Building Real Endurance
What does this even mean for first responders and tactical populations?
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Key Takeaway
What is endurance training? Is it being able to repeat a body weight exercise for several repetitions, run farther, or move under load for long(er) distances? Is it training that allows a Police Officer to function at the end of a foot pursuit?
Endurance is essentially fatigue management for a task.
For example, the average length of an NFL play is four seconds. Those four seconds are extremely explosive, chaotic, and usually followed by a brief rest period. Can the athlete repeat that effort for the duration of the game?
For an ultra-marathoner endurance means something very different. These events are usually very slow running, almost shuffling, for 50 to 100 miles over varying terrain. Just slightly different requirements than a 230lb running back getting into a car wreck every few minutes for an hour of regulation play.
Somewhere in the middle is where tactical and first responder populations live. This article will discuss the big picture of what endurance really is and how this fits for this unique population.
Peripheral Endurance
One of the common ways people view endurance is often by what activity they’re doing. Are you running, biking, or swimming? Then it is endurance training. Although not entirely accurate I think it is a good analogy to describe what peripheral endurance is. Peripheral could be thought of the general engine that powers the body. Think of your heart, lungs, and central nervous system working together.
Local Endurance
Endurance that is local is traditionally thought of as specific movements that fatigue specific muscle groups. For anyone who has done a traditional military physical fitness test consisting of max push-ups and sit-ups in given time period you have experienced this. However, this could also extend to tissue tolerance in your feet or hip flexors when running or our shoulders being able to support a heavy ruck.
It’s not Either/Or For Performance
An event like this is a fantastic example of the intersection of peripheral and local adaptations for true endurance and performance.
This hero had to wear a patrol load which is probably around 30lbs, carry his M4 or AR platform which is roughly 7.5lbs (depending on attachments), and then run for almost 3 minutes to engage an active shooter.
This is an onslaught on the body’s senses and fitness:
Running- Peripheral
Stress- Peripheral
Added Weight- local muscular endurance
Impact of running on the lower body- local muscular endurance/tissue tolerance
Using the weapon under fatigue to engage the shooter- Everything- If you’re so out of breath by the time you get there it doesn’t matter what you bench you won’t take accurate shots.
Closing
Is your training supporting all of these qualities? Does it take into consideration the peripheral and local adaptations required to be able to perform while under extreme stress during events that do not have a known beginning or end?
Hard, realistic, scenario based training is incredibly important to prepare individuals for the events they may encounter as a first responder. However, to be able to train hard you’ll need a base fitness to work from.
Ensure your program is balanced and takes into consideration these requirements. Strength and conditioning combined with sensible training is where performance lives. This is why in our programming you’ll see comprehensive build ups to not only train the “engine” but also to provide foundational strength.
Bodybuilding or running alone will not do it, and we’ll get more specific next article.
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This has always been a struggle for me to program. How much sprinting, how much endurance running should I be doing/week. It’s one of those things you lose so fast if you don’t focus on it