Things to remember while doing endurance training

Whether you are a fitness freak, an athlete or someone training for an marathon or an intense sporting event, there are certain fitness guidelines that one needs to follow. These things ensure that you actually start off your training programme well. Here are some important things to remember for the right way of endurance training.
Start with a dynamic warm up
Most people think that few pedalling routines and a small jog qualifies for a good pre-endurance training warm up.However, not many know that a high-intensity warm up is pivotal for to stimulate the nervous system to improve mobility and reduce the risk of injuries. Fitness instructor Rohan Giri says, “Intense stretching and other exercises like push ups, jumping jacks, lunges and squats are must to start with.”
Stay hydrated
Not drinking enough water before an endurance training session can result on muscle cramps and fatigue, as dehydration causes minerals like sodium and potassium to get depleted. Hence, make sure to be extremely hydrated before you begin the training, one must drink at least 750 ml of water if you are doing a normal training. For an intense workout however, you need to drink at least 2.5 litres a day.
Eat a lot of protein
While one has to make up for the glycogen by eating a lot of carbs, but one must make sure to consume the right amount of protein to ensure that the body has enough amino acids to rebuild muscle tissues that are broken down. Protein sources includes chicken, eggs, yogurt, fish, almonds and soy.
Indulge in compound movements
Following the same routine reduces the intensity of the exercise, hence it is important to make frequent changes to your routine — compound moves are the best solution to this. Prashant Thakur, a training consultant with a local football team says, “Compound exercises such as squats, step-ups, push-ups and pull-ups will help improve the endurance more so than isolation exercises (like triceps and leg raises) that work on a single part of the body."
Hybrid exercises
These exercises involve two different movements and combine them in one, so that more muscles can be put to work together. This in turn stimulates the heart muscles and improves stamina, which is a pre-requisite for endurance training. Giri adds, “For instance, if you combine planks with bicep curls and squats with an added overhead press.”
Concentrate on quality more than quantity
Prasanna Poojari, an athletics coach, says, “When it comes to endurance training, ‘the more the better’ formula doesn’t seem to show the right results, neither is it recommended for the body.” It is important to time your training sessions in a way that they are done at proper intervals — since they are all high-intensity workouts, increasing the volume will only add to injuries.