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10 Nuggets, Tips and Tricks on Energy System Training
Energy system training (EST) is always a hot topic in the f itness and athletic development industries.
And unf ortunately, I think there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to EST.
With everyone looking to get leaner, more toned, or just look and f eel like a sexy beast, its natural to assume
that glycolytic and/or anaerobic training is all you really need.
Couple that with the f act that black and white statements make f or the best sound bites, and you have a recipe
f or a lot of poor inf ormation.
Below are 10 random nuggets, tips and tricks to get more out of your EST. Enjoy!
1. Think of your body as the most efficient, effective machine known to man.
You tell it to get bigger, it gets bigger. You tell it to get stronger, it gets stronger.
The same goes with energy system training.
If you train f or aerobic development, the body does everything in its power to become more ef f icient within the
aerobic energy system.
More aerobic enzymes.
A bigger lef t ventricle of the heart.
Improved utilization of oxygen at the muscular level, etc.
And the converse is true as well. If you train the anaerobic system religiously, your body is going to become
more ef f icient anaerobically as well.
This may seem like a very bland statement, but its also powerf ul. We have to remember that every f orm of
exercise we do sends a signal to our body, which will then create an adaptation.
2. Aerobic energy system training and anaerobic energy system training are in direct competition with
each other.
If we can agree that the body is super smart and is constantly trying to adapt to the training we impose upon it,
then we start to realize that maybe we cant do everything at once.
Lets say youre doing some lower intensity exercise, or
working in a more aerobic zone. This will set of f a cascade of
adaptations, as your body will want to become more ef f icient
and ef f ective at aerobic exercise.
But if you train anaerobically, the body moves in an entirely
dif f erent direction. As you can see f rom the chart on the right
(which was pulled f rom my Program Design lecture at the Elite
Athletic Development seminar) you can see why training f or
all physical qualities simultaneously isnt a great idea.
Quite simply, the adaptations were trying to achieve are in direct competition with each other.
Aerobic training develops aerobic enzymes. Anaerobic training develops anaerobic enzymes.
Aerobic training builds mitochondria. Anaerobic training destroys mitochondria.
Aerobic training stimulates the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system. Anaerobic training
stimulates the sympathetic (f ight-or-f light) nervous system.
Instead of building both simultaneously (which only works f or beginners), f ocus instead on building your
pyramid f rom the ground up.
3. Dont focus on glycolytics/anaerobic development without an aerobic base.
One of the biggest issues I see is when athletes constantly bombard their system with glycolytic and high-
intensity exercise.
Think of your energy system development as a pyramid. At
the bottom you have your low-intensity (aerobic) exercise, in
the middle your moderate intensity exercise, and at the top is
your high intensity (glycolytic/anaerobic) exercise.
If all you do is f ocus on the top, youll never expand your
base. This will ultimately limit your ability to do high-intensity
work f or prolonged periods of time.
On the other hand if you take the time to build a base, youll
have the f oundation to do more high-intensity work, when
you start training it.
This is just one reason why perf orming glycolytic and high-intensity work year-round isnt the best idea. Even
wrestlers and MMA f ighters who f ight in inverted work:rest ratios will benef it f rom developing a base f irst, and
then moving into high-intensity bouts and ef f orts as they get closer to a competition.
4. You get 8 seconds of free energy. Charlie Francis
This is in ref erence to the creatine phosophate system, but quite simply, you have 8 seconds of f ree energy
until these ATP-CP stores are topped out. From there, your aerobic and/or glycolytic energy systems will take
over.
On a side note, Charlie Francis was really, really smart.
5. All of your energy systems turn on simultaneously.
I dont know about you, but when I learned physiology you probably walked away with the impression that your
energy systems turn on in order.
First your alactic or ATP/CP system turns on f or 6 to 8 seconds.
Then, when it runs out of f uel, your anaerobic/glycolytic system turns on f or up to ~2 minutes.
Af ter that, your aerobic system revs up and turns on.
And unf ortunately, this just isnt the case.
Instead, all of your energy systems turn on simultaneously, and then up or down regulate based upon
how intense the exercise is.
So even if youre going hard f or 30 seconds or one minute, your anaerobic/glycolytic system may be doing the
lions share of the work, but your aerobic system is working as hard as it possibly can, too.
6. Respect the Power-Capacity Continuum.
Numerous smart coaches (i.e. Patrick Ward, Mladen Jovanovic, etc.) have discussed the power-capacity
continuum recently. In case youre unf amiliar, heres a very brief synopsis:
All sports and/or exercises can be placed somewhere along the
power-capacity continuum. On the lef t hand side you have the
very power dominant sports such as powerlif ting, Olympic lif ting,
or the throws in track.
Essentially, you do something once with great
speed/strength/power, and then chill out f or an extended period
of time.
