040 Base Training for Fitness Athletes

Send us Fan MailBase Training for Fitness AthletesI have met loads of fitness athletes who...do loads of competing.Then they wonder why they've been at the same competitive level for years. The reason is, they're trying to expand their abilities beyond what their base will allow. Why Aerobic Endurance? Energy expenditure Why Maximal Strength? Maximal strength is the foundation for muscle endurance Down to 40% of 1RM, maximal strength predicted performance in an ME test.  Strength and Aerobic Endurance Take a Long TimePeak biological ages by sport:Bodybuilding - 36 Powerlifting - 35 IronMan Triathlon - 33Weightlifting - 26 100m Sprinters - 25 Middle Distance Runners - 24Relative to other attributes, it takes a long time to reach your strength and aerobic endurance potential.We also have evidence that the residual training effect is longer for strength and aerobic endurance than any other physiological attribute (Issurin 2008).It takes a long time to get your strongest and most aerobic, and it takes a long time to lose them.In light of this evidence, fitness athletes should aim to develop their base: their strength and aerobic potential early in their careers and in their competitive seasons.Once the athlete has attained the requisite levels of strength and aerobic endurance for their tier of competition, only then should they shift to more sport-specific training priorities.What are those requisite levels? BodyweightFemales: 130-160lbs @14-16% Body FatMales: 190-220lbs @8-10% Body FatStrengthCGBP 200/300WPU 200/300BS 295/450Sn 185/285C+J 225/335Endurance Capable of cycling for 60 minutes steady state and paceCareer4 years base training before transitioning to sport-specific trainingSeasonBase/Build = 245 days = 67% of yearInt for 2-4 weeks per competition period = 30-60 days21 day prep per competition period + 3-10 day taper = 30 daysCompete 2-4x per year3-10 day deload per competition = 14-28 days