Four weeks of training with different aerobic workload distributions--effect on aerobic performance.

Although numerous authors have studied the effect of different training procedures on athlete's resistance performance, there are no studies on how the improvement of aerobic resistance is affected by the distribution of training loads. This research sets out to analyse the effectiveness on aerobic activity of distributions with a constant load (CON) and with increments in intensity (INC) over a 4-week period. A total of 30 athletes took part in the analysis (38.7 ± 9.8 years; 174.7 ± 6.5 cm; 72.0 ± 9.8 kg). They were divided into 3 groups of 10 each. One group followed a training plan with a CON distribution and another with an INC distribution. Both groups performed at the same volume and intensity, the only difference between them being the distribution of load over the 4 weeks. The third group trained with a free load distribution during this time. Improvement in VO2max and ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) was analysed before and after the 4-week training period. There was no modification of the VO2max in any of the training programmes. The FRE and INC groups showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in their VO2 in VT1, and in the CON group there was a significant reduction (p<0.05) in heart rate in VT2. These results show how training periodisation produces different improvement on performance and demonstrate the effectiveness of periodisated programmes, because periodisated programmes obtain equal or higher adaptations with lower training volumes than non-periodisated programmes.