Long-term test vs. short-term test: which protocol should you choose for your thresholds?

Why compare short vs long tests?

To identify your ventilatory thresholds (VT1 / VT2) and define your true physiological zones , you can perform different types of tests.

But should we prioritize:

• a short test (rapid incremental test),

• a long test (slow progress),

• or a hybrid protocol?

Each format has its advantages… and its limitations.

👉 This guide helps you understand which test is best suited to YOUR sporting activity.

1. The purpose of the test: to identify VT1 and VT2

Regardless of the protocol, the objective is the same:

✔ VT1 (Threshold 1)

→ lipids → carbohydrates switch → ideal for defining Zone 2

✔ VT2 (Threshold 2)

→ appearance of acidosis → delimits the threshold/high intensity zone

The way in which the effort is increased influences the accuracy of the detection .

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2. The short test: quick, convenient, but less stable

🕑 Duration

8–12 minutes

🔎 Procedure

• rapid increases in intensity

• Each stage lasts 30 seconds to 1 minute

• A gradual but steep climb

✔ Advantages

• quick to do

• very useful indoors

• Ideal for frequent testing (1x/week)

• good for quickly identifying VT2

✘ Limits

• unstable ventilation → VT1 more difficult to detect

• risk of passing too quickly over an area

• more sensitive to stress, fatigue, on the big day

• not entirely representative of an effort on the road

👉 Perfect if you want frequent monitoring or if you are comfortable with intense efforts.

3. The long-term test: stable, precise, close to real-world conditions

🕒 Duration

20–35 minutes

🔎 Procedure

• stages of 2 to 4 minutes

• very gentle progression

• steady increase in ventilation & CO₂

✔ Advantages

• extremely precise detection of VT1

• more representative of actual effort (climbs, tempo)

• Ideal for cyclists, triathletes and runners

• stable ventilation → very reliable analysis

✘ Limits

• longer

• requires patience

• more mentally demanding effort

• less easy to do every week

👉 Perfect for a reference measurement or for calibrating a serious preparation.

4. Hybrid tests: the best of both worlds

Some protocols combine:

• a slow climb up to VT1

• then faster stages towards VT2

✔ Why is this interesting?

• very good detection of VT1 and VT2

• reasonable duration (15–20 min)

• high reproducibility

• a good compromise for regular training

👉 This is often the most used method in professional teams.

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5. Which test should you choose depending on your objective?

Objective	Recommended test	For what
Define training zones	Long	VT1 very precise
Monitor regular progress	Short	Fast & repeatable
Cyclosportive preparation	Hybrid	Good balance
Indoor test on a home trainer	Short	Simple & stable
Outdoor uphill test	Long	Representative of the field
Beginners	Long	More stable & progressive
Experienced athletes	Short or hybrid	High sensitivity

6. How ZoneX simplifies your threshold testing

ZoneX real-time analysis:

• your ventilation (VE)

• your CO₂ production

• respiratory dynamics

• ventilatory disruptions (VT1 / VT2)

Thanks to this:

✔ Regardless of the protocol, ZoneX automatically detects your thresholds

→ short, long, hybrid: everything works

✔ Easy test to repeat every week

→ Ideal for tracking VT1 / VT2 over time

✔ Results directly transformed into training zones

→ Zone 2, tempo, threshold, VO₂max

✔ Real-world analysis

→ indoors, outdoors, uphill, endurance

ZoneX adapts to the test you prefer , not the other way around.

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Conclusion: there is no "best test", but a test tailored to your needs

✔ Short test: for frequent measurement

✔ Long test: for maximum accuracy

✔ Hybrid test: for an excellent compromise

The main point is simple:

👉 Choose the test that suits you best…

👉 and let the respiratory analysis reveal your thresholds.

With ZoneX, every protocol becomes simple, reliable and reproducible .

Learn more about ZoneX