Improve Your Ride (Dutch: Beter Worden) #4 POLARIZED TRAINING

#### Summary
Stop the ‘forever half-wheeling’ attitude and start giving either your absolute best in training, or do nothing at all.
This episode we talk about polarized training. Why is it important to go hard and really put yourself to the test in your training, or do a really light one, instead of doing something in between? When is it better to do low-intensity workouts with now and then a maximum effort? And why is it important to know the difference between anaerobe and aerobe training?
#### Highlights
🚴 Polarized Training: Focuses on alternating between low-intensity and very high-intensity workouts.
📚 Steven Seiler’s Influence: Exercise physiologist Steven Seiler has been a driving force behind the popularity of polarized training, particularly in endurance sports like cycling and cross-country skiing.
📊 Research Backing: A meta-analysis of studies showed that polarized training is more effective than traditional threshold training in various sports, leading to better performance gains.
📉 80/20 Rule: The 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of workouts should be low-intensity, and 20% should be high-intensity, but this ratio can vary based on training frequency and skill level.
🏃 Relevance for Amateurs: Polarized training is relevant for both amateur and professional athletes, with variations in training intensity based on individual circumstances.
⏰ Training Duration: The 80/20 rule emphasizes the number of training sessions with high intensity, not just duration, making it suitable even for athletes with limited training time.
🔄 Evolving Training Methods: The hosts discuss the evolution of training methods, contrasting historical approaches with modern polarized training.
The podcast is in Dutch, but contains English subtitles.
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This podcast is produced by Bruno Bobbink and Michelle de Graaf.
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:15 Jim elaborates on the concept of polarized training.
3:36 Stefan asks why polarized training enjoys such success.
4:35 Exploring the essence of the 80-20 rule.
5:55 Stefan seeks insights into the most common mistake among amateurs.
8:45 Laurens recounts his experience with the advent of polarized training.
13:30 How the professional cycling realm in 2021 has embraced this training approach.
14:20 Jim expounds on the varying intensity levels for optimal training.
22:30 The appeal of short interval blocks.
25:00 Laurens shares how he came to understand that high-intensity interval sessions can also be effective on level terrain.
29:50 Stefan questions the consequences of excessive high-intensity training on one's overall training plan.
32:30 Jim addresses whether there exist specific scenarios where moderate-intensity training, or 'grey' training, holds value.

[@bobkatanga]

Dr Stephen Seiler is American, not Scandinavian. He currently lives in Scandinavia.

[@JOINCycling]

You're absolutely right! Must be a slip of the tongue.