trek across the country spanning 140 days. Experts suggest that a marathon and the Tour de France, in contrast, require energy production at 15 and 4 times the resting metabolic rate, respectively. A top-speed sprint warrants even higher numbers. When looking at endurance, higher energy production means less time until fatigue. Eventually, the body will give out.

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Endurance Training: What it is and How it Helps