Is endurance training the best route to good health

tommy_tommy

I have trained for and competed in long distance endurance events for the last fifteen years; However, this year I have suffered from reoccurring knee problems and frequent low level illness. This has made me reevaluated the reasons for training. Rather than focus on performance, I decided to focus on good health as my primary goal.

As usual with sports and health related research for very article that supports one approach to good health another suggest the complete opposite.

Several articles have suggested high carbohydrate consumption and extended training at higher heart rates (both of which I have done for any years) are detrimental to health. They do point to ill health in many professional athletes although; the statistical relevance of this is sketchy. I would say some points in this article do ring true. In this article, the author suggest that the human body did not evolve to run long distances and advocates short high intensity intervals and weight training as the best route to good health.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/

In other articles, I have read life expectancy and health into old age is higher in elite endurance athletes compared to power athletes. The suggest endurance training and continued competition into old age is the way to remain healthy.

Here is a good counter argument to the link above.

http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/car ... not-likely

Should I get my knee sorted and continue racing my bike into old age or sell my bikes and join the gym.

Garry H

Fix the knee, keep pedalling., perhaps go to the gym once or twice a week. Or just do what makes you feel happiest, which I suspect is endurance sport.

vorsprung

Thanks for posting the link to the "case against cardio" article. It is interesting

The way I read it is that over training is bad. He went from doing a very high volume of high intensity training to doing a high volume of low intensity+ a very small amount of high intensity. He found that with the low intensity program he performed better and was prone to illness and injury

This isn't really totally surprising. I suppose the the interesting quesion is, without those years of mad overtraining would he be at the same level of performance?

I don't totally buy his californian primal DNA destinity stuff but then I am not a californian each to their own....

Harry B

I've taken my riding and training a bit more seriously this year. As a result I've lost at least 1 stone (all my suits are now too big :? ) and feel fitter than ever but I've had more colds this year than ever. Until a couple of weeks ago I seemed to have a cold for most of the year. It could just be that there are plenty of bugs around but I also believe that a long ride does damage the immune system even if only for a short while

pompeypoppy

Sounds like you may have been overtraining a bit mate

tommy_tommy

Whilst I also do not subscribed to the Primal / Evolution theories; one aspect I do agree with is the over loading of high GI carbohydrates by endurance athletes.

Until last year my diet was based heavy around carbohydrate, cereals for breakfast, cereals at work; cereals before bed; energy drinks, cereal bars etc. Even when training 15 hours a week for Ironman races I stayed around 11 stone and never had any real muscle definition. I think the article refers to it as skinny fat.

This year, I concentrated on upping my fat and protein levels and cutting out carbs except during long races. My weight dropped to 10 st 2 with no loss in sustainable power. At 42 I have visible stomach muscle for the first time. In previous years in endurance based events I would place around half way in the field. this year I have finished all sportifs in the top 25%. My climbing has improved significantly.

However, this approach maybe a reason for my constant colds; however, despite a few days of due to colds the overall result as been faster riding. However, I do not believe this is sustainable in the long term.