How to Read Workouts, A Complete Guide for Athletes

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How to Read Workouts

Learn how to read, interpret, and apply workout details to improve your training performance.

Are you confused about which workouts are best for your goals? With so many options, it can be hard to know where to start. We will break down a workout for you, explain the the most common types, explaining how they work and who they’re best suited for. Whether you want to build strength, boost endurance, or improve flexibility, this guide will help you choose the right exercises for your fitness journey. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of how to read any workout and what to look for to take your training to the next level.

The Basics

So where should you start to find the right workout? Well remarkably not with a search itself. You should know what to look for first. This means being able to read, interpret and understand workouts. Learning the deeper meaning and effects you can achieve instead of just reading (or perhaps even worse just doing) what it says. This deeper understanding helps you to find what you need and are looking for. Therefore, boosting the results once you finished training.

Workouts come in all shapes and sizes. Long, short, hard, easy, intensive, however all have one thing in common. Each workout is build around a basic building block. Being able to identify and read this block is key to the succes of your effort put into training sessions. This basic building block contains three ingredients: What you should do, for how long and at what intensity. From here the endless possibilities start.

“The easiest workout possible looks something like: Recovery Workout – 20min easy jog in Z0”

The simplest workout possible would be a one block (and therefore set, which is explained later on) workout like a short recovery workout. It could be something like: Recovery Workout – 20min easy jog in Z0. This one block workout has the following ingredients:

Duration (20 min)
The length of the workout in minutes.
Exercise (easy jog)
What you should be doing during the 20 minutes.
Intensity (zone 0)
The intensity at which you should do this.

Once you understand this basic block (perhaps with some extras like cadance) you can also read a multi block or even set workout. Reading and discovering the intricate structure with which we design each workout helps achieve your goals. This applies to any level athlete in any sport.

NOTE: Training can be dangerous and can cause serious injuries. Anything we write in any form is in no way medical advice and we will never ever offer medical advice. You should always contact a doctor to check your health before you start working out.

The real magic

With these basics in mind it becomes possible to look more specific at each block. Even the three basic ingredients of this block offer more variety.

Exercise
Depending on the preferred sport and your level a block will have a suitable exercise. It could be an easy ‘something’ up to a sprint in the sport you are looking for. Once you will get more experienced and familiar with training the variety of possible exercises wil increase and you will automatically make sense of each.
Duration
The duration can vary and is based on your level. It can be in set in Distance (kilometers), Time (hours, minutes and/or seconds) and Repeats.
Note that repetitions is something different.
Intensity
The last ingredient is the intensity of the block, and this will be set in zones. Without getting in to much detail here these zones will be based on your personal threshold. From this threshold you can calculate your zones in Power (Watts), Heart Rate (Beats Per Minute or BPM in short), Weight (kilograms or body weight) or Rate of Perceived Exertions (only for starters till they have build their base). These are called units.

With these details added the basic block can be more tailored to your personal level and specific to suit your needs or gear. At Eevvoo we use 7 zones from really easy to really hard.

Zone 0: Recovery
Easy training or recovery training
Zone 1: Aerobic
Easy training
Zone 2: Tempo
Tempo training
Zone 3: SubThreshold
Just below threshold training
Zone 4: SuperThreshold
Slightly above threshold training, which aims at boosting your threshold
Zone 5a: Aerobic Capacity
Over your
Zone 5b: Anaerobic Capacity

And what about the real magic? To meet the workout’s goal and create some magic a specific tuning between duration and intensity is needed to maximize effect. To get even more magic out of the workout, we put tuned blocks together to form sets to get even more benefits. This bring even more variety into the workout and make it more fun and effective. At Eevvoo we have determined 7 sets: Pre Warm Up , Warm Up – Part I, Warm Up – Part II, Activation, Core, Cool Down, Post Cool Down.

Within a set 1 or more blocks, possibly in repetitions (reps), can be combined for the real magic, balancing intensity and recovery for the biggest benefit. With this blocks and sets boosts the other, gently guiding you through the workout. Therefore making it possible to tweak your body, or muscles to be more precise, adapt¹ and build or maintain your fitness over time.

