3 zone vs 5 zone training: heart rate, power and pace
3-zone vs 5-zone training models, heart rate vs power vs pace zones, and why cardiac drift makes your heart rate climb on easy runs at the same pace.
Sports & training
Training methods that raise VO2max, and how it plays out in each sport.
HIIT vs steady cardio: which raises VO2max more?
HIIT or moderate continuous training? What meta-analyses say about VO2max and health, how low-volume HIIT compares, and how to combine both in a week.
How much training to improve VO2max? Volume vs intensity
How much weekly training it takes to raise VO2max, what dose-response studies show, how volume and intensity trade off, and sensible km per week by level.
How to increase VO2max without running: 7 options
How to increase VO2max without running, using cycling, rowing, swimming, stairs, incline walking or the ski erg, with pros, cons and a sample week.
How to taper before a race or marathon: the science
How long to taper, how much to cut and what to keep before a race or marathon, what meta-analyses show, and whether VO2max drops when you rest before race day.
Trending
Japanese walking: interval walking and your VO2max
Japanese walking alternates 3 minutes brisk and 3 minutes easy. What the Shinshu University trials found for fitness, strength and blood pressure.
Lactate threshold training: how to find and train it
What lactate threshold is, how to find your lactate threshold heart rate and pace, the best threshold workouts, and how Norwegian double threshold works.
Periodization for runners: base, build, peak and blocks
How to periodise endurance training: base, build and peak phases, block periodisation, deload weeks and how to plan a VO2max block the research supports.
Trending
Rucking: does weighted walking raise VO2max?
Rucking means walking with a weighted pack. How load raises the oxygen cost of walking, what that may do for VO2max, and how to start safely.
Runner's stomach: causes, gut training and electrolytes
Why runner's stomach happens, from reduced gut blood flow to dehydration and heat, and how gut training, smart fuelling, fluids and low-FODMAP diets can help.
VO2max heart rate zones: zone 5, zone 2 and how to set them
What VO2max zones mean, how to set zone 2 and zone 5 with % of max heart rate, heart-rate reserve or lab thresholds, and why age formulas are a rough start.
VO2max workouts: 10 sessions for running, bike and rower
Ten proven VO2max workouts for running, treadmill, cycling, assault bike and rower, with reps, intensity, recovery and a weekly plan to fit them in.
80/20 polarised training: easy most days, hard some days
Why elite endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and 20% hard, what the studies show, and how to apply it to your week.
How to improve your VO2max: a 12-week plan
How to improve VO2max with a simple 12-week plan — the five principles that matter, a week-by-week table for recreational runners, and how to track progress.
Strength training for runners: better economy, fewer injuries
Heavy strength training doesn't raise VO2max, but it makes every stride cheaper. What studies show, which lifts to do, and how to fit them around running.
The Norwegian 4×4 interval workout: how to raise your VO2max
The 4×4 interval session explained — the research behind it, how hard to run, treadmill and outdoor versions, how often to do it, and how to progress.
VO2max for Hyrox: why your engine decides your finish time
Hyrox is eight 1 km runs between eight stations. Why aerobic fitness decides finish times, and how to train VO2max, strength and transitions.
VO2max of elite athletes: the highest values ever recorded
Which sports produce the highest VO2max, the famous values reported for elite athletes, and why the biggest engine doesn't always win.
Zone 2 training and VO2max: what it does and doesn't do
What zone 2 training really is, how to find your zone 2 with the talk test or heart rate, what it does for VO2max, and how to combine it with intervals.