Aerobic Base

The training period where an endurance athlete focuses on developing the aerobic system is called the aerobic base. I first learned about the concepts of base building in the late 1970s by reading about famed New Zealand coach, Arthur Lydiard, who died in 2004. His idea was that aerobic and anaerobic running should be balanced by specific training. Arthur, originally a distance runner himself, began coaching, and in the 1950s and ’60s was a major influence in developing the running boom. He also trained many endurance athletes from around the world to greatness, including Olympic gold medalists Peter Snell (who won both 800 and 1500 meters in the 1964 Olympics) and Lasse Viren (who won both 5K and 10K in the 1972 Olympics), and many of the world’s greatest endurance athletes. His extensive travel around the globe left a significant mark on the history of endurance training.

In the early 1980s, while on a lecture tour in the United States, Arthur visited my clinic. While he never complained about any personal aches or pains, we had a lot in common and spent time talking about measuring aerobic conditioning. Learning firsthand from him was much different from trying to read his material. He was frustrated that many in the endurance world did not grasp his concepts. At this time, the “no pain, no gain” myth had already taken hold in endurance sports, consistently popularized by newly created single-sports magazines. The simplistic, unhealthy notion that you must “train fast to race fast” was in full swing, as were the rapid rise in injuries and overtraining. Runners were especially susceptible to this way of thinking; and as the running boon took off, so did the number of leg, knee, hip, and foot injuries.

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Arthur and I, along with the very few others who trained athletes “slower” to develop the aerobic system, were considered odd ducks due to our unconventional approach. Acceptance came gradually as endurance athletes learned to recognize the significance of aerobic function. Today, the few remaining coaches and trainers who still might criticize the base-building concept and its application don’t understand the basic physiology of the aerobic and anaerobic systems.

By measuring an athlete during all aspects of training, I made the important discovery that anaerobic stimulation, which can come from any anaerobic workout and any physical, chemical, or mental lifestyle stress, had the potential to interfere with the development of the aerobic system, thereby reducing endurance potential. An important aspect of building the aerobic base, I quickly learned, is that during this process, anaerobic training should be minimized—ideally eliminated—from the training schedule. And, athletes need to become more aware of how stress affects them.