01Chapter 1 · The engine and the erg
One test for each part of your engine.
- Reel
- Test Day
Transcript
- One test for each part of your engine.
- Here's what each one measures.
- Aerobic base: what you can hold for thirty minutes.
- Threshold: how long you can hold a hard effort.
- Repeat efforts: how well you recover.
- Sprint power: the most you can produce.
- Which one would you dread most?
In short
Four engine tests, and the part of your engine each one measures.
30:00 time trial: aerobic base, the output you can hold for half an hour.
10:00 max: threshold, how long you can hold a hard effort.
8 × 20 s Tabata: repeat efforts, round 1 against round 8.
1:00 sprint: sprint power, flat out.
Which one would you dread most?
How to run and pace each test, and how to read the result.
See the four engine testsSources
Ours
Our test protocol: the four engine tests as set out on the Engine tests page.
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.