CoachingAnswer

POLARISED OR PYRAMIDAL: WHICH SHOULD I USE?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

Polarised training (roughly 80% easy, 20% very hard, almost nothing in the grey zone) and pyramidal training (more time at threshold, less at the extremes) are both legitimate models. Most endurance research favours polarised for long-term amateur development. Pyramidal suits time-crunched riders who need to fit more quality into fewer hours. The fatal error is living in the middle of either model — moderate-intensity riding that doesn't belong to either.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Polarised: ~80% zone 1/2, ~20% zone 4/5. Nothing in the grey zone between. Strongest long-term evidence.
Pyramidal: more threshold work (zone 3–4) than polarised, less than pure sweet spot. Common in pros.
Both beat grey-zone riding — the failure mode of amateurs who do neither properly.
Polarised suits higher-volume athletes; pyramidal suits time-crunched riders with 6–8 hours a week.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The rider choosing a training model for the season

You want to know which philosophy to anchor your year around and understand the trade-offs.

The time-crunched rider who heard polarised requires high volume

You're wondering if polarised works at 6–8 hours a week or if pyramidal is the right call.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Seiler's research on polarised training is the most cited finding in endurance science over the last 20 years, and it's genuinely useful for amateurs. But the nuance that gets lost in the cycling podcast space is that pyramidal training — where pros spend more time at threshold and less at the extremes — is also the dominant pattern at the very highest level when you look at the actual data. The two models are closer than the argument about them suggests.

What both models share, and what matters most, is the rejection of grey-zone riding. Neither says 'ride comfortably hard all the time'. Polarised says 'go easy or go very hard'. Pyramidal says 'go easy most of the time, threshold sometimes, very hard rarely'. The distribution is different at the top end; both models agree that moderate-intensity, medium-hard riding is where most amateur time gets wasted.

Anthony's practical take: if you have 10+ hours a week, polarised is the more achievable model — the intensity sessions stay small and the volume absorbs them. On 6–8 hours, including some pyramidal threshold work is defensible because you have fewer hours to fill with purely easy riding. The key is that your easy rides are genuinely easy regardless of which model you call it.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Professor Stephen SeilerExercise physiologist, University of Agder
Seiler's analysis of elite endurance athletes consistently shows a polarised distribution as the most common pattern in long-term athletic development. The grey zone between first and second ventilatory thresholds accumulates fatigue without delivering equivalent adaptation — regardless of which model label riders apply to themselves.
Hear it: 80/20 Training to Ride Faster | Dr Stephen Seiler
Dan LorangHead of Performance, Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe
At the Grand Tour level, the distribution in training is more pyramidal than purely polarised — some threshold work sits between the easy aerobic base and the high-intensity peaks. The amateur lesson is that threshold work has a place, but the foundation must be aerobic volume, not the inverse.
Hear it: Roglic's Coach Builds A Training Plan For Amateur Riders | Dan Lorang

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Default to polarised if you train 10+ hours a week
At higher volumes, the 80/20 split is achievable and produces the best long-term base. Make easy rides genuinely easy, limit hard sessions to two per week, and put nothing in the middle.
Add some pyramidal threshold work if you train 6–8 hours a week
With limited hours, some threshold riding (one 2×20 session) alongside mostly easy riding is a reasonable pyramidal compromise. The easy/hard ratio shifts slightly, but the principle — protect the easy days — stays the same.
Police the grey zone either way
Review your zone data for the past two weeks. If your easy days sit in zone 3, that's grey-zone drift. Pull them down to zone 2 before worrying about which model label to apply.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEDoing 'polarised' but riding easy days in zone 3.
FIXHalf-polarised is just grey-zone with better PR. Police the easy days — zone 2 or below.
MISTAKETreating pyramidal as permission to do threshold work every day.
FIXPyramidal means more threshold than polarised, not constant threshold. The majority of training is still easy in a pyramidal model.
MISTAKEChanging models every six weeks to see which is better.
FIXPick one for a full season and evaluate over 12–16 weeks. Switching every block produces no useful data and no sustained adaptation.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the difference between polarised and pyramidal training?

Polarised keeps almost all training at either very easy (zone 1–2) or very hard (zone 4–5) intensities, with almost nothing in the threshold zone. Pyramidal has a larger proportion of threshold and sweet-spot work between the two extremes. Both models keep easy riding as the largest single category.

Which training model do the pros use?

Research suggests most elite endurance athletes land somewhere between polarised and pyramidal depending on the period of the season and the sport. During base phases, distribution is more polarised. During build and race phases, more threshold work enters, moving toward pyramidal. The base remains the largest volume category throughout.

Can I combine polarised and pyramidal?

Yes — many coached amateurs run a polarised base phase and a pyramidal build phase. The base is almost purely easy volume, and the build adds threshold intervals. This is practically the most common model among well-coached serious amateurs.

Does polarised training work at low volume?

It can, but the case is less clear-cut at 4–6 hours a week. At low volume, including some threshold work can be more efficient than spending all limited hours on zone 2. This is where the pyramidal argument has most merit — time-crunched riders may need more threshold density.

Is there research comparing polarised and pyramidal directly?

A 2013 study directly comparing the two models found polarised produced greater gains in VO2max and power at threshold over nine weeks. Other research shows pyramidal is the typical observed distribution in elite cycling. The consensus is that both are effective; polarised may have a slight edge for long-term development.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

80/20 Training to Ride Faster | Dr Stephen Seiler

Secret To Cycling Fast At A Low Heart Rate | Prof Seiler

Roglic's Coach Builds A Training Plan For Amateur Riders | Dan Lorang