Aerobic Endurance is the ability to continue aerobic activity over a period of time. Aerobic Strength Endurance is the ability to continue activity in the face of massive oxygen debt, as in any long distance event like running, cycling, triathlon and skiing.

Developing a strong aerobic base will provide the solid foundation necessary to enable the body to adapt and benefit from stronger, more demanding training sessions.

The preferred source of energy used by the body during aerobic training is fat. Not only do you burn more calories from fat with this type of training, but you also train your body to use fat as a source of energy, even while you are at rest. Keep your heart rate to 80% of your maximum heart rate or less to ensure you stay within the aerobic energy zone.

By developing your aerobic endurance you will improve your Stroke Volume (amount of blood pushed out by the left ventricle in one beat), decrease your heart rate (meaning the heart does not need to work as hard), improve the efficiency of your VO2max (amount of O₂ taken up by the working muscles). All-in-all this will give you an increased level of energy and a significant improvement in health and fitness levels.

Once you have established your aerobic base, you can introduce anaerobic training into your workouts. This training is where the body cannot remove the build up of lactic acid faster than it builds up in the muscle and you are working between 85-95% of your maximum heart rate. To achieve a peak level of fitness, anaerobic training is vital. However, it is important to remember that total anaerobic training should not dominate your program and should be kept around 10% of total training time throughout a given period of time.