Effects of training load organization on the anaerobic threshold of amateur runners

Abstract

Introduction: The search for an improvement in the quality of life, together with the popularization of street races around the world, has caused a significant increase of the practitioners and of evidence of this modality. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effects of the organization of the training load on the anaerobic threshold of amateur runners. Materials and methods: Eight athletes aged 35.1 ± 9.4 performed the Conconi treadmill test to evaluate the Threshold 1 (L1) and Threshold 2 (L2) of running, and were submitted to five weeks of training. For the data that presented a normal distribution, the t-Student test was used to compare the means, and for the data that did not demonstrate normal distribution, the Wilcoxon test was used. For both tests, p <0.05 was used for level of significance. In the first evaluation, the mean L1 was 9.6 ± 0.9 and the L2 was 12.9 ± 1.6. Results: After five weeks of training it was possible to verify that there was a significant increase in both L1 and L2. In this way it is possible to understand that the anaerobic threshold is a parameter widely used in the prescription of training for runners and the control of the variables of the training is fundamental so that there are no overloads during the training. Conclusion: It is suggested that the monitoring of the training loads can optimize the results of the riders and allow adequate planning regarding the sport performance.