EndoGusto groups workouts into categories such as Easy/Recovery, Tempo, Interval, and Long distance, so you can find and plan the right kind of session. Each workout category has its own purpose, target intensity, and typical duration, and these differ between running, cycling, and swimming.
This guide explains each workout category and the recommended intensity ranges for every sport.
How to Read the Intensity Ranges
Each workout category below lists targets in up to four ways, so you can use whichever your athlete trains with:
% HRmax: percentage of maximum heart rate.
% LT, % FTP, % T-pace: percentage of the athlete's running threshold pace, cycling threshold power, or swim threshold pace. For pace, values above 100% mean faster than threshold.
RPE: rating of perceived exertion on a 1 to 10 scale.
Duration: per repetition, per set, or for the whole session, as noted.
For what each threshold means, see What Do FTP, LTHR, LT Pace, T-pace, and RPE Mean?
Easy/Recovery
Recovery sessions restore the body's systems after high-intensity or long training and races.
Sport | Intensity | RPE | Duration |
Run | 50 to 60% HRmax, 73 to 80% LT | 1 to 3 | 20 to 90 min |
Cycle | 50 to 60% HRmax, 45 to 55% FTP | 2 to 3 | 40 to 120 min |
Swim | Below 70% HRmax | 3 or lower | Not specified |
Run: a useful weekly session, mainly for athletes who only run.
Cycle: best on flat roads with no climbs or descents, or on an indoor trainer.
Swim: puts the least possible load on the musculoskeletal system, so it suits athletes from almost any sport, not only swimmers and triathletes.
Tempo
Tempo sessions are high-intensity continuous efforts that raise the athlete's threshold. They can also be split into repetitions with active or passive rest. The shorter the effort, the higher its intensity.
Running and Cycling Tempo
Session | Intensity | RPE | Duration | Main goal |
Run Tempo | 75 to 85% HRmax, 88 to 100% LT | 6 to 8 | 10 to 20 min per set | Raise lactate threshold |
Cycle FTP intervals | 80 to 90% HRmax, 88 to 105% FTP | 6 to 8 | 30 to 90 min in total | Raise FTP |
Swimming Tempo
Session | Intensity | RPE | Duration | Main goal |
Sub-Threshold | 90 to 95% T-pace | 5 to 7 | 10 to 40 min in total | Aerobic endurance and Critical Velocity |
Supra-Threshold | 100 to 105% T-pace | 7 to 8 | 8 to 30 min | Raise Critical Velocity |
Anaerobic Capacity (Power Swim) | 90 to 100% of maximum sustainable | 8 to 10 | 2 to 15 min in total | VO2max, maximal power, and Critical Velocity |
Fartlek
Fartlek sessions sit mainly at moderate intensity, with sections where the effort rises or falls. The changes can come from the terrain, such as trails or hills, or from set distances run at a specific intensity.
Interval
Interval sessions let the athlete repeat high-intensity efforts. They improve aerobic capacity so the athlete can hold higher intensities for longer, and they suit trained athletes working on VO2max and maximal aerobic speed or power.
Running Intervals
Session | Intensity | RPE | Repetition length | Main goal |
VO2max Intervals | Above 90% HRmax, 110 to 160% LT | 9 to 10 | 10 sec to 4 min | VO2max, maximal aerobic speed, anaerobic reserve |
Lactate Intervals | 85 to 95% HRmax, 95 to 110% LT | 8 to 10 | 4 to 10 min | Maximal aerobic speed and speed at the second lactate threshold |
Hill repeats (long or short) | 77 to 95% HRmax, 98 to 110% LT | 7 to 10 | 30 sec to 10 min | Strength, muscular endurance, running economy |
Pyramid Intervals | 85 to 95% HRmax, 95 to 110% LT | 8 to 10 | 1 to 8 min | Varied stimulus within one session |
Cycling Intervals
Session | Intensity | RPE | Repetition length | Main goal |
VO2max Intervals | Above 90% HRmax, 125 to 150% FTP | 9 to 10 | 15 sec to 4 min | VO2max, maximal power, anaerobic reserve |
Long Intervals | 85 to 95% HRmax, 108 to 125% FTP | 8 to 10 | 4 to 10 min | Maximal power output and power at FTP |
Hill repeats (force and power) | 140 to 180%+ FTP | 7 to 10 | 30 sec to 3 min | Muscular force and explosiveness |
Hill repeats (muscular endurance) | 80 to 95% HRmax, 110 to 130% FTP | 7 to 9 | 3 to 10+ min | Muscular endurance and efficiency |
Pyramid Intervals | 85 to 95% HRmax, 108 to 180%+ FTP | 8 to 10 | 15 sec to 10 min | Varied stimulus within one session |
Swimming Intervals
Session | Intensity | RPE | Repetition length | Main goal |
VO2max Intervals | Above 100% T-pace | 9 to 10 | 20 sec to 4 min | VO2max, explosiveness, stroke efficiency |
Long Intervals | 90 to 105% T-pace | 8 to 9 | 4 to 10 min | Stroke efficiency and pace at Critical Velocity |
Pyramid Intervals work with any interval type in any sport. The distance of each repetition climbs through the session, or starts long and comes down.
Medium and Long Distance
Long, steady sessions improve cardiovascular function and heat tolerance and raise the energy production of the muscles. Because the intensity is low, they are also a good time to work on technique: foot strike, stride length, and cadence when running; pedal stroke and body position on the bike; bilateral breathing and stroke count in the pool.
Session | Intensity | RPE | Duration |
Medium-distance run | 65 to 85% HRmax, 82 to 97% LT | 3 to 6 | 90 to 120 min |
Long run | 65 to 85% HRmax, 82 to 97% LT | 3 to 6 | 120 to 180 min |
Long ride | 65 to 80% HRmax, 70 to 85% FTP | 4 to 7 | 2 to 6 hours |
Endurance (long) swim | 70 to 80% HRmax | 3 to 5 | More than 30 min |
Progressive Sessions
A progressive run, ride, or swim includes structured pace increases through the session. Distance and pace depend on the training goal. Progressive sessions stress the athlete's systems at several intensities and prepare them for race day.
Brick
A brick is a bike session followed straight away by a run, one of the most important workouts for triathlon. It trains the fast transition from the bike leg to the run, builds sport-specific muscle strength, and prepares the athlete both physically and mentally. A typical brick includes 2 to 5 hours of cycling and 20 to 60 minutes of running, mostly at race pace.
Rest Day
A rest day gives the body time to adapt and recover from previous workouts. It also helps the immune system return to normal function and lowers the risk of injury.
Tips for Coaches
Match the category to the training phase. Lean on Easy/Recovery and long sessions in Base, then add Tempo and Intervals in Build and Peak. See What Are the Training Phases in EndoGusto?
Use RPE when data is missing. Every category has an RPE range, so athletes without a power meter or heart rate strap can still hit the right intensity.
Keep recovery truly easy. An easy run drifting into tempo effort adds fatigue without the benefit. Check completed recovery sessions against the target range.
Save your go-to sessions to the Library. Build each category once and reuse it. See How to Create, Duplicate, and Delete Workouts in the Library.
For Athletes
Your coach picks each session's category for a reason: recovery days are meant to feel easy, and interval days are meant to feel hard. If a session feels much harder or easier than its target RPE, tell your coach through workout feedback so they can adjust your plan.
Need help? Open the chat bubble in the bottom corner of this page, or email us at [email protected].