01Chapter 1 · The engine and the erg
The split's there from stroke one.
- Reel
- The Engine
Transcript
- The split's there from stroke one.
- Your oxygen supply isn't.
- Oxygen uptake rises to meet the demand.
- The gap is the oxygen deficit.
- Energy without oxygen covers the gap.
- Faster uptake, smaller deficit.
- So start easy, then build.
- Every test we use starts with a warm-up.
- Your engine's weak part?
In short
The split shows up on stroke one. Your oxygen supply doesn't.
When the work starts, oxygen uptake takes time to rise to the new demand. The shortfall is the oxygen deficit.
Energy that doesn't need oxygen covers it until uptake catches up.
A faster rise means a smaller deficit, and better tolerance of the work.
So start easy and build. That's our coaching line. Every test in our protocol also opens with a warm-up.
How to run and pace each test, and how to read the result.
See the four engine testsSources
Paper
Jones AM, Burnley M (2009) Oxygen uptake kinetics: an underappreciated determinant of exercise performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 4(4):524-532. doi 10.1123/ijspp.4.4.524, PMID 20029103 ('The rate at which VO2 adjusts to the new energy demand following the onset of exercise strongly influences the magnitude of the O2 deficit'; cover, slide 2)
Paper
Poole DC, Jones AM (2012) Oxygen uptake kinetics. Compr Physiol 2(2):933-996. doi 10.1002/cphy.c100072, PMID 23798293 ('For a given metabolic demand, fast VO2 kinetics mandates a smaller O2 deficit, less substrate-level phosphorylation and high exercise tolerance'; slides 3-4)
Ours
Our coaching line, not a paper: 'build into a session'
Ours
Our test protocol: the four engine tests as set out on the Engine tests page.
Nothing here is medical advice. The tests are maximal efforts: if you have a health condition or any doubt about training this hard, check with a doctor first, and stop if you feel unwell.