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Building A Bigger Base – What does it mean?

An article by Mike Schultz CSCS of Highland Training

It is the time of year to focus on base training. Base training is a term that is used to describe low intensity training that promotes aerobic adaptations within the muscle. Endurance athletes depend almost entirely on aerobic energy to help them run faster, pedal longer, and swim with ease. Gaining more aerobic energy potential is one of the keys of success for the endurance minded. Aerobic adaptations are also important for power athletes since aerobic contribution increases dramatically, contributing up to 40-45% of required energy, after 20 to 30 seconds of so called anaerobic actions.

Working on a bigger base means that you are adding to your aerobic energy capacity. More capillary densities, and more productive mitochondria, are a few of the aerobic adaptations that take place when properly training for a bigger base. Mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, are one of the main subjects of current exercise science. It is well agreed upon that certain aerobic adaptations take place to increase your aerobic potential but how they take place and in what capacity is still a mystery. Studies continue to take place with the use of lactate, lung volume, oxygen saturation, respiratory rates, power and more to help researchers find ways to better understand how aerobic adaptations happen.

Increased capillary density will allow you to shuttle more oxygen to the working muscle. Capillaries are the small pathways through the muscle that connect fresh oxygenated blood from the arteries to the blood returning back to the heart through your veins. Increased capillary density will happen while working in an aerobic state. Increasing the amount of capillaries will allow you to use more oxygen and thus increase your potential for energy.

The mitochondria are the center for energy production within your cells. It is the only place within the cell where all three fuels (oxygen, fat, and carbohydrates) can be burned for energy. Few theories centered on the mitochondria believe that with denser or more productive mitochondria, the more places you have to help burn the accumulation of lactic acid for fuel. Lactic acid is now being viewed as part of the energy process. Whether you can build bigger mitochondria or more dense mitochondria remains unexplained. Having more productive mitochondria will allow you to use more oxygen, in combination with other fuels such as fat and carbohydrates, to be burned for energy.

Increasing your potential for aerobic energy production will allow you to use more fat as fuel at a higher energy output for a longer period of time. Fatty acids (triglycerides) can yield ten times the amount of energy (ATP) compared to what one molecule of glucose will produce. Elite athletes will use much more fat as energy compared to a beginner endurance athlete. The ability to use more fat will allow you to spare your valuable and limited carbohydrate stores (muscle glycogen and blood glucose).

Any endurance event will require you to use a range of energy from endurance to anaerobic energy. The need for anaerobic energy is apparent, within endurance events, but it is more important for endurance athletes to know how to recover faster from anaerobic actions. The faster you recover from one short intense interval, within an endurance event, the faster you can perform another. Recovering from hard intervals only happens through aerobic pathways. So stay focused in the early season and use your breath as sign of intensity. Most aerobic adaptations happen when the breath is calm or just slightly labored. Heart Rates and power meters are also great tools to use, along with your breath, to maintain steady intervals while working for endurance. So remember to train smart and breathe!

Mike Schultz CSCS