Limited Time to Build an Aerobic Base

[Jibaholic]

Hiya,

I'm a squash player looking to build an aerobic base. I've been slowly learning two things: (1) the wisdom behind the expression "you don't play squash to get fit - you get fit to play squash" and (2) I've been breaking free of the "all intervals, all the time" mindset. I now realize that if I want to sustain a high work rate for 45 minutes that I need a good aerobic base.

The problem is that I don't have a lot of time to build an aerobic base in the classic sense - spending 12 hours per week doing extensive endurance training. I'm playing squash three times per week and do two short weight training sessions weekly (they are just nine sets total - 3 sets of squats, 3 sets of pullups, and 3 sets of dips).

FYI, One of the reasons why I've chosen cycling is because it is non-impact and has no negative contractions. That should minimize the strain on my recovery. But if you guys think I'd be better off running or doing something else, I'd be happy to poke my nose in a running forum.

I'm not a racer or even an elite squash player. I'm just an intermediate who needs better cardio. So my question is basically this: what is the minimum I could do to get significant gains?

Let me break it down this way. Here are six options at increasing time and stress on recovery. Which ones, if any, would give me a meaningful improvement in my aerobic base over 12+ weeks?

1. Two twenty minute workouts at 140 BPM
2. Three thirty minute workouts at 140 BPM
3. Three fortyfive minute workouts at 140 BPM

4. Two twenty minute workouts at 150 BPM
5. Three thirty minute workouts at 150 BPM
6. Three fortyfive minute workouts at 150 BPM

Or should I consider something more along the lines of threshold training? That would be a good way to maximize a limited amount of time, but I tend to think that what I need is base work at relatively low intensities.

Thanks for the help!

 

[lanierb]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jibaholic .
So my question is basically this: what is the minimum I could do to get significant gains?
I'm going to take a guess as to why noone has answered: (1) this is basically an unanswerable question as it depends on a lot of things, (2) cyclists don't train this way so cycling experience isn't very relevant.

However, I've done a lot of different sports over my life so I think I can give you some advice. Is there a reason you can't run? Because honestly it's way more specific to squash and I think would help you more. Here's what I would suggest: at least once per week, and twice would be better, warm up gently and then run 3 miles *as fast as you can*. We're not talking jogging here. Time yourself each time and run the same course over and over and work on lowering your time each week. Really go all out, even sprinting at the end. The whole workout will take less than 30 minutes (and eventually less than 20 when you get fit) and it will make you fast and give you the kind of cardiovascular fitness you need for squash. After a few months, once in a while you can replace the 3 mile run with a "track workout" (run 1 mile at 99%, then 2x800, then 4x400, then 4x100, resting in between each go -- accelerate "slowly" on the 100s to avoid unnecessary injuries -- be sure to time each interval and try to go faster from one workout to the next). The track workouts will give you a noticeable bump in speed on the 3mi runs (once you are fit).

If you can't run, cycling will make your heart and lungs fit but will train your muscles in a way that is not very specific to squash. I would recommend doing something similar. Pick a route that takes, say, 45 mins, do a gentle warm up, then do the route as fast as you can and time yourself, trying to go faster each week.

 

[Jibaholic]

Thanks for the response! I was actually hoping for someone with a background like yours - an endurance athlete who'd played a variety of sports.

The cool thing about your advice is that it sounds like a lot more fun than exercising with a heart rate monitor. I could even enter the occasional 5k to create long term benchmarks of aerobic fitness. And it certainly makes for faster workouts, which is good because my schedule is already pretty close to maxed out.

My concern is recovery. If I'm playing squash 3 times a week, and doing two (short) weight training sessions, and doing a couple tabatas of court sprints, then I might need a way to keep the pounding down. That's why I was leaning towards cycling.

 

[vspa]

Hiya, 1. Two twenty minute workouts at 140 BPM 2. Three thirty minute workouts at 140 BPM 3. Three fortyfive minute workouts at 140 BPM 4. Two twenty minute workouts at 150 BPM 5. Three thirty minute workouts at 150 BPM 6. Three fortyfive minute workouts at 150 BPM Thanks for the help!

since you already go to the gym why don't you try these workouts schemes on Spinning bikes, BPM alone doesn't tell a lot, you need to calculate them according to your age or your maximun heart rate, for aerobic training you should target the zones between 70 % and 80 % of maximum heart rate, (a quick formula is to substract from 220 your age, the answer is your maximum heart rate (it is an estimate)) i would divide the 12 weeks into 3 blocks of 4 weeks each, with some recovery time in between each block, as you feel stronger jump from #1 to #2 and #3 etc Spinning makes you ride with high speed on your legs, or high cadence, which is good for you because you don't need cycling specific muscles on your legs, i remember that serious training on the bike made me considerably slower on playing soccer for example,

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by vspa .

BPM alone doesn't tell a lot, you need to calculate them according to your age or your maximun heart rate, for aerobic training you should target the zones between 70 % and 80 % of maximum heart rate, (a quick formula is to substract from 220 your age, the answer is your maximum heart rate (it is an estimate)

For sure. The quick formula is not exact but it provides a decent baseline like vspa indicates. I'm 44 and couldn't muster anything over 186 even if those zombies from 28 Days Later were chasing me down. You know the sprinting kind of zombie, not the slow shuffling sort from Dawn of the Dead.

In my case it's 10 beats off, but would work for most of the general "low zone" stuff. Barring that you could do one of the field tests out there to get an exact reading of your max. Chris Carmichael has a good one for many folks as it'll only take 8 minutes of your time and could easily be found on the web.