MAXIMAL AEROBIC SPEED: A GUIDE TO IMPROVING ENDURANCE AND PERFORMANCE
For athletes involved in endurance sports - or any sport that requires sustained high-intensity effort - understanding your Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) can be a game-changer. While it's a concept often utilised by elite coaches and sports scientists, MAS is increasingly gaining attention among athletes at all levels. Knowing your MAS can help you tailor your training, improve endurance, and enhance your overall athletic performance.
In this article, we’ll dive into the science behind MAS, how it impacts performance in endurance sports, and why every athlete should be aware of their MAS.
What Is Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS)?
Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) is defined as the lowest running speed at which an athlete reaches their VO₂ max - the maximum rate at which the body can take in and use oxygen during exercise. Essentially, MAS is the speed you can sustain using your aerobic energy system, meaning the system that uses oxygen to fuel exercise. At this speed, your body can supply enough oxygen to the working muscles to maintain activity without producing excessive fatigue. If you push beyond your MAS, you start using your anaerobic energy system, which doesn't rely on oxygen but causes a buildup of lactic acid. Lactic acid accumulation can lead to muscle fatigue and a decrease in performance.
In this article, we’ll dive into the science behind MAS, how it impacts performance in endurance sports, and why every athlete should be aware of their MAS.
What Is Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS)?
Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) is defined as the lowest running speed at which an athlete reaches their VO₂ max - the maximum rate at which the body can take in and use oxygen during exercise. Essentially, MAS is the speed you can sustain using your aerobic energy system, meaning the system that uses oxygen to fuel exercise. At this speed, your body can supply enough oxygen to the working muscles to maintain activity without producing excessive fatigue. If you push beyond your MAS, you start using your anaerobic energy system, which doesn't rely on oxygen but causes a buildup of lactic acid. Lactic acid accumulation can lead to muscle fatigue and a decrease in performance.
The Science of MAS: Understanding Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds
To fully grasp the significance of MAS, it's important to understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems:
Why MAS Is Important for Athletes?
Knowing your MAS provides valuable insights into your fitness and performance capabilities. Here’s how it benefits athletes across various sports:
1. Optimises Endurance Training
For endurance athletes - runners, cyclists, swimmers, and team sport athletes - training at or near MAS helps build aerobic capacity more effectively than generic long, slow runs. MAS allows you to train at the highest intensity where you can still sustain activity aerobically. This makes your training more efficient, allowing you to improve your cardiovascular fitness while enhancing your endurance.
2. Enhances Pacing Strategy
For athletes involved in races or sports where pacing is key, MAS helps determine your optimal race pace. Knowing the speed you can maintain without tapping into your anaerobic system too early means you can pace yourself more intelligently. For instance, athletes can use their MAS as a guide for interval training, race strategies, and determining when to push and when to hold back during competition.
3. Personalises Training Plans
Instead of using generic training intensities, coaches and athletes can use MAS to tailor training programmes to the individual. This personalisation ensures that the athlete is working at the right intensity for their fitness level. For example, MAS allows coaches to design training sessions with precise intervals, distances, and recovery times that are specific to the athlete’s abilities. We've used it countless times with our own athletes at Atlas High Performance using our calculator, you can find it here.
4. Monitors Progress Over Time
One of the key benefits of measuring MAS is that it serves as a clear benchmark of your aerobic fitness. As athletes train, regular testing of MAS can help track improvements in VO₂ max and overall conditioning. When you see your MAS improving, it’s a clear indication that your cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity are increasing.
How to Measure MAS
There are several methods for determining MAS, but the most common approaches involve either field tests or lab tests:
1. Field Tests
Field tests are easy to administer and don’t require sophisticated equipment:
2. Lab Tests
More precise measurements of MAS can be obtained in a lab setting using:
For most athletes, field tests are sufficient to provide an accurate estimate of MAS without needing specialised equipment or lab facilities.
To fully grasp the significance of MAS, it's important to understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems:
- Aerobic System: This system relies on oxygen to produce energy. It’s the primary source of fuel for longer-duration, lower-intensity activities. MAS represents the upper limit of what the aerobic system can sustain in terms of speed.
- Anaerobic System: When exercise intensity surpasses the body’s ability to supply oxygen, the anaerobic system kicks in. This system uses stored energy in the muscles (glycogen) and produces lactic acid as a byproduct. The anaerobic system is ideal for short bursts of activity, but it’s not sustainable for long periods due to the rapid buildup of lactic acid.
Why MAS Is Important for Athletes?
Knowing your MAS provides valuable insights into your fitness and performance capabilities. Here’s how it benefits athletes across various sports:
1. Optimises Endurance Training
For endurance athletes - runners, cyclists, swimmers, and team sport athletes - training at or near MAS helps build aerobic capacity more effectively than generic long, slow runs. MAS allows you to train at the highest intensity where you can still sustain activity aerobically. This makes your training more efficient, allowing you to improve your cardiovascular fitness while enhancing your endurance.
2. Enhances Pacing Strategy
For athletes involved in races or sports where pacing is key, MAS helps determine your optimal race pace. Knowing the speed you can maintain without tapping into your anaerobic system too early means you can pace yourself more intelligently. For instance, athletes can use their MAS as a guide for interval training, race strategies, and determining when to push and when to hold back during competition.
