You want to improve your aerobic performance, but something holds you back. Following are the most common “weakest link” factors in aerobic training and what can be done to improve them.
“Weakest link”:
- Lungs – gas exchange (oxygen from the atmosphere to the bloodstream and carbon dioxide from bloodstream into the atmosphere) can’t be supplied as fast as wanted. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of (and haven’t found) any special techniques for lung’s functionality improvement except aerobics itself (aerobics training can improve maximal oxygen intake by 10-15%). Therefore, if this is your weakest link the best way to train it is by aerobic workouts (since we’re talking of improvement than training intensity should increase over time).
- Heart – production isn’t sufficient. Heart production = pulse [number of beats/minute] * beat volume [milliliter/beat].
In the presented formula there are two variables (pulse and beat volume). Since we put upper limit on pulse (not higher than some boundary, for more information see: heart rate formulas), beat volume should be trained to increase heart production. Beat volume is trained not only by regular aerobic workouts, but also by interval training. Interval training is more advanced and intense technique. Therefore if you’re continuously training (aerobics training of min 20 min, 2-3 times a week) for the last several months than review interval training section. In any other case, continue regular aerobic training.
- Muscles – usually don’t have enough endurance (this problem generally characterizes beginners). Probably the best way is aerobics sessions while keeping intensity little lower than anaerobic threshold (in other words: intensity little lower than the min degree in which you start feeling your muscle burning). Additional useful methods would be high volume strength training (many sets vs. many repetitions).