Long slow distance (LSD) is a form of aerobic endurance training used in sports including running,[1] rowing,[2] skiing [3] and cycling.
[4] Ernst van Aaken, a German physician and coach, is generally recognized as the founder of the LSD method of endurance training.
[12] Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, suggests that it was Arthur Newton who initially proposed that running longer distances at slower paces was the most effective training method for beginning runners.
[13] Noakes asserts that after this method was rediscovered in the 1960s, Joe Henderson coined the term "long slow distance".
He documented the success of six competitive runners who followed in one form or another an LSD training regime, sometimes combining a few more strenuous workouts with the regular LSD running with weekly mileages ranging from 50–60 miles (80–100 km) to 120–150 miles (190–240 km) per week, with marathon personal bests between 2:14 and 2:50 hours.
Arthur Lydiard wrote that LSD system of training does not reach the levels of effort most effective for building aerobic fitness.
[29] Pete Pfitzinger has written that the long slow distance method of training is acceptable for novice runners hoping to complete a marathon, but that more experienced runners benefit from long runs that, depending on the workout, incorporate a variety of paces including speeds approaching race pace.