I agree. If you are already at a very high level, you have to do a lot to get even better. The last percentage is the most expensive. That is why a professional athlete devotes his whole life to training. However, in terms of percentage, he is not much better than an ambitious haw.

If I have little time during the holidays but still want to keep fit: How do I train?

When there isn’t enough time to practice everything, there is one trait to focus on. Let’s say you usually train at different levels of intensity, for example short, fast and long runs at a slow pace. Then I advise you to stick to the short and quick modules. Studies show that it is possible to make up for part of the losses in this way in relatively little time. in a study For example, runners reduced their training volume from about 80 kilometers to 24 kilometers per week, a 70 percent increase. Instead of six times a week, they ran five times, but only about five kilometers each time.

Perhaps you can do this before breakfast, when the family is still asleep. So, is it better to run for a shorter period and more than once for a long time?

definitely. The runners in the study were still at the same five-kilometer speed after three weeks as they had been before the training cut, and their maximum oxygen uptake remained the same. The only thing that went down was the time they could run to exhaustion at a speed below their max.

Makes sense, after all, they didn’t train like that anymore.

Exactly, the distances were too short for that. But that comes back once the volumes increase again. Of course, you need more time for that.

What is your advice to overcome the winter safely?

I recommend short, intense units, experts also talk about high intensity interval training. This can be done even in the dark or on a treadmill or cross-trainer. You can work on your endurance again when the days get longer and warmer.