ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE

Determinants of Endurance Performance

Case study of a male athlete running 10 kms

Determinants of Endurance Performance

Case study of a male athlete running 10 kms

Introduction

Performance endurance is defined as the ability of an organism to withstand fatigue and remain active for a long time. Exercises related to determining the endurance of any person or athlete are known as endurance exercises or endurance performances. The two important factors that have effect on endurance performance and arise after prolonged activity are heat and hydrogen ion accumulation known as lactic acidosis. Results of performances of endurance exercises can be can be varied by changing the amount of oxygen that is available and glucose in the blood. Most common parameters that are associated with endurance running are speed, level of lactate, heart rate, VO2 (volume of oxygen consumed) and economy. Another parameter associated with endurance performance is VO maximum, which is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen that can be used by the athlete's body during an endurance exercise.

Till now, the physiological variables that have been studied in depth are the intake of oxygen (maximal), aerobic endurance, and economy. Aerobic endurance is the ability of using a specific amount of oxygen for a long time (pbscience, 2012).

During the past years, lactate threshold has gained importance in determination of endurance performances. It is defined as the intensity of exercise at which lactate level starts to build up in the blood. It is a significant parameter that assists in examining endurance performances (Faude et.al, 2009 pp. 469-490).

This article contains a case study of a male athlete running 10 km, weighing 71 kg and aged 35 years. The outcomes of his running are presented in table 1. It gives a clear idea about the parameters related to endurance running.

Discussion

The endurance performance of an athlete can be analyzed on the basis of the variables associated with his performance. Such variables include speed, the rate of heart beat, the level of lactate, the consumption of oxygen and the economy of the athlete. All of these parameters have a combined effect on the performance of endurance exercises. Out of all the parameters associated with endurance running, consumption of oxygen was previously considered to be the most important one. However, the latest studies and research suggest that the most important parameter regarding endurance performance is the economy, which is defined as the amount of oxygen required relative to the weight of the body at a specific level of exercise intensity. However, other factors like VO2, heart rate and the level of lactate are also important and cannot be overlooked in determining the endurance performance results.

At present, scientists are continuously trying to find the relationship between different physiological variables and the performance of endurance exercises. They are keen to know that how can the endurance performances be explained with the help of physiological variables that are measured (Joyner & Coyle, 2008). This research will not only enable them to explain the effects of such variables on ...