Manifestations of endurance

From a physiological point of view, a distinction is made between local and general endurance, depending on the proportion of muscle mass involved. Localised endurance uses less than 1/6 of the muscle mass (e.g. turning the crank with one arm) and generalised endurance uses more than 1/6 of the muscle mass (the cardiovascular system and breathing are also used, e.g. in Nordic walking, running, cycling or swimming).

In sport, endurance is broken down, as the same form of endurance is not used everywhere. While a marathon runner should maintain their running speed as much as possible, a footballer, for example, must be able to slow down and accelerate repeatedly during the game (stop-and-go). A distinction is therefore made between basic endurance (general endurance) and specialised endurance (sport-specific endurance). Basic endurance in the sense of optimally developed aerobic performance forms the basis on which any sport can be built. It can be developed using various training methods and transferred to most activities and sports. Specialised endurance means resistance to fatigue when the organism is subjected to sport-specific stress. It includes both aerobic and anaerobic performance as well as aerobic and anaerobic capacity in a sport-specific form. In the case of specific endurance, a distinction is made between cyclical, continuous activities (e.g. sprint endurance, short, medium and long-term endurance) and acyclical, non-continuous activities (e.g. stamina in duels and games).

Manifestations of endurance

Short-term endurance

Short-term endurance corresponds to a maximum endurance load of 30 seconds to 2 minutes. It must rely heavily on the anaerobic energy supply.

Mid-term endurance

Average endurance corresponds to a maximum endurance load of 2 to 10 minutes. Depending on the distance, it requires a proportion of anaerobic or aerobic energy supply of 20 to 80%.

Long-term endurance

Long-term endurance corresponds to a maximum endurance load of 10 minutes or more. The aerobic capacity in particular plays a performance-limiting role here. In the area of long-term endurance II (30 to 90 minutes) and especially III (more than 90 minutes), the oxidation of free fatty acids plays an increasingly important role in aerobic energy production alongside the burning of carbohydrates.

Two specific forms of endurance are strength and speed endurance.

Strength endurance

Strength endurance indicates the extent to which muscles are resistant to fatigue during long periods of exertion. A distinction can be made between aerobic and anaerobic strength endurance. Typical sports that require well-developed strength endurance are Cycling, rowing, canoeing, cross-country skiing or boxing. In such sports, the use of strength is rarely maximal, but rather must be maintained over a long period of time.

Fastness endurance

Speed endurance describes the ability to maintain maximum speed without losing speed or to repeatedly perform a quick reaction at maximum speed. In other words, speed endurance is the measure of the ability to resist a loss of speed during prolonged or repeated maximal use of speed. Limiting factors for speed endurance are the fatigue resistance of the nervous system and the speed at which the body can resynthesise ATP and creatine phosphate. Speed endurance can be divided into three areas: reaction, action and action speed endurance.

The detailed distinctions between the various forms of endurance are of great importance for the training planning of top athletes. For amateur sports, however, general endurance and thus the fatigue resistance of the entire body and all its systems are of particular importance.

Performance and capacity

Exertion has a certain intensity and a certain (temporal) scope. When we talk about intensity, we are talking about (aerobic or anaerobic) performance; when we talk about volume, we are talking about (aerobic and anaerobic) capacity.

Anaerobic performance

Cycling at 8 watts/kg or running at 22 km/h - Comparison with a car: engine power at high revs and maximum torque

Anaerobic capacity

Cycling sprint for 20 seconds at 60 km/h or running for 20 seconds at 30 km/h - comparison with a car: fuel tank emptied by an uneconomical, aggressive driving style.

Aerobic performance

e.g. cycling with 2 watts per kg body mass or running at 8 km/h - comparison with a car: engine power at low to medium speed in watts.

Aerobic capacity

e.g. cycling for 5 hours at 20 km/h or running for 90 minutes at 10 km/h - Comparison with a car: tank capacity utilised by economical driving.

Manifestations of endurance

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