Research summary · Training and performance
Polarised or pyramidal endurance training?
Thirteen studies with 348 athletes compare ways to distribute training across intensity zones.
- Publication year
- 2025
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and individual-participant network meta-analysis
- Journal
- Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Endurance sport · Recreational and competitive athletes
What the publication reports
Using time in heart-rate zones, the analysis found no clear overall difference between polarised and pyramidal training for maximal oxygen uptake or time-trial performance. Exploratory analyses suggested that competition level may influence responses.
Limits and interpretation
Only 52 participants were women. Subgroup findings do not establish a best distribution for every athlete, and non-significant differences do not prove equivalence. Interpretation depends on how intensity distribution is measured.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Which Training Intensity Distribution Intervention will Produce the Greatest Improvements in Maximal Oxygen Uptake and Time-Trial Performance in Endurance Athletes? A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 39888556DOI: 10.1007/s40279-024-02149-3Reader discussion
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