Physical endurance.
To define this physical capacity there are three main features which describes it:
- Maintaining long efforts
- During a long time
- With the main objective of reducing the recovery time
With these, we can conclude with the definition for the endurance as the capacity to realize efficient efforts during the greatest possible time.
As the main characteristics of the physical endurance we find that:
- It is the healthiest physical activity
- It is the basis for training afterwards the speed and the strength
There are two types of endurance, general and specific. The first one should be trained before the last one.
Moreover, we find another two types of physical endurance.
Aerobic endurance is featured by long duration activities, which last at least three minutes, and a balance between the expenditure and supply of oxygen.
On the other side, anaerobic endurance is characterized by activities of short duration and high intensity, with more expenditure of oxygen than the supply the body can get. Moreover, strength exercises and high frequency movements are also characteristic of this type of endurance.
We can find four main principles to train endurance:
- Progression: you should start with low intensity and volume of exercises, and progressively increase both parameters
- Continuity: the exercise should be continuous. A long stop in time or few days per month won't help you to improve your physical endurance
- Variety: variation of exercises is important to not get used to the same activities
- Individualisation: the exercise should be personal. People are different, as well as their physical fitness
It is important to know the different systems you can use to improve your physical endurance.
The main objective of the training is to delay the fatigue during the activity you are doing. For this reason you can work with two different systems (although there are others):
- Continuous systems: maintaining the effort during a long time
- Continuous running: maintaining the running during a long time with the same intensity
- Fartlek: maintaining the running during a long time, varying the intensity
- Total training: a mix with both previous systems with the realization of exercises
- Fractioned systems: consists on realizing repetition of exercises or running in different bloks, mixing activity and resting.
- Interval training
- Circuit training
- Repetitions
The last point of this presentation is the benefits the practice of physical endurance has on the body.
- Cardiovascular system: it improves the blood circulation, enhancing the faster movement of blood along the body
- Heart: it increases the volume of blood inside the heart, the practice strengthens the heart, helping to bomb more blood with less effort. And also, the cardiac frequency is reduced
- Muscular and skeletal system: more strength is given to the muscles
- Respiratory system: improvement of the respiratory system, increasing the pulmonar capacity and helping the lungs to be filled with more air
- General wellbeing is enhanced, helping the person to be happier and more satisfied with him/herself. Also improves the effort capacity, trying to improve and keep doing the exercise.
