A graphical model for interval training

t has often been demonstrated that greater improvements in key performance factors (anaerobic capacity, maximal aerobic power [MAP] and aerobic endurance) in most of the so called ‘aerobic’ sports such as cross country, middle and long distance running can be achieved through training programmes that include intermittent sessions. In fact, as shown in Table 1, when doing continuous exercise, one cannot sustain intensity in the optimal development zone of these key performance factors for very long. It is exactly because it enables an athlete to perform a greater amount of work at a given elevated relative intensity that interval training is frequently preferred to continuous training.