While some sports primarily use one energy system (such as a cross-country athlete who primarily uses her/his aerobic system), others, such as American soccer, require excellent aerobic and anaerobic conditioning in order to maximize performance. While professionals working in sports requiring equal aerobic and anaerobic training seem to incorporate training that taxes both systems on a regular basis, I am curious about professionals working with athletes who primarily use their aerobic systems during competition.
Studies (such as Hickson, R.C., B.A. Dvorak, E.M. Gorostiaga, T.T. Kurowski, and C. Foster. 1988. Potential for strength and endurance training to amplify endurance performance. Journal of Applied Physiology. 65:2285-2290 and Hickson, R.C., M.A. Rosenkoetter, and M.M. Brown. 1980. Strength training effects on aerobic power and short-term endurance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Journal of Anatomy. 116:57-65 have shown that if properly implemented strength training an athlete primarily utilizing her/his aerobic energy system during competition does not hinder performance. Moreover, when implemented correctly and supplemented with appropriate rest the added strength actually improves performance and reduces the risk of injury.
Nevertheless, despite findings from studies such as those noted above which support supplementing aerobic training with strength/resistance training there are coaches out there who feel that such supplementation can hinder the performance of athletes primarily utilizing her/his aerobic energy system during competition.
So, I'm interested in the opinion of others out there: Do you believe it's ok to supplement strength training with aerobic training for athletes primarily utilizing their aerobic energy source? If so, how often do you supplement aerobic training with strength/resistance training? If not, what are your concerns?
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