Tips to Build Endurance

Endurance training for young athletes is often a misunderstood topic. On one hand, there are strength coaches who tend to disregard developmentally sound elements of endurance training in lieu of producing stronger and faster athletes, while on the other hand, there are over-zealous coaches and trainers who equate endurance to long distance / duration activities, often with little regard for the athlete’s stage of development, ability or current level of conditioning.

Endurance is defined as one’s ability to withstand fatigue or the ability to control the functional aptitude of movement while experiencing external stress. The latter definition lends itself well to the concept of athletic development and training young athletes. One thing to consider is that the term endurance has application to varying lengths and types of effort:

Long slow distances – efforts of limited intensity but high distance or time

Speed – efforts typically lasting 15 – 45 seconds with high levels of intensity but obviously limited time or distance

Muscular – the ability to sustain a muscular contraction for a prolonged period of time

There are several factors to consider with respect to the development of endurance in a young athlete:

Mechanical / Coordination / Movement – Efficiency of movement is a key factor in the endurance capabilities of a young athlete. Poor mechanics lead to higher degrees of fatigue. To truly increase the ability of a young athlete, coaches and trainers must exercise patience and teach proper movement habits rather than prescribe endless numbers of sets. It is critical to remember that perfecting technique can effectively improve endurance without increasing training volume.

Body Type – The more overweight a young athlete is, the less endurance they will likely have. Excess body weight (particularly in the form of fat) decreases endurance because of increased energy cost. Additionally, being overweight often leads to poor mechanical efficiency.

Psychological – Many young athletes do not possess significant amounts of mental toughness. To combat this, some trainers and coaches opt to make drills and exercises purposefully difficult in order to produce some sort of perceived mental strength. Given that both the physical structure as well as mental potency of a youngster is tenuous, this philosophy can lead to burnout or injury. A more prudent approach to this issue is to systematically present challenges that respect a young athlete’s individuality as well as their current stage of development and offer positive feedback at the conclusion. This will progressively improve endurance and develop confidence to attempt new and more challenging things.

It is important to understand that endurance training is critical for long-term development and not immediate results. Developing good endurance allows the young athlete to tolerate an increased amount of exercise stimulus in the future. Don’t become pre-occupied with immediate effects. Like any other aspect of athletic development, endurance training is part of a continual, multi-tiered effort.

There are several key points to remember when designing endurance-based training programs for young athletes. The most crucial aspect is to start with a broad aerobic base. This will raise the anaerobic threshold of the athlete (delay the need to use anaerobic sources of energy during activity) and allow the athlete to tolerate increased loads in the future. Begin this aerobic-based phase with low to moderate volumes. Children, although physiologically more fit than the average adult, still must begin their training programs gradually, working up to longer durations and higher intensities.

As with all athletic development, it is important to alter the type of endurance training you do with young athletes. Think in terms of seasonal activities – In the summer, enjoy swimming. In the autumn, change to hiking or cycling. In wintertime, offer stimulus such as snow-shoeing or cross country skiing. Notice how the suggestions are movement-based activities, NOT going to the gym to run on a treadmill. Often we forget how important movement and coordination-based activities are for young athletes. Don’t train kids on single function pieces of fitness equipment. There is a definitive crossover with all exercise stimulus and young athletes.

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to Brian Grasso for this article.