Warm Ups

Warm Up sets are almost always part of workouts. They can be simple or complex, depending on the core of the workout. The idea for every part of the Warm Up, no matter your level and physical ability/flexibility, is to help you get ready for the core of your workout. Nonethless, each warm up is designed with your level in mind.

The first set is called Pre Warm Up. This set (if present) will help you get ready to start your workout. It can give you mentally or physically a little push to get into sport mode or just help you relax before a hard workout. The set is always gentle, easy and fun. The Pre Warm Up set can differ in duration and exercise. Possible exercises can be flexers, grabbing a preparation drink like a coffee or watch a video for inspiration.

Now that you’re all set to get started it is time to get moving and start Warm Up – Part I. This cardiovascular activity helps your body and muscles to gradually prepare for the physical demands it is about to face. It also helps prevent injuries while doing your workout. This set is where you get ready to perform the magic needed to reach your goal in your workout or event/race or training plan in general! Hold back and enjoy this easy set to get ready.

Warm Up – Part II adds to Part I and helps your body and mind get even more ready. Part II can be build with one or multiple blocks.

Flexibility
To perform during your workouts core, flexibility is crucial as it allows you to perform movements more efficiently and with reduced risk of injury. Dynamic stretching exercises and routines are commonly used to enhance flexibility, enabling you to reach, bend, and move your bodies optimally during your workout. Possible exercises are rotations, flexers, stretchers.
Agility
Agility is your ability to change direction quickly, maintain balance, and move swiftly while maintaining control. It involves a combination of speed, coordination, balance, and reflexes. As soccer, basketball or tennis player, but also in running and cycling, you can rely on agility to maneuver around opponents effectively or take on the uneven road/course more easily. Possible exercises are often lateral movements.
Technique
Your technique encompasses the proper execution of movements, skills, or actions specific to your sport. It involves your to use correct form, posture and mechanics to maximize performance efficiency. Mastering technique is vital for your as it enhances your abilities and reduces the risk of injuries associated with improper form. In some sports, like in swimming and speedskating, technique is even more essential than having endurance. Possible exercises are technique drills for (parts) of your sports movements.
Strength
In your sports, strength refers to the ability of your muscles to generate force to power yourself forward through or maintain the right body posture during the workout. It’s crucial to you for various athletic activities, providing the foundation for power, endurance and overall performance. Strength training involves exercises aimed at building your muscles, increasing power and improving your body’s ability to withstand physical demands, leading to better athletic performance and in the end to progress to your goal more easily. Possible exercises can be squads, core stability or sport specific.
Mental Prep
In addition to your physical readiness after all of the above blocks, there is time to prepare mentally for the main block of your workout, the Core. You get some time to focus, think of what part the Core contains, visualize it, rehearse your strategy or techniques need to get the best out of your Core block.

For some of the above sets it is impossible have zones, hip-swings in zone 0 or 4 would be impossible, right? With the Warm Up done it is time for some real action.

Activation

With the ability to read and the knowledge of the warm up it is time to step it up. At this stage in the workout reps and intensity become important. It is now time to get your engine (muscles including the heart) properly warmed up. You can compare this set with the warm up lap before a Formule 1 race starts. The tires are pre warmed and now it is time to put some extra heat into them and the engine. Depending on the core of your workout, the activation set consists of reps of sprints or steigerungs (German for speed ups or climax runs).

Now the reps and intensity come into play. Activation sets always have multiple blocks, a sprint followed by a recover block. Of this combination there will a couple of reps. Within the sprint block and distributed over the reps the intensity increases. This means the first sprint is the ‘easiest’ and the last is the hardest/fastest.

At the Core

The core is the main set of each workout and the part where it all happens. This means that the core is also the goal for each and every single workout. All exercises around the core are solely designed to help you get ready (pre-core) for and recover (post-core) from the core. This part can be a training. However it could also be a race or event. If so, the warming up part of your workout is to get ready to race.

