Basic Course in Training Science Part 3 - Training Structure & Performance Factors

Before we can delve into the factors that limit our performance and that training aims to improve, a small section should be dedicated to Anthropometry.

Anthropometry encompasses the body's dimensions such as length, weight, and body shape. To a large extent, these are factors determined by our genetics; we all look different, and depending on height, weight, and muscle size, which determines our strengths and weaknesses. A tall cyclist weighing 85kg is probably better suited for flat races where a lot of power output is prioritized, while a cyclist weighing 62kg and 172 cm tall should perform better in the mountains. However, there are of course exceptions with taller, heavier athletes performing very well uphill and vice versa.

 

Everyone can improve their weaknesses and further strengthen their strengths, but our body dimensions largely determine performance through air resistance, gravity, or relative oxygen uptake, more on this below. We cannot change our height or bone structure, but body weight, muscle mass, and body fat percentage can be influenced by training and nutrition to a certain extent, but it can also pose a risk if one tries to change their baseline too much. The risk of illness and injury increases with lower body fat percentage, so the quest for low body weight eventually becomes detrimental to your performance.

Athletic performance is limited by some different parameters that we will go through below. These can serve as a starting point when explaining what an athlete does well or what they need to work more on.

Oxygen uptake capacity refers to the amount of oxygen the muscles can utilize during physical work, as well as the limitation of the maximum aerobic capacity that a human has. Oxygen uptake has long been used to test athletes and assess our physical capacity. Measuring oxygen uptake is very important, but within elite sports, it has been shown that other more competition-specific tests are better at determining performance capacity. Very well-trained athletes can sustain their maximum oxygen uptake for about 5-10 minutes before the process becomes more anaerobic and performance declines. 

 

Oxygen uptake is usually measured in Vo2max (Liters/min) or in test values (Vo2max ml/kg/min). For athletes who carry their own body weight, such as cycling, skiing, or running, test values are a better measurement metric since body weight plays an important role. However, for rowers or canoeists, it is better to look at the pure liter value. A test value of above 60 ml/kg/min is often considered a threshold for highly trained men and about 55 for women. However, within the elite in many endurance sports, it is not uncommon for test values to reach 80-90 ml/kg/min for men and 65-75 ml/kg/min for women.  

The utilization rate describes how close a person can operate to their Vo2max over a specific time. Most often, it refers to the threshold when talking about utilization rate, i.e., the watt/speed/heart rate one can maintain for about 1 hour. But it is actually a broader concept for describing the ceiling for work over a longer period. For example, a marathon runner's utilization rate can be calculated as the percentage of Vo2max they can maintain over 42 km, which then becomes the marathon runner's utilization rate at their specific competition distance.

For an “average” person, the utilization rate is around 60 percent of maximal oxygen uptake, while an elite athlete can have a utilization rate/threshold of 90 percent or even higher of Vo2max.

Two people with exactly the same Vo2max and work economy who both run a marathon can achieve two completely different finishing times. This difference can depend on many things, but first and foremost is work economy. Work economy refers to how much oxygen an athlete consumes at a given workload. The main factors affecting work economy are the individual's efficiency (biochemical effectiveness), that is, how much of the energy the body produces actually goes toward propelling you forward. A large part of the “wasted energy” turns into heat, where a more well-trained person produces less “wasted energy”.

Another factor that affects work economy is the characteristics of the muscles (e.g., muscle fiber composition, muscle length and attachment points to the skeleton, etc.). Another factor affecting work economy is the athlete's technique. Work economy can be influenced to a certain degree through technique training, but is primarily innate.

 

The goal of training should therefore be to have as high values in all three of the above-mentioned factors. Research indicates, however, that it is not possible to achieve maximum values in all areas at the same time. An athlete with very high oxygen uptake often struggles to maintain optimal work economy and utilization rate, for example.

To performance are also added factors such as tactics and psychology. How the athlete feels before a competition plays a significant role. Or how they plan their race with starting speed and how they relate to competitors, weather, etc.

 

Finally, we come to nutrition, the area that Umara works most with. You may have optimized all the parts mentioned above, but if you do not have a good loading and energy plan for your competition, it doesn't matter; you won’t be able to perform at your best at all. But under "Learn More" at Umara, you can find valuable information to combine training and nutrition for optimal performance!

In the 4th and final part of the Training Science series, we will move on to more practical tips regarding training and training zones.

     VO2 max                                                               Work economy                                                                Utilization rate