My Polarized Training Experience (Chad McNeese & others)

[Captain_Doughnutman]

repost:

@Captain_Doughnutman

Having a few weeks of 80/20 training under my belt, I can say that it’s not as easy as it might appear on paper, mostly due to having to go HARD! for those hard sessions. It’s not 120%, it’s Hard% FTP.

The subjects in both groups “ were instructed to perform intervals with their maximal sustainable work intensity, aiming to perform highest possible average power output during each interval session ” (Almquist et al, 2020)…this better reflects real world training, where an interval workout is typically performed as hard as possible , or close to it.

I can see where power may be irrelevant in classical POL – it’s either easy or hard – with other physiological markers available for guidance. I can also see why lots of people would prefer to do SS-centric training, it’s easier in many ways.