The Most Overlooked Aspect of Training

By Jeff Wilson

In most sports the general consensus among athletes seems to be “the bigger and stronger you are, the better off you are going to be.”  Though that may be true in some instances, the harsh reality is that the more conditioned athlete is more often than not going to win out.

 Complex routines are often put into action by coaches only to be confused by what an athlete reads in a magazine or hears from someone at the gym, or from a friend or parent, and unfortunately the area that most often gets overlooked when the waters of training become muddied is the athlete’s endurance. 

 Though rarely talked about, and never shown on a highlight reel - endurance in many cases is the difference between a win and a loss.  Take for example two boxers, both with virtually equal talent, equal punching power, and equal defensive skills – invariably the fighter that has the better endurance will get the victory.  He will be the fighter that comes out of the corner fresher after each break and as the fight goes on into the later rounds, will be the one still able to deliver crisp, clean punches and keep his hands high in defense.  The same thing goes for the football field, the basketball court and the track.

 Where the confusion with athletes often begins is the “how” of endurance training for their specific sport.  A marathoner, a soccer player, a defensive end and a mixed martial artist all NEED endurance training in their workout regimen to be the best that they can be, but no two of them are going to train the same way to get the type of endurance that they need in their particular sport – a half hour on the treadmill isn’t going to do the trick for everyone.

 The type of endurance training any athlete performs is going to be most effective the closer it mimics his or her needs in the sport that he or she participates in.  A marathon runner is going to have to be prepared for three to four hours of continuous exertion; a marathon is virtually all endurance.  A Mixed Martial Arts match is a whole different ball game, an MMA fighter needs to endure going all out and being explosive for five minutes followed by a short rest, then be fully recovered to repeat the cycle as many as five times should the fight last the distance, but don’t think for one second that an MMA fighter can be at the top of his game without training to last – five minutes of fighting is an awful long time if you aren’t prepared for it. 

 A runner preparing for a marathon will need to build up a solid base, logging several miles on the road each week, usually including one long run building up to or even exceeding the twenty six miles he or she will need to be ready for come race day.  He or she may mimic the actual upcoming course in their training by running hills or including other factors that may be present at the specific location of the event.

 The kind of endurance training an MMA fighter will need to be at the top of his game should include things like sprints, hill runs and stair runs in high intensity intervals lasting for five minutes followed by a short break to mimic the exertion pattern of his or her event.

 Though the two types of training are as different as can be, neither athlete could excel in their sport without taking their endurance and conditioning to the next level.  Endurance is something that everyone can improve upon, regardless of age, body type or level of natural talent so why would you as an athlete run the risk of losing an event or of giving a poor performance by neglecting this necessary part of training.  Remember that you are only as strong as the weakest part of your game – don’t let endurance be your Achilles’ heel.