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Aerobic endurance training is an important piece of the puzzle on the road to success. But how long should a long session be? Does ‘the longer, the better’ apply?
 
It is tempting to take advantage of the beautiful days for long bike rides or trail runs, which not only provide a great experience but also promote endurance. However, if you want to increase your performance, you should bear in mind that too long a workout can cause relatively significant ‘damage’ that requires a lot of time to recover from. It is well known that you should only train again once you have recovered from the previous session.
 
Therefore, the following rule of thumb applies: if you need more than one day of rest after a training session, the stimulus was probably too strong. If you need more than two days of rest, the exertion was too long.
 
An exception to this is if your goal is a particularly long race, such as an ultra trail or a cycling marathon. In this case, it makes sense to complete a similarly long session in advance to find out how your body reacts when you push it to its limits. However, you should be aware that the training effect is not linear with the duration of the exertion, but that you will actually harm yourself if you regularly train for such long periods.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Never increase your longest running session by more than 10% compared to your longest session in the last 30 days — When cycling, gradually work your way up to longer sessions.
• Don't do excessively long sessions every week; instead, consciously build in a rest week every three to four weeks.
• Do not exercise for longer than three hours at a time on foot and no longer than four hours on a bike.
• The risk of overexertion and the length of recovery time are disproportionate to the additional benefits of longer sessions.
• Make sure you consume enough carbohydrates during training (60–90 g per hour).