Aerobic Base drill
Four by Four Aerobic Intervals
Raise VO2 max with four long, hard intervals and a steady jog between them.
- Time
- 35 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 30 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- None
- Space
- Pitch perimeter or full-length shuttles
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
The pitch perimeter, or try line to try line shuttles. No cones and no markings required.
How to run it
- Run hard for 4 minutes at roughly 90 to 95% of your maximum heart rate - hard enough that talking is difficult, but a pace you could genuinely hold for the full four.
- Then jog for 3 minutes without ever stopping, because standing still drops your heart rate too far and you lose the effect.
- Repeat for 4 work bouts in total.
- Expect the first 90 seconds of each bout to be spent climbing into the zone, so do not sprint the opening to get there faster.
- Run this 2 to 3 times a week during a base block.
Coaching cues
- Hard but sustainable for the full 4 minutes
- Keep jogging in recovery, never stand still
- Reps 3 and 4 are the ones that produce the adaptation
Common mistakes
- Starting far too hard so reps 3 and 4 fall below the target zone
- Confusing 90 to 95% of max heart rate with 90 to 95% effort - it is a pace, not a sprint
Related drills
- Pitch FartlekBuild an aerobic base with varied-pace running that needs no equipment and no measuring at all.
- Bronco TestTest rugby-specific fitness with the shuttle test widely used in rugby.
- MAS Time TrialMeasure your Maximal Aerobic Speed, the number every other conditioning session in this library is built from.
- Maximal Aerobic GridHold time at or above your maximal aerobic speed, which is the single biggest driver of aerobic power.
- Eurofit 15:15 IntervalsBuild aerobic power with short, fast repeats that feel manageable and accumulate brutally.
- Tabata ShuttlePush aerobic power with a dense 2:1 work-to-rest format once you can handle the gentler MAS methods.