Endurance Athlete Essay

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Explain Parameter Maximum volume of oxygen that can be used by the athlete. Relative VO2 – taking body weight into account (ml/kg/min) Absolute VO2 – measure without body weight (L/min) Release of Carbon Dioxide per unit time (L/min) (Plowman, 2011) The point where the rectilinear rise in minute ventilation breaks from linearity during an incremental exercise to maximum. (Plowman, 2011) The amount of air moved in and out of the lungs per minute VE, specifically, indicates expired rather than inspired air (Plowman, 2011) The number of movements indicative of inspiration and expiration per unit time (Plowman, 2011) The steady-state ratio of carbon dioxide produced by tissue metabolism to oxygen consumed in the same metabolism (Plowman, 2011)…show more content…
Unfortunately, in highly-trained individuals, such as the athlete in question, this result may be difficult to obtain. However, studies have shown that strength training, altitude exposure and training in a warm or hot climate are three factors which have the potential to further improve a highly trained endurance athlete’s RE (Saunders, 2004). 1. Strength Training – specifically plyometric or explosive strength training, aims to enhance the muscles ability to generate power. To accomplish this, the stretch-shortening cycle is emphasised – exercises such as bounding, leaping and hopping are utilised. The reason behind this is to improve neural adaptations such as; increased activation of motor units without the hypertrophy associated with generic strength training (Saunders, 2006). 2. Altitude Exposure – it is widely believed that exposure to altitude can enhance an athlete’s performance at sea-level. Local muscular adaptations coupled with haematological changes form the basis of this common belief. The approach for athlete’s to live and sleep at altitude and train at sea-level forms the basis of the method ‘live-high, train-low’. This method has proven that hypoxic pressure has significant improvements in RE in highly-trained endurance athletes (Katayama,

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