On the opposite side of the spectrum you have sports/exercises
that go on f or extended periods of time, yet
speed/strength/power output is relatively low. Here you can think
triathletes or marathon runners. (Photo courtesy of Mladen
Jovanovic.)
Obviously these are the f ar ends of the spectrum. Most team
sports f it more in the middle.
The graphic to the right is one I created f or the EADS course
with Joe Kenn. Here weve taken the middle portion of the
above graphic and placed it on its own continuum.
Baseball would be the most power dominant team sport, as
its very explosive paired with long periods of rest or recovery
in between bouts.
On the opposite end, you have soccer. While there is obviously a strong power/speed/strength component,
these athletes also need a tremendous amount of capacity. Af ter all, it doesnt matter how good you look in
the f irst 15 minutes if you cant make runs in the 80th, 85th, or 90th minute, youre in big trouble!
Once you start to understand and respect the power-capacity continuum, it makes programming EST f or any
athletes much, much easier.
7. Aerobic training is great for recovery.
One of the best things about aerobic training is how it expedites and improves recovery. Not only does this
make you a more ef f icient beast in between sets and exercises, but it also expedites recovery in between
workouts as well.
Taking this a step f urther, I love to put aerobic/low-intensity training on of f -days to promote active recovery.
Whether its cardiac output, a pool session, or even high-intensity continuous training, I f irmly believe that
active recovery is pref erable to passive means.
Dont think this applies to strength and power sports athletes?
Think again.
Louie Simmons noticed a dramatic shif t in the perf ormance of his powerlif ters when they started incorporating
sled dragging and general physical preparation (GPP) into their training programs.
Whether it was due to the active recovery component, improved cardiac output, improved
parasympathetic/vagal tone, or some mix of these (and other) f actors, the f act of the matter is it works.
8. Real glycolytic and anaerobic training is horrible.
Its humorous hearing people talk about doing Tabata protocols, or high-intensity training, when most are
doing nothing of the sort.
First of all, true Tabata style workouts were done at 170%
of VO2 max. This is a ridiculously high intensity, which most
people have never (nor will they ever) encounter.
But taking this a step f urther, going with balls-out intensity
f or 30, 60 or 90 seconds, is absolutely, positively horrible.
When I have to write this type of workout f or an athlete, I go
through a brief moment of silence because I know how
horrible it really is.
If you dont believe me, go in the gym, warm-up, and ride an
AirDyne f or 30 seconds with legitimate, all-out intensity.
And let me know how you f eel af terwards!
9. Did you know you can change your heart?
Did you know you can develop your heart, much like you can develop your muscles?
Just like lif ting progressively heavier weights builds bigger muscles, smart EST can create specif ic adaptations
in your heart.
First of f , as I alluded to in my You NEED Long Duration, Low Intensity Cardio, low
intensity exercise promotes an eccentric lengthening/stretching of the lef t ventricle of
your heart.
When performed for extended periods of time, this creates an adaptation where
you can effectively get more blood in and out of your left ventricle with each beat
(i.e. increased stroke volume).
And since youre moving more blood per beat, that means your heart can beat less of ten,
lowering your heart rate.
Quite simply, you can make your heart more ef f icient.
But heres another cool thing we know that mitochondria are the powerhouse cell of
our body. High intensity exercise (~60 seconds) perf ormed at a max heart rate, f ollowed
up with an extended rest period of ~5 minutes, can stimulate the heart to lay
mitochondria within itself !
Pretty cool, eh?
Just remember everything we do in exercise promotes an adaptation of some kind. If you want to learn more
of this stuf f and become an absolute ninja with EST, be sure to check out Joel Jamiesons Ultimate MMA
Conditioning book. Its in my Top 5 books of all time f or perf ormance coaches and personal trainers.
10. Keeping it fun is critical.
Last but not least, EST training can be downright brutal.
Or, it can also be painf ully boring.
One of the best tips I can give you is to work on keeping it f resh.
Sure theres a time for sport-specific or movement-specific work, but there are also times where you
can make it more general in an effort to get a quality adaptation, while also keeping it fun and
engaging.
For instance if youre doing cardiac output, dont f eel like you have to do cyclical exericse on a treadmill, bike or
elliptical.
Create circuits where youre throwing med balls, pushing the Prowler, or doing correctives and mobility drills.
Quite simply, the more f un and engaging it is, the more likely you are to stick with it and reap the benef its.
Summary
So there you have it, 10 quick nuggets, tips and tricks on energy system training.
Physiology wasnt my primary f ocus in school, but Ive worked my arse of f to learn more about it. I f igure my
athletes deserve it.
I hope if EST isnt your f orte, that youll come back f requently this month. Ive got some great materials on tap
that I know youre going to enjoy.
All the best
MR