Endurance

Endurance is the physiological and psychological ability to do specific work for a long time with quality despite fatigue; it is task specific.

Types: basic (slow-paced, any long work, mainly aerobic), general (varied movements and pace), specific (set movements and pace for a sport; aerobic and anaerobic; very trainable).

Factors: muscle fibre type (more slow twitch helps endurance), aerobic capacity (taking in, carrying and using oxygen: lungs, haemoglobin, heart), anaerobic capacity (ATP-CP lasts 8-10 seconds, then glycolysis with lactic acid, buffered by alkali reserves), economical technique, and mental toughness.

Methods: continuous (slow pace for aerobic capacity; fast pace for anaerobic; changing pace; fartlek or 'speed play' with unplanned changes), interval (sub-maximal work with incomplete recovery, guided by heart rate), repetition (race pace or faster with full recovery), competition.

Benefits: bigger heart, more stroke volume, cardiac output and VO2 max; lower resting heart rate and blood pressure; more mitochondria and myoglobin; more HDL and less fat, total cholesterol and LDL.