Endurance Training

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Endurance plays a major role in many athletic activities. Without endurance training, many athletes would not be able to compete in their respective sports. Endurance training involves low resistance and high repetitions, but what exactly does this do to your body and how does it do it?

For starters, endurance training increases the level of certain aerobic enzymes, which are needed for the breakdown of fuels to produce energy. Enzymes are proteins that speed up metabolic reactions; they release and transfer energy. Enzymes are influenced by many factors:

1) Temperature- activity is increased when the muscles are warm, therefore warming up before the actual activity is very important

2) Acidity- lower Ph levels reduces enzyme activity, leading to fatigue

3) Fuel- enzymes work faster when they have more fuel

The faster the enzyme can breakdown your body's fuel, the faster you will receive energy.

Training also increases the number and size of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses that produce energy aerobically. All oxidative energy production takes place in the mitochondria. Oxygen is the key to endurance training, so the mitochondria are very important. Oxygen is needed to breakdown carbohydrates and fats, which provide energy. Dr. John Holloszy conducted an experiment to prove the importance of the mitochondria in endurance training. He had two groups of rats. One group was trained and eventually could exercise continually for four to eight hours. The untrained rats became tired after thirty minutes of exercise. Holloszy found a fifty to sixty percent increase in the mitochondrial protein and a twofold increase in oxygen consumption in the muscles of the trained rats. This...

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... Endurance athletes have been found to have healthier mood state profiles. There are generally classified as having lower levels of tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion. However, during periods of over-training, levels of anger, anxiety, and depression are increased. Overall though, endurance athletes are more mentally healthy than an average athlete is.

Endurance is gained by persistency with a lighter load. This means doing maybe one set of 20-40 with ten pounds, instead of two sets of ten to twelve with twenty pounds. You progressively increase your workload. Consistency is very important. Endurance workouts are all week long, all year-round.

Endurance training affects every part of your body, physically and emotionally. It makes you healthier and overall happier person. Endurance plays a major role in all of our athletic activities.

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