Accumulation: shaping your fitness

An Accumulation Training Session is simply where you “accumulate” time with paced efforts above the aerobic threshold. Accumulation is depicted by a small orange circle within the blue Endurance circle in the REAL Training diagram. This highlights that its overall volume is small compared to Endurance training. It's also a step closer to your target.

In endurance training sessions aerobic energy systems are the focus. As one's effort level rises above one's aerobic threshold, aerobic energy sources continue to function, but they cannot keep up with the energy demands alone. To support the volume of energy required anaerobic energy sources are engaged. The higher the effort, the greater the contribution of anaerobic energy sources, which are far more limited than aerobic sources. Simply the harder you go, the shorter the duration you will be able to maintain.

Enlisting both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems simultaneously is physiologically challenging and must be done sparingly. Thus the total amount of accumulation training must be relatively small.

In general Accumulation Sessions take the form of a specific Effort Duration being repeated. For example, 5-minute Efforts repeated 4 times.

Accumulation Sessions are essentially interval training. However, in the REAL training framework there is a distinct focus on the accumulated time in any given Effort Duration Range {detail on this will follow}. It's not just about doing intervals as hard as you can. It's about building an optimal amount of time at a specific pace or effort. In the example, 5-minute efforts repeated 4 times would add up to 20 minutes of Accumulation.

Accumulation is a key metric to monitor. Athletes use the principle of progressive overload and recovery, gradually increasing the duration of a session over weeks, for endurance training sessions. In the same way, principles of progressive overload should be utilized to manipulate the Accumulation of a given session or sessions from week to week.

The balance of Aerobic to Anaerobic energy contribution ultimately shapes one's fitness. If you conduct lots of sessions like 20 x 30 second maximal repetitions you will get better at them and improve your anaerobic energy systems. If you do lots of 3 x 30-minute repeats, obviously the effort level will be much lower and aerobic energy systems will be the main contributor. Training both ends of the spectrum is possible, but it is generally recognized that one should focus on one area to gain the maximum possible performance.

This is why we say that Accumulation training is where one "shapes their fitness." Athletes have to choose the effort levels they wish to improve at and train them appropriately. If you wish to improve your marathon time, you cannot train the same way as someone training to race the mile.

DURATION

Figuring out the appropriate Effort Duration an athlete should perform is a big topic. However, the process is relatively simple. Athletes have to choose what critical efforts they wish to train for. Critical efforts are specific moments during goal events that significantly affect the outcome.

Lets say your targeting to run a half marathon in 1:15. Your critical effort is 1.15 at a maximal effort. To target this type of race, 3x20-minute Accumulation sessions would be quite appropriate.

Lets say your planning to race a criterium with lots of corners. The critical effort / efforts are sprinting out of the corners. In this situation 20x30-second Accumulation sessions would be a good option.

In the REAL training framework the choice of duration of intervals is called "Shaping your fitness" and is directed by the critical efforts in target races / events. We have categorized Maximal Critical Efforts into 4 distinct Effort Duration Ranges which reflect the relative balance of contribution of Aerobic vs Anaerobic energy systems when efforts are completed maximally. If you stick to effort durations within a specific Effort Duration range, the training result should be similar.

• Micro Effort – up to 30 seconds,

• Short Effort – 30 seconds to 3 minutes,

• Medium Effort – 3 minutes to 8 minutes, and

• Long Effort – 8 minutes to 60 min

• PACED EFFORT

Athletes should monitor the total Accumulation in each Effort duration range from week to week, and use this as a basis for periodisation.

INTENSITY

In many ways duration of intervals determines intensity of an interval, obviously, 30-second efforts will be completed at a much higher effort than 20-minute efforts. To this extent critical efforts in key races/events guide duration and follow this intensity.

Commonly Accumulation sessions are done at a Maximal Repeatable Pace/Effort. The Maximal Repeatable Pace/Effort is the highest effort one can repeat consistently and not feel able to complete an additional repeat at the same effort. This also assumes all repeats are paced at the same effort level. The Effort duration range is based on the idea that Efforts are completed at a Maximal Repeatable Pace/Effort.

