Endurance training - strength athletes also benefit from it!

Endurance training - strength athletes also benefit from it!

Endurance training in weight training

In the past, endurance training (aerobic training) was always a bit neglected when it came to weight training. The design of the so-called cardio training was always a bit unfavorable. According to current knowledge, the fact is that endurance training as a supplement to strength training or bodybuilding is very useful and offers a wide range of benefits for the athlete. The most important benefits of endurance training as a supplement to strength training are body fat control, general conditioning that increases maximum oxygen uptake, mood-enhancing and stabilizing effects, and general health benefits. These effects are perfected with an adapted diet and sensible supplementation.

Consistency is required!

Especially for strength athletes, endurance training is ideally suited to promote body fat control. However, many athletes make the mistake of working relatively inconsistently with endurance training because they are more focused on defining the muscles. This is annoying, because endurance training offers - if carried out consistently and regularly and combined with a sensible diet - profits for the entire body. In addition to the body fat control, the insulin sensitivity can also be favored and the metabolic changes and slowdowns that slowly take place with increasing age can be absorbed very well. Together with one high quality food supplement In this way, the increased body fat build-up can be compensated for by a slower metabolism, even in old age.

Does endurance training have a catabolic effect and lead to muscle loss?

Many strength athletes fear that endurance training, especially running, could have a catabolic effect on the body and that muscle growth would be negatively affected. This fear is not justified. Only when two mistakes are made in training can a catabolic effect be expected. This is when on the one hand there is excessive training and on the other hand there is an unfamiliar training.

Muscle loss due to endurance training can occur if the increased energy consumption of aerobic training can no longer be covered only by the energy reserves from the recently added carbohydrates and sufficiently from the fat reserves. As a result, there is a breakdown of proteins from the muscle tissue of the body. This actually reduces muscle mass. However, this effect can be prevented very easily by a diet adapted to the training or the high energy requirement and thus counteracting muscle breakdown. If the energy demand is reduced by a abundant intake of proteins and complex carbohydrates are covered, there will be no muscle loss. Here it is important to ensure that at least 80% of the energy consumption is covered by food intake. This also applies to the diet and the definition phases. By supplementing the diet with the right carbohydrates there are sufficient additional energy reserves available for endurance training. The intake of high-quality proteins in the form of sports nutrition protects the muscles and thus ensures optimal muscle maintenance.

What should you watch out for so that endurance training has the desired effect?

To runIn order for the endurance training to have its desired effect, it is important that it is carried out all year round and is accompanied by strength training. Changes and increases in the scope of training should never take place drastically and spontaneously, but rather at intervals of two to three weeks and in the range of around 10 percent. The focus should be on aerobic training units above 80 percent of the training time and with a heart rate of 65 to 80 percent of the maximum value. A needs-based diet with an appropriate diet must always be taken into account Food supplements before and after training to promote fat loss and maintenance of the muscles. In order to determine the heart rate during training, it makes sense to get a heart rate monitor that provides accurate results.

A training effect and thus also the positive health effect are of course lost again in large training breaks. So it makes no sense to only do endurance training depending on the situation and when fat loss is currently the goal.

If you are new to endurance training, you should start with one or two training units of 20 minutes per week. After getting used to the load, the training unit can be extended by 10 minutes every 3 weeks.

How do advanced users continue their endurance training?

Those who are already advanced in endurance training can plan longer training units every two to three weeks, for example 1.5 hours, in order to achieve an increased stimulus for the mitochondrial density and thus the fat burning and also to promote one's own movement economy. As an advanced user, you can then do repeated and almost maximum sprints, because the body has got used to the strain. These peaks should only take place in one training session per week and not as part of a long training session. A comprehensive supply of the right nutrients after training by one professional pre-workout shake is just as important for success as the training itself.

How did the rumor about the catabolic effects of endurance training come about?

The negative attitude of some strength athletes towards endurance training is to be suspected in the fact that beginners and athletes who are not yet used to training often start excessive training in order to burn fat and may also develop massive muscle soreness and all these factors then also in one Come together phase in which calorie intake is saved.

It can be particularly unfavorable if, due to a theoretically high level of fatty acid oxidation, the training takes place on an empty stomach in the morning. It is also not very useful if a beginner immediately starts high-intensity interval training because he wants to see results as quickly as possible. The so-called HIIT is perhaps positive for those used to running, a beginner is only exposed to a higher risk of injury.

Combine endurance training and strength training correctly

In order to combine these two training methods correctly, the correct sequence within the training unit is also important. However, there is no fixed rule as to whether strength training or endurance training should be carried out first. Here it depends on various factors, such as which type of training you are and what goals you have. It is important to first become aware of the deficits, in terms of strength or endurance. In order to address this deficit, it is necessary to set a specific goal. Motivation also plays an important role here, because you have e.g. As a strength athlete in the past, it was not without reason that he neglected his endurance, mostly because you simply didn't feel like doing consistent endurance training. It makes sense to create a training plan that takes into account all of this as well as the increasing stress caused by the more intensive training and the increased nutritional requirements.

As an example of the order: If the goal is to build muscle and increase strength, the order should be strength training first, then endurance training. In this way, the focus can be clearly placed on building new muscle mass. The energy is first used for an anabolic training stimulus and the training session is then concluded with light endurance training. If you do not do a double training session more than three times a week, you can also do a cardio session on a free day.

If the goal is to develop endurance performance, endurance training should be completed before strength training. But you have to be aware that the strength training should not be carried out too intensely and will not have the same effect as a preceding strength training. For advanced strength athletes we recommend e.g. the circuit training. Experienced sport with the aim of burning fat, HIIT training, of course in combination with a diet, is recommended.

However, a break of around eight hours between endurance training and strength training would be ideal. In this way, the body can regenerate in the meantime and the effect of both training units can unfold to the maximum. In addition, should be on the supply with sufficient Carbohydrates as energy suppliers be respected.

Important: plan for regeneration even after endurance training!

An athlete should regard the pure endurance training session as a fully fledged training session and, just like after an intense strength session, observe an appropriate recovery phase. This also means that the endurance unit should take place at a sufficient time interval to the preceding and following strength training units and that at least several hours of break should be planned.

It is also important that endurance training is not started on an empty stomach and that a regeneration shake of high-quality supplementation is consumed just like after strength training. It is particularly beneficial on the days when the training takes place a good all-in-one supplement with possibly even additional hydrolyzed carbohydrates to consume or as an alternative to a good one Weight Gainer to put. The rule of thumb is that this shake should provide 1 gram of carbohydrates per kg of body weight and per minute of exercise. Athletes with a weight of more than 80 kg need even more if defined accordingly.

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