Oubliez la VMA : courez à la sensation | Véronique Billat
Lucile Woodward
26,452 views
Should we do away with VMA and stopwatches? In this episode of Long Live, I'm joined by Véronique Billat, a French physiologist and endurance researcher with over 40 years of experience. She has dedicated her career to understanding how we truly manage our effort, and today she's challenging everything we thought we had to measure in training. She invites us to free ourselves from the tyranny of the stopwatch and VMA to reconnect with something more authentic: feel.
What struck me most about this conversation is how completely it goes against our training habits. Véronique Billat invites us to free ourselves from the tyranny of the stopwatch and VMA to reconnect with something more authentic and freer: feel.
In this episode, we discuss:
The paradigm shift: moving away from the constant speed imposed by the treadmill to training at a constant perceived speed, with "waves" of speed rather than a fixed pace.
The hybrid engine of the human body: how our three energy systems work together constantly, and why synchronization is more important than isolation.
The end of VMA (Maximum Aerobic Speed) as dogma: why this "old school" metric has its limitations, and what the Rabbit test measures instead (power, resistance, endurance, governance).
Strength and power after 40: why they are lost first, especially in women, and how to maintain them through sprints and drills rather than heavy weight training.
Progressing at any age, without injury: the example of a centenarian who is still accelerating, recovery as an integral part of training, and self-confidence as the key.
🎧 Subscribe to Long Live for more episodes dedicated to health, longevity, nutrition, sleep, sports, well-being, and prevention.
✨ Enjoy listening!
💰 Promo code: LONGLIVE5 - If you are looking for a successful return to sports, with very long-term results, daily sports, nutrition and mental advice, a turnkey sports plan and above all have fun with a great community? Join the EXPERIENCE CLUB on the LUCILE WOODWARD app 👉 https://lucilewoodward.com/abonnements/
A podcast created by Lucile Woodward and produced by NOLA
Advertising and partnerships: The Podcast Bureau melanie@thepodcastbureau.fr
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔛 To stay up-to-date, FOLLOW ME on social media:
➡️ My YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3nFN5mp
➡️ My website: https://bit.ly/3nKwqOS
➡️ Instagram: @lucilewoodward: https://bit.ly/3axOTu5
➡️ Facebook: http://bit.ly/3iGnjBg
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➡️ My newsletter: bit.ly/3JECQi7
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00:00 Introduction
01:32 Véronique Billat: From Passionate Runner to Researcher
05:10 What Has Changed in Sports Science
07:20 Running by Feel, Not Speed
09:15 The Human Body: A Hybrid Engine
10:29 The 3 Energy Systems That Coexist
13:45 VMA and VO2max: What Are They Really Used For?
16:07 VMA and VO2max: What Are They, Concretely?
20:29 Is Calculating VMA Reliable?
22:56 Progressing by feel: the Rabit test
26:47 Differences between men and women in training
29:18 Designing your sessions without speed data
32:06 Limiting factors of performance
33:32 Reading and interpreting the Rabit test
35:23 Why train by feel?
42:14 Adapting your constant-pace sessions to feel
47:20 Do women do too much base endurance training?
50:18 How to train your power
54:18 Should you do strength training?
1:01:03 Up to what age can you progress?
1:02:23 Training by feel: don't under-push yourself
1:06:05 Towards simpler training tools?
1:10:34 Internal dialogue during exercise
1:12:24 Conclusion
20 Comments
Je vais tester mes fractionnés en trail à la sensation facile moyen et dur pour voi😢ce que ça donne.
Encore mille mercis.❤ j'enregistre cet épisode absolument. En revanche, je ne vois pas ton test de Rabbit que tu devais tourner le lendemain...
Oubliez la VMA : courez à la sensation | Véronique Billat
Lucile Woodward
26,452 views
Should we do away with VMA and stopwatches? In this episode of Long Live, I'm joined by Véronique Billat, a French physiologist and endurance researcher with over 40 years of experience. She has dedicated her career to understanding how we truly manage our effort, and today she's challenging everything we thought we had to measure in training. She invites us to free ourselves from the tyranny of the stopwatch and VMA to reconnect with something more authentic: feel.
What struck me most about this conversation is how completely it goes against our training habits. Véronique Billat invites us to free ourselves from the tyranny of the stopwatch and VMA to reconnect with something more authentic and freer: feel.
In this episode, we discuss:
The paradigm shift: moving away from the constant speed imposed by the treadmill to training at a constant perceived speed, with "waves" of speed rather than a fixed pace.
The hybrid engine of the human body: how our three energy systems work together constantly, and why synchronization is more important than isolation.
The end of VMA (Maximum Aerobic Speed) as dogma: why this "old school" metric has its limitations, and what the Rabbit test measures instead (power, resistance, endurance, governance).
Strength and power after 40: why they are lost first, especially in women, and how to maintain them through sprints and drills rather than heavy weight training.
Progressing at any age, without injury: the example of a centenarian who is still accelerating, recovery as an integral part of training, and self-confidence as the key.
🎧 Subscribe to Long Live for more episodes dedicated to health, longevity, nutrition, sleep, sports, well-being, and prevention.
✨ Enjoy listening!
💰 Promo code: LONGLIVE5 - If you are looking for a successful return to sports, with very long-term results, daily sports, nutrition and mental advice, a turnkey sports plan and above all have fun with a great community? Join the EXPERIENCE CLUB on the LUCILE WOODWARD app 👉 https://lucilewoodward.com/abonnements/
A podcast created by Lucile Woodward and produced by NOLA
Advertising and partnerships: The Podcast Bureau melanie@thepodcastbureau.fr
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔛 To stay up-to-date, FOLLOW ME on social media:
➡️ My YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3nFN5mp
➡️ My website: https://bit.ly/3nKwqOS
➡️ Instagram: @lucilewoodward: https://bit.ly/3axOTu5
➡️ Facebook: http://bit.ly/3iGnjBg
➡️ My events: https://bit.ly/4p11wS4
➡️ My podcast: https://bit.ly/460e6IT - https://audmns.com/rVlqBSd
➡️ My newsletter: bit.ly/3JECQi7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 Introduction
01:32 Véronique Billat: From Passionate Runner to Researcher
05:10 What Has Changed in Sports Science
07:20 Running by Feel, Not Speed
09:15 The Human Body: A Hybrid Engine
10:29 The 3 Energy Systems That Coexist
13:45 VMA and VO2max: What Are They Really Used For?
16:07 VMA and VO2max: What Are They, Concretely?
20:29 Is Calculating VMA Reliable?
22:56 Progressing by feel: the Rabit test
26:47 Differences between men and women in training
29:18 Designing your sessions without speed data
32:06 Limiting factors of performance
33:32 Reading and interpreting the Rabit test
35:23 Why train by feel?
42:14 Adapting your constant-pace sessions to feel
47:20 Do women do too much base endurance training?
50:18 How to train your power
54:18 Should you do strength training?
1:01:03 Up to what age can you progress?
1:02:23 Training by feel: don't under-push yourself
1:06:05 Towards simpler training tools?
1:10:34 Internal dialogue during exercise
1:12:24 Conclusion