How To Take Your Conditioning To The Next Level

Justin Roethlingshoefer MS, SCCC, CSCS, LMT

Assistant Director Shift Human 2.0

I hope training has started well and we are now all soft tissue gurus when it comes to looking after ourselves through our training. Now as we head into energy system programming it is very important we understand how they all inter relate with one another. When looking at developing your overall energy system we must understand it is a sliding scale. Every daily action whether small or large scale requires every portion of our energy systems (be it 80% or 1%).

We can break training down into 5 areas.

Each of the areas has a specific purpose in the way our fitness displays itself. At the end of the day it is about being able to do more work (quicker pace, longer distance, more obstacles, etc.) with less effect on the body. This is called pushing our aerobic threshold further to the right. This is a key measure of fitness. Being able to hold a high rate of work that does not push you, the individual, into a state where lactate production supersedes the body’s ability to clear it, leading to fatigue.

The above chart shows the interval durations, rep range, work:rest ratio, and HR range to train each quality. Any modality can be used as long as it meets the HR or RPE work output requirement.

The chart below identifies the number of times per week each type of training should be done to maximize the bodies adaptation to the training and optimize your energy system goals by the time race time comes around!