Our guest today is one of the most influential people in Cycling and Triathlon training, and that’s because he was one of the original founders of the 80/20 rule, commonly referred to as Polarised Training. Even if you haven’t heard of him, basically the entire world of cycling and triathlon now train to this principle of, 80% of your training is to be easy, and only 20% hard. His name is Dr Stephen Seiler, he is a Professor of Sports Science, earning his doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has lived and worked in Norway for over 20 years as a university teacher, researcher, and leader. He still resides in Norway and it’s no wonder that they are at the forefront of training development with minds like his leading the way. We went for almost 2 hours in this interview and we could’ve kept going. We are big fans of his work and are very familiar with majority of his teachings and principles, but even we were surprised about some of the controversial opinions he holds around the wrong things the world is still doing in training. We clarify exactly what polarised training actually means, we dive deep into training intensity and what the optimal training sessions actually are, we discuss the value and limitations of VO2 max training and a whole lot more. This was such an enjoyable episode. Timestamp: 00:00 - Introduction 00:42 - Dr. Seiler’s Day 02:05 - What’s Easy Endurance Ride for Dr. Seiler 06:42 - 80/20: Polarised Training Defined 13:35 - Get Away from the 7-day Micro Cycle 17:45 - Frequency and Consistency 20:30 - The 14-day Cycle 27:30 - Failure with Trying Harder 32:00 - Structuring a 14-day Cycle 37:40 - VO2 Testing 43:30 - Lactate Tolerance 47:20 - Frequency, Volume, and Intensity 53:20 - The Right Intensity for High-Level Athletes 1:03:45 - The Recovery Clock and Alignment 1:12:20 - Staying in the Threshold Zone 1:20:20 - Should Aging Athletes Avoid Intensity? 1:30:30 - Data Triangulation 1:40:24 - Dr. Seiler’s Training with Scottie Pippen If you want to learn how to TRAIN SMARTER and RACE FASTER, you can join our weekly coaching email, just go to: getfastpodcast.com Some of you might already be in there, but many of you won’t be and so this is our official invitation for you to come and join our free community: www.facebook.com/groups/trivelocoaching Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trivelocoaching/ Disclaimer: The Content in this podcast is in no way intended to be medical advice, treatment or diagnoses. None of our Content is intended to imply that any products mentioned, remedies or information provided are intended to prevent, diagnose, cure or alleviate a disease, ailment, defect or injury or should be used for therapeutic purposes. The Content is intended to assist you with running, cycling, swimming or triathlon and should not be substituted for medical advice by your healthcare professional. We do not accept any liability for any injury, loss, or damage incurred by the use or reliance on our Content.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Stephen Seiler, a world-renowned sports scientist, shares strategies for optimizing performance and minimizing burnout. Topics include the 80:20 rule, traffic light method for measuring exercise intensity, sustainable fitness, and the characteristics of top athletes.

Dr. Stephen Seiler, a leading expert on high-intensity interval training, dives into the science behind effective training strategies. He discusses the balance of intensity and recovery, emphasizing personalized training plans over traditional metrics. Insights into breathing metrics as performance indicators and the evolution of fitness tracking technology are explored. Seiler also shares fascinating revelations from Kenyan runners on minimalist training practices, highlighting the importance of consistency for athletic success.

Interval workouts are often tough and many athletes finish them wondering if they were effective. We discuss how to get the most from your interval workouts with Dr. Stephen Seiler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the challenges of tracking metrics and estimates in training, from validating data to individualizing approaches. Discussing the complexities of measuring training metrics and the potential negative effects of excessive monitoring. Delving into the challenges of translating lab measurements to real-world cycling scenarios and the importance of accurate metrics for sports performance tracking. Exploring the significance of subjective metrics like RPE alongside objective measurements and warning against overreliance on too many measurements for tracking performance.