Standard Grade P.E
ENDURANCE
Q.What is endurance?
A. Having endurance enables you to
repeatedly perform a skill, or take part
in an activity for a long time.
There are two kinds of
endurance:
1. Cardio-respiratory endurance - required in
whole body activities, which increase the
demands on the heart and lungs. E.g,
marathon running, football and hockey.
2.Muscular endurance - where a muscle or
group of muscles are required to work
continuously. E.g, leg muscles in cycling.
A high level of CardioRespiratory Endurance (CRE)
allows:
• You to work for a longer period of time before
becoming tired.
• You to maintain a high work level with less effort.
• A quicker recovery after taking part in activity.
• Longer levels of concentration = fewer mistakes
Q. How can Cardio-respiratory
endurance be improved?
A. Through Training
Firstly:
Decide what level of fitness is required
Then:
Find out your ‘training zone’
220 (The body’s max pulse/min) - your age.
Example - 220 - 14 = 206 is MHR
For aerobic training, work for at least 20mins, 3
times per week,at between 60%-85% of your
maximum heart rate.
Types or training:
• ‘continuous running’- gradually increasing
the distance or speed.
• ‘varied pace running’(‘Fartlek’) - steady
running including some sprints.
• ‘interval running’ - running in a set time,
over a set distance, with recovery in
between.
What if you do not have enough
energy to keep working?
If the work level is too demanding, and you
cannot supply the working muscles with
enough oxygen, then you are working
‘anaerobically’, (without oxygen). This is
known as ‘oxygen debt’.
Working anaerobically can allow lactic acid
to build up in the muscles, causing pain and
stiffness.
Q. How do you improve
muscular endurance?
A. You can use circuit training
Circuits can be based on:
Time - increasing the time spent at each
station, or decreasing the rest time.
Or
Number - Using a programme based on the
maximum number of repetitions you can
perform at each station
N.B Remember to re-test and increase your workload
Effects Of Training
• More effective lungs (Vital capacity)
• More oxygen reaches the working muscles
(Aerobic threshold)
• Increase in the size of the heart, allowing
more blood to be pumped to the working
muscles (Stroke volume)
Here are some questions to try:
Q. Which two statements from below about
muscular endurance are correct?
A)Footballers need muscular endurance to
help them shoot.
B)Rowers need muscular endurance in their
arms.
C)Muscular endurance in the legs will allow a
cyclist to work longer.
ANSWER: B and C
Q. Which of the following statements
about the effects of exercise are true?
A)The size of the heart increases.
B)The lungs become smaller.
C)The lungs become more efficient and can
take in more oxygen.
D)Your maximum heart rate increases.
ANSWER: A and C