Seiler’s 8-minute intervals (Polarized)

4 x 8 with 2 min recovery.

The work bout is done at the ‘maximal sustained effort’. The study cohort was male cyclists. Here is the reference:

That simple description of ‘max sustained’ was then boiled down to 4 x 8 at 105-110% FTP as a starting guide because most folks seem to want a power number target not an RPE or self paced target.

In reviews of recovery periods for different sports, 1 min between longer intervals (4-8 min for discussion) was not enough. 2 min was sufficient and longer is probably not needed physiologically.

FWIW, having tried 4 x 8 at 105% with 2, 4 and 8 min rests, the 2 was not enough for me, 4 was OK on good days, 8 was a bit too long (4:1, 2:1, 1:1 ratios).

Seiler has a nice compilation of information around rest periods in a review available at Research Gate. It is a PDF from July 2017. This link will probably break but y’all can apply some Google and find it quickly.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjTz6b7q5_qAhX0hXIEHfpjDAEQFjABegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fprofile%2FStephen_Seiler%2Fpublication%2F319041107_Most_demanding_HIT_sessions_v11%2Fdata%2F598c6320aca272e57ad0a3ca%2FMost-demanding-HIT-sessions-v11.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0kx8e0Osw5EGGPfsfljI6a

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