This unusual workout boosted VO2Max. Anyone tried it?

Basically strides?

Old Guy II who posts on the 50+ weekly thread has been doing something like this for close to 2 years. Has had really good results. He also does lots of hills. He is setting new age grade PRs and has not really been injured. However the sprint parts are longer so probably like vo2max pace for 150 meters. For exact details checkout the thread and his weekly posts.

I added alactic work to my slow days a month ago. So far I do some standing on my bike pedals or running up steep sand dunes do a thousand one .... thousand 8 or so. Feels pretty good but I am not going to transition these to flat sprinting for awhle;)

Ed Whitlock is my role model these days. He was a polarized dude so are methods like Hadd and Moffetone.

wanted to add an IMO polarized benefit is the combination of:

Low intensity with high volume as the stress stimulus lowers the levels of cortisol and raises aerobic dev of 2a fibers but does not increase strength.

High intensity with low volume and plenty of recovery increases muscle tendon and ligament strength, lowers the levels of crp but raises cortisol levels.

How many studies make this claim about a certain workout or whatever intervention boosting VO2 max?

If you are naive enough to believe even one of them.... then go ahead

N. I. B. wrote:

Basically strides?

Strides can be whatever you want them to be.

So when this study says they went for 3 hour runs and sprinted at 100% max effort for 5 seconds every 20 minutes, then yes that's basically strides. Next time your coach asks you to tack on some strides at the end of your run, that is what he means.

Charlie correctly summarized what I have been doing with my recovery days for about 2 years now (I'm 69 now). In the process of rebuilding from a serious case of runners knee a few years ago I started walking before running and then alternating running days with recovery walking plus strides days. I also found from using a GPS watch with HR function that my HR on what I thought was "recovery running pace" was still too high for optimal recovery, so I settled into walking for my recovery days. I also wanted to put a small amount of high end running in my training and strides during my walking seemed the best place. I walk 7 miles, which takes 1:35-1:40, with a stride every half mile after the first mile, so I am doing 12 strides, which probably are in the 15-20 second duration with about 6:30-7:00 between them.. I believe it definitely has significantly rebuilt my top end speed and running economy. My alternate running days for the first part of this year were almost all 8 miles on a loop near my house that includes an 800ft hill where I do approximately 1.5mi warm up pace, 2.5 mi uphill threshold, 1.5 mi recovery pace 2.5 mile downhill threshold. This month I started doing 12 miles on the run day that hit on the weekend. Sunday I will be running a 5K for my first real fitness check of the year. Last year in the same race I ran 20:15 after averaging 35mpw as I rebuilt mileage from the start of the year. This year I have averaged 50mpw since the start of the year and hope to be in the 19:30-19:45 range for the race. P.S. I was a small college 440/220 guy (high 51s/high 23s) and have run more or less continuously since college usually in the 35-45 mpw range. I retired last year and now have more time and energy to focus on my running.

There is nothing new to see here. Pickups during runs has been the staple forever. It isn't a magic bullet either. For masters runners doing whatever it takes to stay injury free is more important than any specific workout. Academics come up with new terminologies just because they can. There is no fundamental justification for it.

Check this out, fisky:

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=7906903