Endurocad – a distance running and endurance sport academy – recently hosted its fourth high performance camp at the Department of Sport Science, situated within the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University.
According to Elana Meyer from Endurocad they invited talented athletes to the camp where physiological testing was done.
“These tests are the baseline from which we can identify the potential and abilities of the athletes,” said Meyer.
The primary objectives of Endurocad are to identify and develop world-class distance runners in South Africa; professionally manage and support the careers of these athletes; assist each athlete in qualifying as a IAAF “Gold Label” elite athlete; develop and support South African athletes to be more successful in international, city, Olympic and Commonwealth marathons; and to build and profile distance running and runners in South Africa to inspire future generations.
Some 18 athletes between the ages of 15-22 years attended the camp.
Louise Engelbrecht of the Department of Sport Science was in charge of all the testing done in the lab.
“We performed anthropometrical measurements that included height and weight, skinfolds, perimeters and some bone widths, from which we obtain percentage body fat and somatotyping. These tests will help determine if the athlete has the right physique for a career in endurance sport,” explained Engelbrecht.
“After this we performed Functional Movement Screening (FMS) in order to identify any weaknesses and muscle imbalances. Each athlete also received a document with corrective exercises.
"Lastly they ran a VO2max test on the treadmill. VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) is a good indication of endurance potential. From the data collected we can determine at what point they make the switch from predominately using fat to using mainly carbohydrates as the main source of energy, which provides us with information about the athlete’s training status. From this we can prescribe exercise intensity zones; to help target the right energy systems for the purpose of each session.”
Meyer added that these tests are vital in identifying athletes for the Endurocad programme. “We are appreciative of this working relationship with the Department of Sport Science. What they do is vital in what we want to achieve with Endurocad.”
