VOLUME AND INTENSITY Training volume and training intensity have
historically been the two main variables in any plan to improve
physical fitness. Volume refers to how much you train. Intensity
refers to how hard you train. Manipulating these variables has
traditionally been the staple of any endurance program. The
training season usually starts with high volume and low
intensity. As training progresses, the volume decreases and
intensity increases (Figure 1.1). What if I told you there is a
better way? Only half of our training improves in fitness. The
problem is to know which half. Whether that half is volume or
intensity remains to be seen, but there is increasing evidence
that intensity is the more important half. If you increased
volume and intensity together, you would surely burn out from
physical exhaustion. If you increased only volume, you wouldn’t
see any significant improvement. If you train by manipulating
intensity, you will improve. Why, then, do we focus so much on
volume? Tradition. That’s th