Body composition...

For my birthday last year my wife sent me to the Sport and Recreation Academy for a VO2/LT test. The test was undertaken two weeks after I ran the course record 90km at 12FT so aerobically I was very fit but I struggled to get my top end up as I was still struggling with fatigue.

I'm taking this as my starting point and following the recommendations of the testers I'm thinking about taking the test again in 15 weeks to see if I have improved on the results. At least I'm already 1kg lighter than last year.


Body composition

Height: 175.3 cm
Body mass: 77.2 kg
Body fat: ~8%

Comments:
Body fat within ideal range for an endurance athlete. Reducing body fat will enhance your exercise efficiency and ultimately improve your running performance. Aim to decrease weight by 0.5-1.0kg over the next training cycle.


Aerobic Fitness

VO2: 4.84 L/min
MaxHR: 188
AT2: 87%VO2/90%MHR
AT1: 73%VO2/75%MHR

Comments:
A good aerobic threshold is thought to be 70% of max heart rate. Your score of 75% well above this range, indicating that you have an excellent aerobic base. A good anaerobic threshold (AT2) for endurance athletes is thought to be round 90% of max heart rate and above. Your AT2 at 90% is just within the ideal range. You can improve your AT2 running speed with 40min or 2 x 20min runs @ 169 b/min. An improvement in AT2 running speed will enhance your 10km run performance. Aim for two of these sessions per week in the first 1-8 weeks. Your final lactate of 11.6mmol/L was not especially high for an endurance athlete.

You can help improve your peak lactate and running speed with interval style training (using hills or flat 200m – 3km intervals) e.g. 4 x 400m hard, 3-5 mins rest between sets.


Aerobic Power

Comments:
Your aerobic power (4.84 L/min) is excellent. This may continue to improve with higher intensity training.

Weeks 1-8
It is suggested that the majority of your training be centred on your anaerobic threshold. Aim for two anaerobic threshold runs per week. You should also add one VO2max run per week (1km to 3km efforts @ 178-188b/min) with a long rest. Eg; 2 x 3km, with 4min rest. This will improve both your lactate tolerance and VO2max. Also include one to two long duration, low intensity runs.

Weeks 9 - 15
Increase the frequency and intensity of interval training to two long interval sessions per week (1km to 3km, close to maximum heart rate), one short interval session per week (400m to 1km, hard) and one anaerobic threshold run. Also include one to two long duration, low intensity runs to maintain your great base.