ATC 217: How To Plan Concurrent Training For Max Aerobic Gains, Overcome Pre-Race Anxiety, HRV-Guided Training Proven Effective, MTB for Ironman, and More

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On this episode of Ask the Coaches #217 with Tawnee and Lucho:

• Wanna run Ragnar SoCal with the EP crew? Email us at events@enduranceplanet.com.
• Have a question for any of our shows? Send to questions@enduranceplanet.com.
• HRV-guided training for athletes being studied, and it works!
  • “The number of moderate and HIT sessions was significantly lower in HRV group compared with traditional training. No other differences in training were found between the groups. But 3000-m running performance improved in HRV group and not in traditional during the intensive training period. VO2max improved in both groups… The results of the present study suggest the potential of resting HRV to prescribe endurance training by individualizing the timing of vigorous training sessions.”
• When knee pain sets in after a dozen miles…
• Succeeding in weight loss journey and getting fit, but in a trail race knee pain set in at mile 12. What happened and how to fix this issue so it doesn’t become a bigger problem for future training and racing.
• Pros and cons to mountain biking for Ironman bike training
• MTB crosstraining is fine, just make sure to spend time on the TT bike including long rides.

Concurrent training

• It’s hard to hold HR at MAF when doing a run after strength training, what’s the deal?!
• What the research says on concurrent training and the order of aerobic vs. strength training–pros and cons to each and what you should do if you follow MAF.
• Fatigue generated from one may negatively affect quantity and quality of the subsequent exercise.
• Does Aerobic and Strength Exercise Sequence in the same session affect oxygen uptake during and posteexercise?
  • Few studies have addressed the sequence of AT and ST in the same session and its influence on VO2 during and post-exercise.
  • AT before ST exercises, AT between 2 blocks of 3 ST exercises, and AT after ST exercises.
  • No significant differences in absolute or relative values of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) exercise when comparing the three sessions.
  • ST and AT, when performed in sequence in the same session, does not seem to affect overall oxygen consumption during the exercise session. Thus, combining resistance training and aerobic exercise in one session does not limit the cardiovascular demand of the exercise session, ie training sessions may include both without noticeable impact on aerobic exercise.
  • A look closer: Aerobic running first then strength could allow for lower HR and lower % of Vo2 max, may be best for MAF (this was not statistically significant but looking at graphs I see lower HRs and lower % of Vo2max). Like, 142 HR when AT first vs. 154 HR when AT second.
  • However, this may not be ideal for strength gains bc acidosis you want from ST to build muscle seems to be impaired if you do AT then ST.
• That’s not the final word though. Study by Wang et al:
  • In this study there were two groups: one with only endurance exercise (E), and the other in which endurance exercise followed by a bout of resistance exercise (ER). ER did 60min @ 65% VO2max, 15min rest, strength training.
  • “A novel finding in the present study is that resistance exercise performed after endurance exercise resulted in enhanced expression of genes involved in the signaling cascade of mitochondrial biogenesis/oxidative metabolism, as well as enhanced activation of proteins involved in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis. These results challenge the current view of how to optimize endurance training adaptation.” —
• Pan Pacific Conference of Medicine and Science in Sport on Concurrent Training
  • Overall: “No negative performance effects of adding heavy resistance training to ongoing endurance training regimens.”
  • Plus: “The ‘interference’ effect of concurrent strength and endurance training depends on the ability level of the athlete.”
  • “Nutrient provision (i.e., protein) can attenuate the ‘interference effect’ of endurance exercise on hypertrophy signalling pathways.”
• Brief recovery period between workouts probably makes a difference, at least 10-15min between.
• ST gives neuromuscular benefits and ability to sprint at the finish.
• Concurrent training is more beneficial for endurance athletes rather than for strength athletes.

Pre-race anxiety

• What to do when pre-race nerves get to the point of a physical illness? How to prevent this before future races?
• Can biofeedback training of psychophysiological responses enhance athletes’ sport performance? A practitioner’s perspective.
  • Biofeedback helps athletes in experimental group to recognize and control psychophysiological parameters better, in comparison to the control group.
• Stress pulls us apart: anxiety leads to differences in competitive confidence under stress.
  • Low-anxiety individuals become overconfident, and high-anxiety individuals become underconfident. Cortisol responses to stress were found to relate to self-confidence, with the direction of the effects depending on trait anxiety. stress as a major regulator of individuals’ competitiveness, affecting self-confidence
• Psychophysiological stress in tennis players during the first single match of a tournament
  • Winners had significantly lower cognitive anxiety and higher Self-confidence scores than losers. Somatic anxiety was significantly higher in the losers. cortisol response to competition, anticipatory rise. cortisol concentrations being the highest at the loser’s.
• Psychophysiological stress responses during training and competition in young female competitive tennis players.
  • Match day elicited higher SC levels for losers at all points in time when compared to winners. All players showed significantly lower SC levels during training when compared to the match at all points in time except during the evening for winners. Winners of match and training situations had significantly higher self-confidence and lower cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety scores than losers. Heart rate and RPE were significantly higher for losers only during the match
• Tips:
  • Self awareness
  • Control the controllables, let go of the rest
  • Self talk and performance cues – the mental training; mantras, key words, songs, etc.
  • Don’t be rushed
  • Don’t fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecy
• Life Story on Netflix, a must watch especially the baby barnacle geese!

More Resources

• Can biofeedback training of psychophysiological responses enhance athletes’ sport performance? A practitioner’s perspective
• Effect of resistance training regimens on treadmill running and neuromuscular performance in recreational endurance runners
• Resistance exercise enhances the molecular signaling of mitochondrial biogenesis induced by endurance exercise in human skeletal muscle
• Does aerobic and strength exercise sequence in the same session affect the oxygen uptake during and postexercise?
• Effect of resistance training regimens on treadmill running and neuromuscular performance in recreational endurance runners

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