What type of training involves athletes primarily working in Zones 1 and 3?

The correct answer is polarized training. This training approach involves athletes spending a significant amount of their training time in very low intensity (Zone 1) and very high intensity (Zone 3), while minimizing the time spent in moderate intensity (Zone 2).

The rationale behind polarized training is that by focusing on the two extremes of intensity, athletes can maximize their physiological adaptations. Zone 1 helps build a strong aerobic base and promotes recovery, while training in Zone 3 enhances power and speed, allowing athletes to improve their performance significantly.

This method contrasts with other training strategies, such as threshold training which primarily emphasizes moderate intensity training close to an athlete’s lactate threshold, or linear and step tapering, which are strategies focused on reducing training load before a competition to optimize performance without changing the intensity distribution of training sessions throughout the training cycle.