Top Endurance

The athlete begins in a hip-width stance, holding the bar with a closed, pronated grip. He holds the bar in front of the body, touching the thighs. The scapulae are tightly squeezed together. The athlete lowers the bar to just above the knee by pushing the hips back so that the...

The athlete stands with the feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart; the toes are pointed forward or slightly outward. The athlete squats and grasps the bar with the hands slightly wider than the shoulders (and outside the knees) using a closed, pronated grip. He straightens...

This chapter provides information on three main types of resistance exercises: Olympic lifts, lower-body lifts, and upper-body lifts. Olympic lifts use large muscle groups and involve multiple body parts being worked at the same time. These exercises help an athlete develop...

The snatch-grip hand placement on the bar is wider than it is for other exercises. To help an athlete estimate the proper width of the grip, have the athlete extend an arm laterally and parallel to the floor; then measure the distance from the edge of the knuckles of that arm (the...

The following guidelines provide basic information that is essential for safe and productive resistance training. Experienced lifters may already know some of this information, but for beginner lifters, understanding these guidelines will be useful whenever they perform resistance...

Moderate-work, moderate-duration workouts (aerobic workouts) are the simplest to execute. For most sports, athletes complete these workouts by simply exercising (e.g., riding or running) for anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes at aerobic intensity. The first 5 to 10 minutes and the...

Long workouts are the most specific workouts that athletes can do. These workouts are also the best preparation for races. Because long workouts take up the most time and energy, athletes will typically do only one to three long workouts per week. Triathletes should do one for...

The cultures of most endurance sports have deep traditions of focusing on completing as many miles and hours as possible, regardless of the quality of the workouts—and even at the expense of quality. This leads to a real challenge for modern-day endurance athletes. With the...

Endurance sports typically require participants to traverse extended distances as rapidly as possible. These sports include running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, ultradistance events, and others. Sustaining a good pace in an endurance event and improving that pace require effective,...

Among athletes, a lot of confusion exists about ergogenic aids. This confusion is often related to safety and efficacy concerns. Because ergogenic aids are not included in the category of macro- or micronutrients, people often think of them only as performance enhancing and...

Most athletes welcome the off-season as a time of rest, recovery, and rejuvenation. However, this is also a time when many athletes make nutritional mistakes and gain unnecessary body fat. These mistakes can occur if an athlete does not continue to emphasize controlled intake...

For training sessions during the competitive cycle, proper fueling allows athletes to achieve optimal effectiveness in the workout and ensures adequate nutrient intake for the recovery process. The nutrient intake before a training session is designed to ensure that the athlete...