![]() ![]() ![]() Additional capillary beds, the smallest branches of the circulatory system, get created near the working muscles and allow more oxygen-rich blood to reach them. There are also changes that happen to the muscles themselves. This is why one of the hallmark signs of an improving aerobic system is a drop in resting heart rate-the heart just doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen to the body. The heart responds by increasing the strength of its contractions as well as its overall size, allowing more blood to be pumped with each beat and resulting in greater overall efficiency. There are a number of aerobic adaptations that occur as a result of low-intensity training. Although it can’t produce energy quickly, the aerobic system is very efficient, and can provide a steady supply of fuel for hours at a time. Low intensity training develops the aerobic system, which uses stored body fat as well as oxygen to meet the majority of the body’s energy needs. But that’s usually a sign that they’re doing it right. Since they don’t get tired, they mistakenly (but understandably) feel that not much is happening. What I tell my athletes is, “When your breathing deepens and it starts to feel like effort, take it down a small notch.”Ī lot of athletes I work with are uncomfortable training at such a low effort. In other words, the training should not impact respiration too much. When doing low intensity exercise correctly, athletes should be able to carry on a normal conversation or breathe easily through their nose. But I’ve coached athletes that could cruise along at 165 (which would set my lungs on fire) and look like they could take a nap.Īt the end of the day, low intensity training should feel easy, which can be a big mental shift for athletes used to grinding and pushing their way through torturous high intensity interval sessions. For example, my sweet spot is between 135-140 beats per minute when running. Not only is max heart rate itself highly variable between athletes, but so is training status, age, and resting heart rate-all of which influence an athlete’s target heart rate zone. ![]() 1 But in my experience, the optimal heart rate for low intensity training varies tremendously by individual. So how low is low? Published research on the topic suggests 70% of one’s max heart rate. It’s the level of intensity, or effort, that produces the effect we’re looking for. It has nothing to do with pace, speed, or duration-those are all byproducts of an athlete’s fitness. But I prefer the term “low intensity” because I think it most accurately describes the nature of the training. Low intensity training goes by many names: steady-state cardio, long slow distance, and submaximal exercise to name a few. When considering a new training option, we should be asking ourselves, “What’s the value this brings to the athlete?” Not, “How specific is this to the sport?” Low Intensity Training, Defined But no one advocates for putting down the iron because they recognize the value that strength training has in sports performance. After all, not too many athletes have to compete with metal bars balancing on their shoulders. If being specific was the primary goal of training, no one would be lifting weights. In fact, when I started out as a strength and conditioning coach (back in 2009), it was popular for coaches to bash low intensity training, feeling it wasn’t specific enough to the sports their athletes were training for.īut the specificity argument only goes so far. It’s counterintuitive to think that going for an easy jog or bike ride would be of any use to an athlete who depends on speed for success. Low intensity training is a less appreciated form of conditioning, yet can have tremendous impact on athletes that participate in sports and depend on repeated, explosive bursts of speed such as football, soccer, and hockey. And for good reason-it’s tough, it’s time efficient, and it works. High intensity training gets all the love. ![]()
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