42. HIT LONG INTERVALS: 4x8' BETTER THAN 4x4' OR 4x16'

Photo by Philipp Mandler on Unsplash

High intensity training (HIT, that is doing intervals above second threshold/FTP/critical power) is a powerful stimulus to improve endurance performance. However, it requires a great physical and mental effort and leads to fatigue in the following days. As a consequence, it must be carefully dosed and can represent only a small part of the annual training program. So, it is important understanding how to perform HIT sessions to get the most from this powerful but limited use weapon

In previous KisW Research Notes, we saw that short (30s on-15s off) high-intensity intervals stimulate superior physiological and performance adaptations compared to long (4-5 minutes) high intensity intervals both in well-trained and elite cyclists. When performing the 4-5 minutes long intervals, we saw (read more here) that a fast start can be beneficial as it permits to ride at higher fraction of VO2max (a factor which have been linked to HIT efficacy) when compared to keeping a constant pace throughout the 4-5 minutes.

In this KisW Research Note we continue to explore the differences in physiological and performance improvement after different HIT sessions.

Which high intensity long intervals session is better to stimulate physiological adaptations and improve performance? 4x4min, 4x8min or 4x16 min?

A study published by Stephen Seiler and Colleagues (University of Agder, Norway) on Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports in 2013 tried to answer this question. (1)

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WHAT DID THEY DO?