Runners and cyclists alike frequently search the web for information about the “80%” or “80:20” rule.
The rule simply states that to maximise performance and minimise injury, you should spend about 80% of your training at low intensity and 20% at high intensity.
It’s a rubric which applies to almost all endurance sports; a training philosophy which has helped millions of people to get fitter faster.
There’s a difference, of course, between cycling, running and other sports. Cycling is a non-impact activity which means that you can sustain long hours - the main challenge is metabolic, managing energy systems so you don’t hit the dreaded “bonk.” With running, a high-impact sport with the ever-present risk of shin splints or stress fractures, the challenge is mechanical: you need to protect your joints and muscles from overexertion.
A great way to judge the distinction between your 80% and your 20% is whether you can breathe through your nose and hold a full conversation with a partner. If you can - just about - you’re in the low-intensity sweet spot which should make up most of your activity. Your heart rate wants to be at about 65-75% of its maximum, avoiding the dreaded “grey zone” which drains your reserves faster without delivering the same aerobic benefit. For a fifth of your time you should be uncomfortable - legs burning, speech impossible, heart pounding.
Following the rule requires discipline, because you’ll often feel like you’re not pushing hard enough. On a bike on a hill, you’ll feel like you’re pedalling too slowly. You might be shuffle-jogging or mixing running with walking. But following the 80% rule is key - because that low-intensity work builds your capillary density and mitochondrial efficiency, and the high-intensity work sharpens your top-end speed and lactate clearing. Get it wrong, and you’ll be working too hard to recover effectively and not hard enough to trigger the adaptations you’re chasing.
Luckily, with an energy bar from One Good Thing, there’s a very easy way to carve up your 80:20 split. Each square contains 26 grams of carbohydrates (with no added sugar, by the way) and that’s enough to power about 10 minutes of that high-intensity work. For a one-hour spin, you’ll want to spend about 12 minutes in the high-intensity zone: so slip an OGT bar or two into your jersey pocket, and chow down a few minutes before you start burning the match. When you’re working this hard, your body can’t use stored fat as an energy source - it’s too slow to break down - so the hit of glycogen from a tangy lemon drizzle bar or a velvety chocolate and orange bar is just enough to top off the tank and beat the bonk.
If you’re on a 45-minute jog, you’ll want to spend about 9-10 minutes really pushing hard. Once again, an OGT bar ahead of time gives you the fast-release carbs you need to sustain performance over the period. You’ll be burning about three grams of carbohydrates every minute, and once again your body isn’t able to use its stored fats for fuel.
Whether you’re running or riding, Twenty’s Plenty - and OGT is the perfect fuel to power you through the hard bits.
