Stegeman, J. (Translated by J. S. Skinner). (1981). Exercise physiology (p. 259). Chicago, IL: Year Book Medical Publishers.

The placement of pauses during work that exceeds the threshold for prolonged work is important. Since the course of recovery proceeds exponentially, that is, the first seconds of the pause are more effective for recovery than the latter portion, it is much more appropriate to insert many short pauses than one long pause in interval training. Lactic acid recovers very quickly in a short period of time. Longer time periods do not produce much added benefit. Thus, for prescribing training stimuli of an interval nature, the athlete should be subjected to a certain level of discomfort through fatigue, provided with recovery, and the cycle repeated so that work volume, intensity, and performance consistency are maximized. This is why interval training is so effective for developing anaerobic capacities.

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