For those training for events that are up to an hour in duration, most Accumulation sessions will be conducted at a Maximal Repeatable Pace/Intensity. When one is training for longer events Sub Maximal Efforts will become more of a focus.

Let's say you're training for an Ironman. On the bike leg, most athletes are not going to be able to ride at a pace much faster than their endurance pace, lets call this race pace. So doing an accumulation session of 3 x 20 minutes at this race pace is a pretty valuable session. Obviously, the athlete could do the session much harder, up to a Maximal Repeatable Effort. But this is not so specific to the ultimate critical effort on race day.

Sub Maximal Efforts can also be used in building phases, if your target is say 5x5 maximal medium efforts, then 5x5 submaximal efforts could be used as a stepping stone. They could also be used during a taper, or a rest week.

Both Maximal Repeatable Efforts and Submaximal Efforts are challenging for the body, indeed Submaximal Efforts may be even more challenging for the body as they allow a greater accumulated time above endurance pace. They should both be treated with respect and followed up by adequate recovery.

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The Big Questions

If we look at traditional interval training, there have always been several big questions that athletes and coaches have had to answer:

• What duration should my intervals be?

• What intensity should I do intervals?

• How many intervals should I do?

• How long should recovery be between efforts?

• How many high-intensity training sessions should be completed per week?

The Accumulation concept provides a framework for answering these important questions.

If you do submaximal efforts, things get a bit complicated. A runner could do 5x5min efforts at 5km pace, 10, km pace, half marathon pace, or marathon pace. None of these would represent a maximal Medium Effort. The effort level would reflect more of what we would see in a maximal Long effort. There is nothing wrong with doing intervals far below maximal. These can be used as a stepping stone to harder sessions in the future. Or as a way to Accumulate time at specific race paces without generating too much fatigue.

Effort Duration is a choice an athlete must make. Acknowledging that a specific Effort Duration will affect specific physiological areas will guide an athlete in shaping their fitness.

Micro Effort – up to 30 seconds {Neuromuscular Power}, this is where immediate energy systems are trained, stored energy in its simplest form {ATP} is utilised for intense explosive exercise.

Short Effort – 30 seconds to 3 minutes , the majority of energy is obtained from anaerobic energy systems (the combined capacity of the ATP-PCr system and lactic acid system)

Medium Effort – 3 minutes to 8 minutes {Vo2 Max}, anaerobic energy systems and aerobic energy systems combine

lactate unsustainable

and O2 max is the amount (volume) of oxygen your body uses while exercising as hard as you can....

Long Effort – 8 minutes to 60 minutes {Threshold}. The majority of energy is obtained from aerobic energy systems.

lactate controllable

Number of Efforts - Total Accumulation

The number of Efforts that should be completed in an Accumulation session is determined by three factors:

• Optimal Accumulation Range

• Athlete Profile

• Periodization

OPTIMAL ACCUMULATION RANGE

If there is too little Accumulation there will not be enough stimulus to induce adaptations. Too much Accumulation and the body will not be able to cope. In the middle lies an area of Optimal Accumulation.

For each classification of Effort Duration, there is a corresponding Optimal Accumulation Range. This is shown in the Effort Accumulation Chart shown below.

Maximal efforts at different durations define pace - maximal efforts in different bands of duration tend to have similar aerobic vs anaerobic energy demands..... a maximal effort for 3 min or 8 min is very similar

when efforts are not done at a maximal level the

For example, an athlete wanting to do Medium Efforts, there is an Optimal Accumulation Range between 15 and 45 minutes. He could do anywhere between 2 and 9 efforts of 5 minutes to be in this range.

To determine where exactly in the Optimal Accumulation range an athlete should train one needs to look at two elements athlete profile & periodization.

ATHLETE PROFILE

An Athletes Profile consists of many factors:

• training history

• current fitness

• injury profile

• life stress

• motivation

If the profile is unfavorable a point lower in the Optimal Accumulation Range makes sense. If the profile is favorable a point higher in the Optimal Accumulation Range may be more appropriate.

PERIODIZATION

Periodization, the systematic planning of training, based on the concepts of progressive overload and recovery, comes into play when determining total Accumulation.

