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SPECIALISED TRAINING. Continued from Mrs. Williams p.75 - 76. MEASURING THE INTENSITY OF TRAINING. Elite athletes need to know that they are training at the right intensity.
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SPECIALISED TRAINING Continued from Mrs.Williams p.75 - 76
MEASURING THE INTENSITY OF TRAINING • Elite athletes need to know that they are training at the right intensity. • The training needs to be intense enough so that it is beneficial, but they have to be careful not to cause any long term damage by pushing themselves too hard. • If we need to be scientific about training, how can we measure how hard athletes are working without using complicated laboratory equipment?
SIMPLISTIC MEASURES OF TRAINING INTENSITY • Using the BORG SCALE • Measurements are subjective as they depend on the performer’s perception of how hard they are working • Measuring heart rate during performance • Slightly more reliable • Can be affected by other influences e.g arousal, temperature
LACTATE SAMPLING • The development of suitable devices for lactate sampling has enabled this method to become more popular. • Involves taking a minute sample of the performer’s blood. Within a few seconds, the hand held machine analyses the sample and gives a readout of the amount of lactate present.
WHAT DOES IT TELL US? • If lactate levels rise during training it is because anaerobic glycolosis is occurring in the exercising muscles and this is becoming the main method of resynthesising ATP. • Performers need to train at levels of oxygen consumption (and therefore different intensity levels) that are above their lactate threshold. • The higher the reading of lactate in the blood, the higher the intensity of the workout. • Through experience and knowledge of lactate levels in their performer(s), a coach will know how hard a performer is working.
WHY DO WE USE IT? • All concerned with a performers lactate threshold. • This is taken to be a 2 mmol increase in lactate per litre of blood above resting levels. • OBLA is taken to be a 4 mmol increase in lactate per litre • Lactate threshold is linked to VO2 max. • The higher the % of VO2 max, or the higher pace at where the lactate threshold takes place, the fitter the athlete.
WHO USES IT? • Not easy for games players as the body needs to be relatively stationary • Commonly used by rowers, cyclists and runners who are exercising on stationary machines. • Can be used by swimmers who take very short breaks in between sets.
THE RESPIRATORY EXCHANGE RATIO (RER) • This is the ratio of carbon dioxide released by the body to the volume of oxygen consumed (VCO2 / VO2) • It can be used to estimate the relative contributions of fat and carbohydrate to the provision of energy for ATP resynthesis. • RER works as an indicator of fat and carbohydrate breakdown, because fat and carbohydrate differ in terms of the amount of oxygen used and carbon dioxide produced during oxidation. • Remember that fat oxidation requires much more oxygen than carbohydrate matabolism.
WHAT DOES IT TELL US? • When fat is the major fuel, the amount of oxygen consumed will tend to be a big number, which will make VC)2 / V2 and hence RER a small number. • The amount of oxygen being consumed will be a more modest number when carbohydrate is the main fuel, and therefore VCO2/VO2 and RER will be bigger since less oxygen is required to break down carbohydrates than is needed to break down fat.
HOW IS IT MEASURED? • Measurement of VCO2/VO2 is completed using a cycle ergometer or treadmill, with the athlete attached to a gas analyser. • Volumes of carbon dioxide being produced and oxygen being consumed are measured directly.
WHAT DO THE VALUES SHOW? • When RER is measured at about 0.70, 100% of energy for exercise is coming from fat. • When RER settles at 1.00, carbohydrate is almost the sole source of fuel. • When RER is 0.85, metabolism is equally divided between fat and carbohydrates. • RER MEASURED DURING EXERCISE CAN TELL ATHLETES AND PHYSIOLOGISTS WHERE THEY ARE IN REGARD TO FUEL USAGE.
WHY WOULD THIS BENEFIT ATHLETES? • Endurance type training improves the ability of the muscles to use fat as an energy source, but using fat is also a sign of aerobic work. • Many elite performers depend on anaerobic processes to provide energy for their event. Fat is not used as an anaerobic energy source. • By knowing the RER at which the performer is exercising, coaches can see whether they are working aerobically or anaerobically.
BASICALLYYYYYYYY…… • RER LESS THAN 1.00 = some fat being used therefore SOME aerobic work. • RER MORE THAN 1.00 = energy is being provided solely by anaerobic means. • In other words, RER becomes another way of measuring INTENSITY. • Very limited method of testing because of the need for expensive laboratory equipment and restricted to rowers, cyclists and runners as they HAVE to use the equipment.