Intensity Vs Duration Vs Mileage
Endurance sports basically require speed, strength, stamina, and control over the body. Elite athletes and recreational athletes have to withstand a certain amount of effort for a long time. To ensure this, training has to be done. If you have a coach, then you are better to resort to him/her. However, if you are doing it alone, here are some tips for a better training regime.
Intensity Mileage Duration
There 3 words you might have heard when planning your training plan. How intense I have to be doing it? How long I have to be doing it? And, how far should I go? Let's look into it one by one.
One of the most common references to intensity is maximum heart rate (HRMax) when it comes to endurance training. To calculate your maximum heart rate the rule of thumb is by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you're 45 years old, subtract 45 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 175. This is the average maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute during exercise.
However, I suggest checking with a physician to make sure your heart is healthy to push to the max. The Cardiac Stress Test can be a measure for you to know your heart's capacity. You can also do a VO2 max test. It can provide an estimation of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption. So, the best way is to find a cardiologist.
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| VO2 Max test |
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| Cardiac stress test |
A training plan should have a balanced intensity, mileage, and duration. The higher the intensity, the lower duration, and mileage a person will achieve. This comes back to the lactic acid that is formed in the blood. It causes fatigue and makes your body feel heavier. When an athlete does high-intensity training, the body will produce more lactic. So, in this case, we have to ensure a balance.
To achieve this, let's cancel out duration for the moment as it reduces as intensity increases. With that, we only have intensity in mind. We divided these intensities into 3 parts. Easy, moderate, and hard effort. Following that, we can plan a training regime using a combination of intensity and mileage.
Now let's look into the types of training regimes we can plan with all the combinations for a week's plan.
1. Threshold training
45 - 55 % intensity (longer distance)
35 - 45 % intensity (medium distance)
0 - 20 % intensity (short distance)
2. Pyramind training
60 - 75 % intensity (longer distance)
15 - 25 % intensity (medium distance)
0 - 10 % intensity (short distance)
3. Polarised training
75 - 85 % intensity (longer distance)
0 - 10 % intensity (medium distance)
15- 25 % intensity (short distance)
Having listed all the training methods, you might be wondering what is the best method to train with. Many sport science journals have mentioned that polarised training is the best training method, but the threshold and pyramid methods are also mentioned to be helpful. However, in my personal opinion, I think I would opt for the pyramid training.
Said that, let me frame out my training regime. I will give an example for my running regime.
At the moment, I don't think having high-intensity training is necessary to my regime since I am just beginning. I hope this post helps you give an idea to train smartly. The example given can be easily modified to your preference.
Thank you for your time.
See you all in the next write.
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