Science and Practice of High Intensity

Training for High Performance Triathlon:

Should Anyone be Doing LSD or

“Recovery” Workouts?

Carwyn Sharp Ph.D., CSCS

Chief Science Officer

National Strength & Conditioning Association

carwyn.sharp@nsca.com

Copyright Disclosure

Images and graphics in this presentation, some of which

are from the internet, are for educational purposes only

and not for reproduction or sale.

Learning Objectives

• A Brief (100+ Year) History of High Intensity

Interval Training

• Long Slow Training – Fact or Fiction for

Endurance Athletes

• Anaerobic Intervals for the Aerobic Beast

• Training Intensities of Elite Endurance Athletes

• Science and Application of Recovery

Optimization

Primary Learning Objective

• Provoke thoughtful discussions on whether

training slow is optimal if you want to

compete fast.

Competitive Endurance Athletes

Feel the Need for Speed

• Start to finish as quickly as possible.

• Marino Vanhoenacker (2011)

Swim 46:49 - 1.374 m/sec

Bike - 4:15:37 - 26.29 mph

Run - 2:39:24 - 6:05 min/mile

LSD works

Long Slow Training:

Fact or Fiction for Endurance Athletes

• Specificity of training?

• Tortoise vs Hare Paradox

LSD works but ….

Anaerobic Intervals for the Aerobic

Beast

Aerobic High-Intensity Training

Improves VO2max

Franch et. al. Improved running economy following intensified training correlates with

reduced ventilatory demands. MSSE, 30 (8), 1998.

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

DT LIT SIT

VO

2m

ax

(L∙

min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

Aerobic High-Intensity Training

Improves VO2max

Franch et. al. Improved running economy following intensified training correlates with

reduced ventilatory demands. MSSE, 30 (8), 1998.

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

DT LIT SIT

VO

2m

ax

(L∙

min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

Aerobic High-Intensity Training

Improves VO2max

Franch et. al. Improved running economy following intensified training correlates with

reduced ventilatory demands. MSSE, 30 (8), 1998.

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

DT LIT SIT

VO

2m

ax

(L∙

min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

5.9%

6.0%

3.6%

High-Intensity Intervals Improve

VO2max More Than Moderate Training

Helgerud et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate

training. MSSE, 39 (4), 2007.

50

52

54

56

58

60

62

64

66

LSD LT 15/15 4 X 4

VO

2m

ax

(m

L∙k

g-1

∙min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

High-Intensity Intervals Improve

VO2max More Than Moderate Training

Helgerud et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate

training. MSSE, 39 (4), 2007.

50

52

54

56

58

60

62

64

66

LSD LT 15/15 4 X 4

VO

2m

ax

(m

L∙k

g-1

∙min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

50

52

54

56

58

60

62

64

66

LSD LT 15/15 4 X 4

VO

2m

ax

(m

L∙k

g-1

∙min

-1)

Training Group

PRE

POST

High-Intensity Intervals Improve

VO2max More Than Moderate Training

Helgerud et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate

training. MSSE, 39 (4), 2007.

0.6%

1.3%

5.5%

7.2%

Aerobic High-Intensity Training

Improves Movement Economy

194

196

198

200

202

204

206

208

210

DT LIT SIT

Ru

nn

ing

Eco

no

my

(m

L O

2∙k

g-1

∙km

-1

Training Group

PRE

POST

3.1%

3.0%

0.9%

Franch et. al. Improved running economy following intensified training correlates with

reduced ventilatory demands. MSSE, 30 (8), 1998.

High-Intensity Sprints & Plyometrics

Improve Performance

Paavolainen et al. Explosive-strength improves 5-km running time by improving running

economy and power. JAP. 86 (5), 1999.

16

16.5

17

17.5

18

18.5

19

Explosive Control

5 K

m T

ime

(m

in)

PRE

POST

*

Training Intensities of Elite Endurance

Athletes

Fear of High-Intensity Training?

• Are we afraid to do higher volume of high

intensity training?

• Is the key to High Intensity training in the

recovery?

Where do we go from here?

A Brief (100+ Year) History of High

Intensity Interval Training• 1912 – Hannes Kolehainen

• 1920-1928 – Paavo Nurmi

• 1948-1954 - Emil Zátopek

• 1956 - Vladimir Kutz

• 1950’s - Franz Stamfl

Science

• 1959 - Reindell H., Roskamm H.

Billat, LV. Interval Training for Performance. Sports

Medicine, 31(1), 2001.

Where do we go from here?

Thank you!

Questions?