3. Personalises Training Plans
Instead of using generic training intensities, coaches and athletes can use MAS to tailor training programmes to the individual. This personalisation ensures that the athlete is working at the right intensity for their fitness level. For example, MAS allows coaches to design training sessions with precise intervals, distances, and recovery times that are specific to the athlete’s abilities. We've used it countless times with our own athletes at Atlas High Performance using our calculator, you can find it here.
4. Monitors Progress Over Time
One of the key benefits of measuring MAS is that it serves as a clear benchmark of your aerobic fitness. As athletes train, regular testing of MAS can help track improvements in VO₂ max and overall conditioning. When you see your MAS improving, it’s a clear indication that your cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity are increasing.
How to Measure MAS
There are several methods for determining MAS, but the most common approaches involve either field tests or lab tests:
1. Field Tests
Field tests are easy to administer and don’t require sophisticated equipment:
- Beep Test (Multi-Stage Fitness Test): Athletes run back and forth between two markers 20 metres apart, synchronised with a series of audio beeps that progressively get faster. The highest speed achieved before the athlete can no longer keep up with the beeps is used to estimate MAS.
- Yo-Yo Intermittent Test: Similar to the beep test, but it includes short rest intervals. This test is especially useful for team sports that involve intermittent bouts of high-intensity activity, like football or rugby.
- Time Trial Runs: Conducting a time trial over a known distance, such as 1,200 to 2,000 metres, can also help estimate MAS by dividing the distance by the time it takes to complete. You can use our calculator for this!
2. Lab Tests
More precise measurements of MAS can be obtained in a lab setting using:
- Treadmill VO₂ Max Test: Athletes run on a treadmill with a mask that measures their oxygen consumption. The test increases in intensity until VO₂ max is reached. MAS is then calculated based on the speed at VO₂ max.
For most athletes, field tests are sufficient to provide an accurate estimate of MAS without needing specialised equipment or lab facilities.
How to Train Using MAS
Once you know your MAS, you can integrate it into your training in several ways to boost endurance and performance.
1. Interval Training
A popular way to incorporate MAS into training is through interval training. This involves running at or slightly above MAS for a set period, followed by rest or active recovery. For example:
2. Threshold Runs
Athletes can perform threshold runs, which involve running just below MAS for extended periods. For example, running for 20-30 minutes at 85-90% of your MAS helps improve your lactate threshold, which allows you to sustain higher intensities for longer without accumulating lactic acid.
3. Tempo Work
Tempo runs at or just below MAS improve both speed and endurance. These sessions are shorter than long slow runs but more intense, helping athletes balance the need for endurance with faster race paces.
Who Should Know Their MAS?
MAS is not just for elite athletes - it’s a valuable metric for anyone who wants to improve their endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Here’s why different types of athletes should pay attention to MAS:
Once you know your MAS, you can integrate it into your training in several ways to boost endurance and performance.
1. Interval Training
A popular way to incorporate MAS into training is through interval training. This involves running at or slightly above MAS for a set period, followed by rest or active recovery. For example:
- Run for 3 minutes at MAS, followed by 1-2 minutes of rest, repeated for 4-8 sets.
2. Threshold Runs
Athletes can perform threshold runs, which involve running just below MAS for extended periods. For example, running for 20-30 minutes at 85-90% of your MAS helps improve your lactate threshold, which allows you to sustain higher intensities for longer without accumulating lactic acid.
3. Tempo Work
Tempo runs at or just below MAS improve both speed and endurance. These sessions are shorter than long slow runs but more intense, helping athletes balance the need for endurance with faster race paces.
Who Should Know Their MAS?
MAS is not just for elite athletes - it’s a valuable metric for anyone who wants to improve their endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Here’s why different types of athletes should pay attention to MAS:
- Endurance Athletes: Runners, cyclists, and triathletes benefit by understanding their MAS to plan pacing, improve VO₂ max, and optimise interval sessions.
- Team Sport Athletes: Football, rugby, and basketball players can use MAS to enhance their performance during intermittent high-intensity efforts, which mimic match conditions.
- Recreational Athletes: Even for those not competing at high levels, knowing your MAS can make your workouts more efficient, helping you build endurance and improve your overall fitness more effectively.
Conclusion: Why Every Athlete Should Know Their MAS
Maximal Aerobic Speed is an essential performance metric that offers a wealth of benefits for athletes across all sports. Whether you're a runner trying to shave minutes off your time, a team sport athlete looking to outlast the competition, or someone aiming to improve their overall fitness, knowing your MAS can help you train smarter, not harder.
By understanding your MAS, you can personalise your training, improve your aerobic capacity, enhance your endurance, and, ultimately, achieve your performance goals more effectively. So, if you haven’t already, consider testing your MAS and integrating it into your training plan - it might just be the key to unlocking your next level of athletic potential.
Maximal Aerobic Speed is an essential performance metric that offers a wealth of benefits for athletes across all sports. Whether you're a runner trying to shave minutes off your time, a team sport athlete looking to outlast the competition, or someone aiming to improve their overall fitness, knowing your MAS can help you train smarter, not harder.
By understanding your MAS, you can personalise your training, improve your aerobic capacity, enhance your endurance, and, ultimately, achieve your performance goals more effectively. So, if you haven’t already, consider testing your MAS and integrating it into your training plan - it might just be the key to unlocking your next level of athletic potential.
And just in case we didn't make it overly obvious, you can head over and use our free MAS calculator and training plan organiser here. It's helped countless athletes out during the season and the off season where you make the most progress.
Check it out now, by clicking here!
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