Durability as an index of endurance exercise performance: Methodological considerations

Abstract

Endurance athletes routinely complete physiological assessments to predict performance, inform training programmes and monitor subsequent training adaptations. This profiling is typically performed with the athlete in a ‘fresh’ (i.e., rested) condition, but physiological profiling variables deteriorate during prolonged exercise. Durability has been defined as the resilience to the deterioration of physiological variables and performance during or following prolonged exercise. Herein, we review the current approaches to measure durability. The construction of the fatiguing protocol affects durability profiles, with greater relative intensity and duration resulting in more marked deterioration of baseline measures. The design of durability assessments should control for factors that could impact durability measurements, such as nutrition and environmental characteristics, to ensure that outcomes are repeatable and can be compared between athletes or over time in the same athlete. The selection of these parameters should be based on the proposed research question or applied context and take account of the training status of the athlete. Accordingly, this review highlights important considerations to ensure that protocols for profiling durability in research and applied practice are appropriate.