Unlike the other set where you get plenty (or perhaps even too much) of recovery time, the core is a delicate balancing act between high intensity and recovery. Without getting into details, this balancing act is defined by high intensity blocks, where there is a rule of thumb for the ratio in duration of the blocks.

Core blocks can have various setups to help you work on a focus area of your zone distribution.

Endurance Training
This type of training aims to improve your aerobic capacity and endurance/stamina (zone 1-2) over extended periods. It involves sustained, moderate-intensity activities, performed for longer durations to enhance the body’s ability to endure prolonged exercise.
Tempo Endurance Training
This method involves sustaining your effort at a comfortably hard pace (often around a person’s lactate threshold or zone 2-3) for an extended period. It helps you improve both aerobic capacity and the ability to sustain higher speeds for longer periods.
Interval Training
This consists of alternating periods of high-intensity (zone 3-4) exercise with periods of lower-intensity activity or rest. It’s an effective way for you to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and speed by pushing the body’s limits in shorter, intense bursts.
Fartlek Training
A more unstructured form of training, “fartlek” means “speed play” in Swedish. It involves varying the pace and intensity throughout a workout (zone 1-4), combining periods of fast and slow within your workout’s sport. It’s flexible and can be adapted to different terrains or fitness levels.
Sprint Training
This type of training focuses on short bursts of maximum effort (zone 4-5b). It helps you in improving speed, explosiveness, and muscle power. Sprint training often involves doing your activity at maximum intensity for short distances or durations.
Hill Repeats
This training involves up hill training, in which you exercise repeatedly at a high intensity (zone 3-5b), followed by a recovery period. It’s effective for building strength, power, and endurance, targeting specific muscle groups used for incline activities.
Recovery Workout
A light, low-intensity (zone 0-1) exercise session performed after you had a challenging workout or event the day(s) before. It helps you in reducing muscle soreness, aiding in the body’s recovery process, and promoting blood flow to facilitate healing.
Technique Training
This focuses on improving the form, skills, and efficiency in your particular sport or activity. It involves drills, practice sessions, and targeted exercises to refine movements, optimize performance, and prevent injuries by ensuring proper technique execution. Note that this can be a core block or warm up block depending on the workout.
Strength training
Building strength helps to keeps muscles in perfect condition, prevent injuries and helps to be able to train with more technical precision. Of course strength training can be a goal itself or even molded into a training plan. Zones are set in weight and/or reps.
Agility and Balance
These two can be combined or used separately.

Each setup is tuned on your personal level and experience to prevent injuries and maximize effect.

Cool Downs

A cool down is a crucial phase that occurs at the conclusion of your workout (or race/event). It serves to gradually transition the body from the heightened intensity from the core exercise to a state of rest. The primary objectives of a cool down are to promote recovery, enhance flexibility, and reduce the risk of post-exercise soreness or injury. Here’s a comprehensive description:

A well-executed cool down is not only physically beneficial, but also aids in the mental transition from the intensity of exercise to a state of relaxation. It contributes to overall recovery, helping athletes maintain flexibility, prevent injuries, and prepare for subsequent training sessions or competitions.

The cool down serves as a proactive measure against potential injuries by allowing the muscles to return to their optimal length-tension relationship. This aids in preventing stiffness and soreness in the post-exercise period.

Cool Downs, in contrast to the Warm Up, have fewer blocks.

Gentle Cardiovascular Activity
The cool down typically begins with a gradual reduction in intensity and in the lowest zone possible. This helps to gradually lower the heart rate and blood circulation, preventing abrupt cardiovascular stress.
Often it involves light aerobic exercises like slow jogging or brisk walking.
Static Stretching:
At the end of your workout and in contrast to the Warm Up, you can do some easy static stretching. Static stretching helps improve flexibility, reduces muscle tension, and aids in the prevention of muscle imbalances.
This could involves holding stretches for specific muscle groups in a stationary position.
Mental Cool
For (competitive) sports, the cool down may also include a period of reflection and review. You (and your Eevvoo coaches) might look back on your performance, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for future training sessions or competitions.

Possible options for the post Cool Down part of your workout are grabbing a drink, food or do some relaxing to get back on your feet. This block is optional for workouts.