Accumulation should be monitered specific to the Effort Duration Range - micro, short, medium or long.

Essentially as weeks go by, Total Accumulation should increase {or maintain}. And periodically there should be recovery periods where Total Accumulation is decreased.

What we can clearly see is that after an athlete has chosen an Effort Duration {Micro, Short, Medium, or Long} Optimal Accumulation is then pinpointed by analyzing the athlete's Profile and current Periodization.

So we can see: Optimal Accumulation divided by Effort Duration, determines the number of Efforts.

Effort

Efforts should be performed at a Maximal Repeatable Effort or a sub-maximal paced effort depending on the athletes objectives. In general athletes should strive to complete all efforts within a session at the same intensity.

MAXIMAL REPEATABLE EFFORT

Maximal Repeatable Effort is the highest intensity one can repeat Efforts consistently and not feel able to complete an additional repeat at the same effort.

Say you choose five x 5 min efforts. If you complete these at a Maximal Repeatable Effort, all will be done at the highest possible consistent pace, and you will not feel capable of completing a sixth at the same effort.

PACED EFFORTS

Paced efforts are done at an effort level below what is maximally possible. They are performed at an effort one can repeat consistently and also feel able to complete more at the end of the session.

A great example of a paced session for a runner is five x 3min at 5km race pace. By doing such a session the athlete is accumulating time at race pace without getting the additional fatigue that completing a non stop 5km effort world produce. The athlete is also not getting the additional strain that completing five maximal 3min efforts would produce.

Most Accumulation Sessions should be Paced rather than Maximal. Athletes should be training day in day out, and improving through consistency. Maximal Accumulation sessions lead to greater fatigue, and should be integrated into a training plan sparingly. Paced Accumulation sessions can be completed far more often, but cannot be completed day after day as many athletes have tried to do in recent times.

Accumulation training pokes all of our available means of getting energy - aerobic and anaerobic

The aerobic energy system can use fat and glucose

the anaerobic energy system can use glucose - but also stored ATP

So it can be seen that energy can come from all over the place - and at any given effort level energy can ultimately be provided by any of the means available. there really are no specific "training zones" that hit specific energy systems, and every person will use a different mix of energy systems to get the energy they need at any given effort level.

In the same way, the best method to focus on training the aerobic energy system is to spend an optimal amount of time close to fat max, the best method to train the anaerobic energy system is to spend an optimal amount of time at effort levels where anaerobic glycolysis is most stressed. Short Effort Duration Accumulation Sessions are the tool that athletes should use to do this.

Medium Effort Duration Accumulation Sessions focus on delivering energy at a fast but ultimately unsustainable rate, the aerobic energy system can provide 50% of the energy required. The other 50% is provided by anaerobic glycolysis????

Long Effort Duration Accumulation Session focus on delivering high volumes of energy is a somewhat sustained manner - or in a state of homeostasis. Energy is primarily provided by aerobic means, but also by anaerobic glycolysis,

Frequency

Accumulation sessions are best conducted when one is recovered. To gain the maximum benefits Accumulation Sessions are best followed by recovery.

These two concepts pretty much limit Accumulation sessions to two training days a week, given athletes should also include Endurance sessions. Only in specific situations can it be more.

Accumulation can be followed by Endurance or Accumulation Sessions. However training on consecutive days, or taking the purple path, can lead to over-reaching.

If planning to do consecutive days of training, Accumulation Sessions are probably best limited to a very comfortable level of Total Accumulation.

How much Recovery between Efforts?

Recovery time between efforts should be kept to a minimum that will still support repeatability. This avoids excessively long sessions and promotes the ability to recover faster.

In most cases, 2 to 5 minutes should be sufficient.

Summary

Accumulation sessions should take the following form:

• 30 seconds to 3 hours - Optimal Accumulation is determined by Effort Duration, periodization & athlete profile

• Above Aerobic Threshold - Effort Duration determined by critical efforts and desire to improve key physiological marks influences how high

• Up to 2 sessions/days per week, more in specific situations

• Undertaken in a recovered state, and followed by recovery

In short, Accumulation is where you shape your fitness.