Examples: Playing a game of rugby football; swimming 1500 meters; running 10,000 meters; playing a game of basketball.
Important
Features The greatest proportion of energy in these events is contributed by the aerobic energy system. At various stages during and often at the end of an event high lactic acid levels can be incurred. If they occur during the event there usually needs to be some recovery period to return lactic acid to tolerable levels (normally 4 mM or less). In sustained cyclic events such as running, swimming, cycling, and cross-country skiing, there is an exaggerated use of the lactacid energy system at the start and end of the event. There is also some exploitation of the alactacid energy system but its overall contribution to such an extended performance is virtually negligible. Thus, performance improvements through physical training should come from the aerobic and, to a lesser extent, the anaerobic energy systems. (a) Aerobic power can be improved by 5 to 20 percent depending upon the initial fitness level of the athlete. Even an improvement of five percent is of greater influence when compared to what can be contributed by the lactacid energy system. Thus, the principal emphasis of training should be on aerobic adaptation which will produce marked changes in the physiological structure and capacity of an individual. (b) The lactacid system is influenced by the original strength of the individual. Theory suggests that the greater the strength of a person, the fewer the number of fibers that need to be contracted to perform a certain level of work (this means the less anaerobic work that needs to be performed per standard unit of performance). Alternatively, a higher working capacity can be maintained if a stronger individual is required to perform at a standard effort level. This contention may be true when general training is initiated but it probably is not relevant once specific training commences. It is best to plan to achieve strength improvements before starting specific training for these events. (c) The choice of fuel for the exercise will determine the magnitude of the performance. Although the major fuel will be fat, the amount of stored glycogen and blood glucose will affect the amount of work that can be done (particularly in anaerobic conditions). Thus, carbohydrate loading is important for events at the upper extreme of this classification. The resistance forces involved are the same as those discussed for the previous two performance classifications. Skill factors are still important. The factor which differentiates champions from lesser performers of like capacities, is the ability to perform work with greater efficiency, that is, at a reduced oxygen cost. The training of smooth actions which limit unnecessary movements and produce the greatest direct forces for the least energy cost are features of the skill of performing that need to be taught and learned. Training the skill characteristics should emphasize periodic assessments of the metabolic cost of performing at various intensities. Once physiological capacities have been shown to have reached their ceiling levels, the training emphasis should be altered to produce higher performance standards for the same metabolic cost. If there is no change in physiological adaptation once it has been maximized and there is no attempt to change the skill and efficiency of movement then one should not expect performance to improve to any marked degree. Once physiological capacities have been maximized, further performance improvements can only be achieved through skill and psychological factors. An
"experience" factor that needs to be developed is the ability of the athlete to allocate resources so that maximum exhaustion occurs as the finish line is crossed or the final whistle is blown. This capacity can be learned and should be an outcome of the type of training that is programmed. The best forms of training for these activities are(a) those which establish an aerobic base through various forms of continuous training in the principal activity of the sport; (b) training stimuli which allow aerobic adaptation to occur at the intensity of the intended performance (e.g., various forms of specific interval training); and (c) repetition training of varying durations that also require competition-specific intensities (some of these may go to exhaustion as a means of promoting anaerobic adaptation). The use of auxiliary training in conjunction with specific training will be of no value. Specific training is essential for developing performance efficiency which should be the main focus of the total training program. Although conditioning is important, skill and psychology will be the avenues for taking athletes beyond the level of performance that can be supported purely through maximized physiological adaptation. Training at less than competition intensity is beneficial as long as it is balanced by at least an equivalent amount of time spent on specific-performance intensity training. A coaching emphasis on the development of the most efficient form of movement and energy resource allocation will be the major determinant of performance improvements in superior athletes.