Hydration
Adequate hydration is emphasized during the cool down to replenish fluids lost through sweating during the exercise. Proper hydration is essential for the body’s recovery processes.
Recovery
Muscles need time to recover, even after recovery workouts. So the last part of your cool down is taking time to recover.

Enough to think about, now it is time to make it happen.

How can I select the right workout?

So what does this leave us with. All combined means you can have a (running) workout like this.

Pre warm Up [set 1]
- Grab yourself an espresso [block 1]
Warm Up – Part I [set 2]
- Jog 10 minutes in Z0 [block 2]
Activation [set 3]
- 4x [repetitions]
- Sprint 10 seconds in Z3-4 [block 3]
  –
  Walk 50 seconds Recovery in Z0 [block 4]
Core [set 4]
- 4x [repetitions]
- Run 3 minutes in Z3 [block 5]
  –
  Walk 1 minute in Z0 [block 6]
Cool Down [set 5]
- Jog 10 minutes in Z0 [block 7]
Post Cool down [set 6]
- Grab yourself a iced cappuccino [block8]

Now that you are able to read the above, you can select a workout by following the steps below.

With all this knowledge you can now start your search for the perfect workout.

Set 1: Select your sport
Of course, it is obvious that before you can choose which workout fits at all, you must first choose your sport. This will already limit the amount of possibilities. However, with the variety of workouts Eevvoo offers you could go for a different sport, but keep in mind that you need to more carefully set your experience at step 2.
Step 2: Set your level
Each workout we design, no matter if that means the workouts as a whole of a single block in that workout, is based on your level of experience in the sport you set at step 1.
Step 3: Determine your goal
Based on the dream you pursue, your state of mind of perhaps even the way you feel, you can determine your workout goal. Or look at the workout in your plan to pick an alternative.
Step 4: Pick the unit
Depending on your gear you can pick the units you prefer.
Step 5: Chose the perfect workout
With the 4 previous steps and the knowledge from this post you can now (easily) pick the perfect workout.

Alternatively you can also chose a sport which complements your favorite sport. Cyclist for instance can, of course go for a run too. The cross over effect can help you put in some extra fun and variation.

Pitfalls

Even though you can now pick a suitable workout there are some pitfalls you need to pay attention to. Some of the most important are listed below.

Overestimating yourself
Incorrect level selection, or overestimating yourself is perhaps the biggest mistake you can make. For one workout you might get away with it, but in the long run you will overreach with all the consequence that come with that. At the same time injuries are around the corner, especially if you take on too much (for a longer period of time).
Misinterpreting personal markers
This is the opposite of the previous. There is also a chance of you underestimating yourself. This means workouts are just to easy for you and will keep you from stay on track to reach your goals by under training.
Misunderstanding pacing
While choosing a workout or while getting out training, you can misunderstand pacing. It is too easy to look at the digits and think you can handle them. Once out for the training it can be hard to get the numbers in or even start to hard and burn up before the workout is done. This is why pacing is essential to achieve the workout’s goal.
Skipping recovery
Perhaps you will not skip the recovery as a whole, but a lot of athletes tend to make up lost time in the recovery block. You need get confident to stick to the recovery pace, since this is what helps you benefit from the hard blocks. And yes, that means taking it really really slow!!
The bigger picture (see below for more)
We are just not machines, which means we can’t always perform at 100% capacity unfortunately. So putting in one hard workout after the other will most likely end in missery. Each plan we design is a balancing act, where hard workouts are followed by easy workouts. The overall progressive training load will help to reach your goals already, adding in some extra could derail your effort.

With the markers in mind you should be able to stay on track and stay away from injuries more easily.

The bigger picture

Now you know the magic on ‘paper’. You can read a workout, name the different blocks and sets and know what the goal is. You know what to keep in mind to get the most out of your training. Of course this is just the start of the endless possibilities. Please do look around and get familiar with the different workouts and possibilities.

From this single workout your adventures sport journey really start. Want to get even more out of workouts? This will give you guidance for per day and over a longer period. Get confident, boost your body and achieve your goal has never been this easy.