FSHP Academy
Strength & Conditioning — all lessons

Coaching and Assessment

Fundamentals of coaching in strength and conditioningAthlete assessment and evaluation

Planning and Periodisation

Periodisation and long-term athlete development (LTAD)Macro-, meso- and microcycle planningPlan, prepare and deliver S&C for sportDeloading and fatigue management

Programme Design

Progressive overload and programming variables (sets, reps, tempo)Program design for resistance trainingCompound lifts: squat, deadlift and bench variationsPlyometrics and explosive power trainingSpeed and agility program designAerobic endurance trainingAgility, speed and endurance protocolsDesigning individual S&C sessionsPosition-specific drills: team vs individual sports

Recovery

Nutrition, sleep and regeneration strategiesOvertraining: recognition and load monitoring

Aerobic endurance training

Programming aerobic endurance for athletes — intensity distribution, continuous and interval methods, threshold and VO₂max work, and integrating strength training.

Intermediate Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Design endurance training using intensity zones
  • Apply polarised/pyramidal intensity distribution
  • Programme threshold and VO₂max intervals
  • Use strength training to improve endurance performance

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Aerobic endurance underpins performance in endurance sports and recovery in team sports. How intensity is distributed matters as much as total volume.

Intensity distribution

Exercise intensity categories by heart rate and perceived exertion A horizontal scale of percentage of maximal heart rate from 45 to 100 percent. Bands show ACSM intensity categories: very light below 57 percent, light 57 to 63, moderate 64 to 76, vigorous 77 to 95, near maximal 96 and above, with matching Borg RPE ranges. Underneath, a three-zone physiological model is shown: zone 1 below the first lactate or ventilatory threshold, zone 2 between thresholds, and zone 3 above the second threshold. Threshold positions vary between individuals. ACSM category Borg RPE (6–20) Very light < 9 Light 9–11 Moderate 12–13 Vigorous 14–17 Near max ≥ 18 50%57%64%77%90%96%100% % HRmax 3-zone model Zone 1 · below LT1/VT1 Zone 2 Zone 3 · above LT2 LT1 / VT1 LT2 / VT2 Top: ACSM (Garber et al., 2011). Bottom: three-zone model (Seiler, 2010); threshold positions shown are typical of trained endurance athletes and vary widely between people — only a lab or field threshold test locates them for an individual.
Figure 1. Intensity categories and a three-zone model anchored to thresholds. — Original diagram, FSHP Academy (schematic, not to scale).

Successful endurance athletes typically perform most training at low intensity (below LT1) and a smaller portion at high intensity — a polarised or pyramidal distribution [seiler2010].

Session types

TypeExamplePurpose
Easy/long60–150 min below LT1Aerobic base, fat oxidation, capillaries
Threshold3 × 10–15 min at LT2Sustainable speed
VO₂max intervals5 × 4 min hard, 3 min easyRaise aerobic ceiling
Short intervals30/30 s × 15–20Time at high VO₂

Both HIIT and continuous training improve VO₂max, with larger average gains for interval training [milanovic2015].

Strength training for endurance athletes

Heavy and explosive strength training improves running and cycling economy and performance without harmful weight gain when programmed appropriately [ronnestad2014]. Two sessions per week of heavy multi-joint lifts in preparation phases, one per week in competition.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A recreational cyclist does every ride at moderate-hard effort and plateaus. Switching to mostly easy riding with two weekly interval sessions and adding strength training improves FTP by 6% over 12 weeks.

Further learning: video lessons

Video links are only marked “verified” after a human has watched them. Unverified entries open a YouTube search for that channel and topic rather than a guessed link.

Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Polarised training explained

Stephen Seiler (search)

You will understand: intensity distribution in endurance sport

Why: Primary researcher.
Practical demo needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Strength training for runners

endurance coaches (search)

You will understand: integrating lifting with running

Why: Applied.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. Seiler (2010) described elite endurance athletes as doing about…

Answer B. Polarised or pyramidal distribution.

2. A classic VO₂max interval session is…

Answer B. Sustained time near VO₂max.

3. Rønnestad & Mujika (2014) found strength training…

Answer B. Heavy and explosive strength training.

4. Threshold training typically targets intensity around…

Answer B. Sustainable hard effort.

5. Easy training below LT1 is valuable because it…

Answer B. Supports volume and recovery.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Design a weekly plan for a 10 km runner using a polarised approach.
  2. Plan threshold and VO₂max sessions for a cyclist.
  3. Add strength training to an endurance athlete’s week.

Key takeaways

  • Successful endurance athletes do most training at low intensity, with a smaller amount at high intensity.
  • Threshold sessions develop sustainable speed; VO₂max intervals raise aerobic ceiling.
  • HIIT and continuous training both improve VO₂max.
  • Heavy strength training improves running and cycling economy and performance.

Connected topics

hybrid training

Long slow distance vs HIIT

hybrid training

Threshold and tempo training

personal training

Cardiorespiratory training: physiology, assessments and programming

References

  1. Seiler S (2010). What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes?. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 5(3):276–291. doi:10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276 · PubMed 20861519 Narrative review verified
  2. Milanović Z, Sporiš G, Weston M (2015). Effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIT) and continuous endurance training for VO2max improvements: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Sports Medicine, 45(10):1469–1481. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0365-0 Meta-analysis check pending
  3. Rønnestad BR, Mujika I (2014). Optimizing strength training for running and cycling endurance performance: a review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 24(4):603–612. Narrative review check pending

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