> Basically one does not work without the other. This is true for high-level competition, but it's overly absolute for the rest of us. They both definitely wor

> Basically one does not work without the other. This is true for high-level competition, but it's overly absolute for the rest of us. They both definitely work to some extent. I think for the general public, the balance of high and low intensity training has to take into account how much time people are willing to dedicate to it. A friend of mine and I backpack together, and we both dedicate much more time to exercise than the average person, but much less time than a dedicate amateur. Call it three hours per week on average. My friend does exclusively low-intensity endurance training, because he dislikes anything else, and I do mostly strength and high-intensity training, for the same reason. I think it's plausible that given the limited hours we're willing to put in, my high-intensity training prepares me better for long-duration, low-intensity activity. The data we have about endurance training comes from studies and dedicated athletes. A lot of people fall into the middle ground: not sedentary, and willing to put in more time than a study participant, but also not putting in 10+ hours of training per week like a competitive endurance athlete.