Tag Archive for: Polarized Training

Martin Bingisser

Are you training with a chainsaw or sandpaper?

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Swedish speed skater Nils van der Poel was one of the most impressive athletes at last month’s Winter Olympics. After obliterating the field and setting records at both the 5000 and 10000m events, he released a free eBook detailing his training plan and philosophy. One important point he made was in what tools he choose. There is a role for nearly every tool in training, but you have to choose the right tool for the purpose at hand. He used the analogy of a sculptor to get his point across:

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Martin Bingisser

HMMR Podcast Episode 244: Sprint strategies (with PJ Vazel)

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Look back at history and there are a lot of debates about strategies from sprint planning. PJ Vazel has meticulously researched centuries of training journals and joins this week’s podcast to look at one historic debate in particular: should sprinters train long-to-short or short-to-long? Learn about what the nuances of history tell us, as well as some parallels in throws planning.

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Martin Bingisser

GAINcast Episode 188: The green zone (with Stephen Seiler)

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Elite athletes use all zones of intensity, but what makes them elite is knowing what each zone can be used for and what doses to use it in. Stephen Seiler has been at the forefront of analyzing how elite athletes train. He joins this week’s GAINcast to discuss successful training strategies for elite athletes. Read more

Martin Bingisser

GAINcast Episode 104: Polarized training (with Stephen Seiler)

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Since the turn of the century perhaps no researcher has been more influential in the endurance world than Stephen Seiler. His study of polarized training methods has framed a new discussion on training intensities thanks to an innovative research approach that started by looking at what elite athletes actually do. On this week’s podcast Seiler joins us to dissect his past research, discuss future projects, and more. Read more

Craig Pickering

Is There a Balance to Sports Training?

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There has been a lot of talk about balance on this site over the past few weeks. Initially, Martin wrote about Peak Performance, ther new book from Steve Magness and Brad Stulberg. In his review, Martin discussed his own search for work-life balance, and how it may well be crucial in order to be successful. This article was followed up by “Balance and The Barbell Strategy”, which examines how a true balanced approach lies not in the middle, but at the two extremes. Read more

Martin Bingisser

Training Talk with John Kiely (Part 1)

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Back in 2012 Vern Gambetta forwarded me an article by John Kiely (full text here; comments by me here), a senior lecturer in sports performance for the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. In it, Kiely wrote about periodization paradigms in the 21st century pointing out features like individualization and flexibility that are the future of periodization. I couldn’t help but agree. Read more

Martin Bingisser

Episode 3: A Polar Expedition (with Derek Evely)

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On this episode of the HMMR Media Podcast another member of the HMMR Media team joined us to talk about periodization of training intensities. Both Nick and I have worked closely with Derek Evely and have gotten him to contribute to the site recently. He brings a diverse background thanks to his varied influences and his experience working with elite athletes in several event groups. One thing he has noticed in common is how training with many top coaches is polarized. This idea is gaining popularity with distance coaches, but is rarely discussed in the context of training for power sports. Read more