Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Ep. #1159: Dr. Stephen Seiler on the Right (and Wrong) Ways to Improve Endurance

Jul 24, 2024

Dr. Stephen Seiler, an exercise physiologist, discusses endurance training, cardiovascular fitness, balancing workout intensity, setting goals, rest days, and long-term training success. Learn about the benefits of endurance training, optimizing workouts with a three-zone model, and practical tips for achieving fitness goals.

01:15:59

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Stephen Seiler

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Quick takeaways

Balancing cardiovascular endurance training with strength training is crucial for overall fitness and performance improvement.

Endurance training at different life stages is essential for long-term health, emphasizing genetic potential and functional strength.

Utilizing the three-zone model of cardiovascular training, incorporating polarized training can optimize performance and prevent burnout in workouts.

Deep dives

Importance of Balancing Endurance and Strength Training

Balancing cardiovascular endurance training with strength training is essential for overall fitness and performance improvement. Dr. Steven Seiler emphasizes that having optimal strength is necessary to support endurance activities like cycling or running marathons. While focusing on improving cardiovascular endurance, incorporating strength training is crucial for functional strength and injury prevention.

Intro

4min

The Importance of Endurance Training for Health and Fitness Enthusiasts

26min

Insights on Fat Loss Supplements and Endurance Training Strategies

3min

Athletes as Innovators in Endurance Training

18min

Optimizing Endurance Training and Managing Stress

13min

Exploring the Importance of Intrinsic Motivation and Sacrifice for Achieving Goals

4min

Importance of Joy in Training for Athletes

4min

Discussion on Endurance Training and Where to Find More Info

3min

What’s the best way to boost your endurance without overtraining or getting injured?

Should you try to “hack” your physiology with hard intervals, Tabata workouts, and HIIT?

Should you mimic the training methods of famous athletes?

Or something else entirely?

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Stephen Seiler, an exercise physiologist renowned for his work studying and documenting the training practices of elite endurance athletes, including cross-country skiers, cyclists, rowers, swimmers, runners, skaters, and others, and for extracting the key principles from these training programs and adapting them for recreational athletes.

In this episode, you’ll learn . . .

The importance of endurance training for overall health and fitness How to use optimize your endurance workouts with the “three-zone model” The best intensity for improving your cardiovascular fitness over time How to effectively balance the frequency, duration, and intensity of your workouts Practical tips for setting and achieving fitness goals, such as running a 5k or 10k race The scientific reasons for rest days How to set up your training program for long-term enjoyment and success

And more . . .

So, whether you're aiming to enhance your cardiovascular health, set PRs in your endurance sport of choice, or simply get more out of your existing cardio routine, you want to listen to this episode.

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Timestamps:

(06:13) What are the benefits of endurance and cardiovascular training?

(11:24) How to properly balance the frequency, duration, and intensity of your endurance workouts

(15:33) The importance of cardiovascular training for young people

(25:01) What is the 3-zone model?

(32:13) What is polarized training?

(40:15) What does programming for a 5k look like?

(45:34) Is one interval day per week sufficient?

(46:25) What does progression look like after one year of endurance training?

(49:14) What is the sweet spot for marathon training?

(54:04) A scientific argument for rest days