Best way to train for endurance?

Thousands of studies. Years of research.

A review of all the above concluded there isn’t one.

But endless approaches that can work. 80/20 polarised. Sweet spot. CrossFit endurance. Anti-glycolytic.

One of the most popular though is the 80/20 polarised training method.

Do 80% of training at a low, "zone 2" intensity (long, steady-state work where you can talk in full sentences, but barely).

Do 20% at high, "zone 4-5" intensity (max or near-max effort interval work).

You can think of your endurance performance as a pyramid.

The taller the pyramid, the fitter you are, the better your performance.

Zone 2 is the base of the pyramid.

Zone 4/5 is the peak.

The bigger the base, the taller the peak.

This is what 80/20 is built on – lay a thick foundation of zone 2 so you can build high with zone 4/5.

The good news for the everyday athlete is that this style of training mimics the recommended approach for general cardio health and fitness.

Handy because with this approach we can:

• Compete at our best in park runs, ocean swims, triathlons, marathons…
  

But also:

• ⛰ Live longer, better
• 🧠 Better brain function
• 🔋 More energy to do things
  

In the book Outlive, Dr Peter Attia recommends the following weekly prescription for optimal cardio fitness:

• 3 hours of zone 2 – bike, swim, run, ruck, etc steady state (split up how you like, e.g. 4x45 mins)
• 30-40 mins of zone 5, VO2 max workouts – run, row, bike, etc intervals, sports like netball, footy, hockey etc (e.g. 4x 4 mins on: 4 mins off, 1km repeats, or anything generally in the 3-8 minute effort range with a 1:1 work to rest ratio).
  

But I reckon you want 1-2 short HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sessions in there too. On top of or instead of some zone 2.

If not for the time save, for the BDNF release.

HIIT sessions are generally a bit shorter (10-20 mins of 10-90 second efforts) than VO2.

A few notes:

• 🏃 If you’re training for something, you’ll likely do more than what’s above (with more specificity).
• 📈 There is no observed upper limit of benefit. The more the better (given you recovery match).
• 🧱 And if 3.5 hours a week of cardio seems like a lot, just do what you can. Build from there.

✌️