Skip to content

← Learn

01Chapter 1 · The engine and the erg

You need both.

  1. Slide 1: You need both.. Only intervals count.

    Slide 1 of 4

    • You need both.
    • Only intervals count.

    SourceOur coaching line; Milanović et al. 2015, Sports Med 45:1469 (both raise VO2max)

  2. Slide 2: The 2015 review. Both raised VO2max. Intervals, a little more.. It pooled trials of steady and interval training.

    Slide 2 of 4

    • The 2015 review
    • Both raised VO2max. Intervals, a little more.
    • It pooled trials of steady and interval training.
  3. Slide 3: Steady work you can repeat most days. So steady fills most of the week.. Myth: So only do intervals.. Rule: Hard sessions need recovery.

    Slide 3 of 4

    • Steady work you can repeat most days. So steady fills most of the week.
    • Myth: So only do intervals.
    • Rule: Hard sessions need recovery.

    SourceStöggl & Sperlich 2014, Front Physiol

  4. Slide 4: One week, two jobs. Steady builds the base the hard work sits on. Intervals, done properly, leave you cooked.. Steady

    Slide 4 of 4

    • One week, two jobs
    • Steady builds the base the hard work sits on. Intervals, done properly, leave you cooked.
    • Steady
    • How much: Most
    • How hard: Easy
    • Intervals
    • How much: Small
    • How hard: Hard

    SourceStöggl & Sperlich 2014, Front Physiol

In short

Engine Monday: steady rows or intervals? You need both.

A 2015 review pooled the trials: both raised VO2max, intervals a little more.

Hard sessions need recovery, so steady work fills most of the week.

Intervals are the small, hard share on top.

Neither one replaces the other. That part is our coaching line, not the review's.

How to run and pace each test, and how to read the result.

See the four engine tests

Or start in Telegram.

Sources

  • Paper

    Milanović et al. 2015, Sports Med 45:1469 (meta-analysis: interval and continuous training both raise VO2max; intervals a little more)

  • Paper

    Stöggl T, Sperlich B (2014) Front Physiol 5:33, doi 10.3389/fphys.2014.00033, PMID 24550842 (9 weeks, 48 well-trained endurance athletes: the polarised group trained 68% of the time at low intensity, 6% at threshold, 26% high, and improved most; the intro cites elite athletes doing ~75% of training below the lactate threshold. Polarised: keep easy easy, hard hard; slides 3, 4, 5: steady fills most of the week, intervals the small hard share)

    doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2014.00033

Nothing here is medical advice. The tests are maximal efforts: if you have a health condition or any doubt about training this hard, check with a doctor first, and stop if you feel unwell.