Interval Basics

kosmicsteve said:

Sorry about asking a questions that iam sure has been asked many many times...but i couldent really find just what i was looking for. Just a few basic questions..
-What would a very basic (as basic as it gets) interval session be?

the type of intervals (intensity, duration, and frequency) would be dependent upon your goals, fitness, time available, other training you do, and your strengths and weaknesses

Quoted post said:

-How many times a week should you do intervals, and should it be your whole training sessions for the day or should it just be part of your ride?

again very rider dependent

Quoted post said:

-Would it be better to do them on a flat road or a road with about 3-4% grade?

and on a moderate hill, and a steep hill and an indoor trainer...

as an example intervals could last from several seconds, to longish blocks of say 30-mins. intensity may vary from supramaximal efforts (e.g., sprints performed all out) to moderate intensity blocks (e.g., just below TT power).

Intervals would also be altered with different duration recovery periods. for e.g., if you did 30-secs "on" and 30-secs "off" the training effects and the power generated would likely be different to doing e.g., 30-secs "on" and 5-mins "off", even though you'd be attempting to ride the "on" periods as hard as you can.

let us know an idea of your goals and fitness etc, and we may be able to suggest some basic intervals to help

ric

Ric, I have also have some questions about intervals. One of them is about the v02 max workout you wrote about on cyclingnews.com I have been doing 5-6 of these lately, and they already seem to be making a difference. But, theoretically, would 4 6 minute long efforts at the same heart rate produce the same training effect, a heightened vo2max, etc?

whoawhoa said:

Ric, I have also have some questions about intervals. One of them is about the v02 max workout you wrote about on cyclingnews.com I have been doing 5-6 of these lately, and they already seem to be making a difference. But, theoretically, would 4 6 minute long efforts at the same heart rate produce the same training effect, a heightened vo2max, etc?

i'm not sure which intervals you mean...? i've written lots on cnews! HR has nothing as such to do with it, it's the power that you are generating that is important (i understand that you maybe using HR as a proxy for power). The longer the interval is the more it will train or be reflective of LT, whereas shorter intervals of say 4mins maybe more reflective of VO2max.

if you extend say 4-min intervals out to six mins you don't know if your power is decreasing or staying the same (unless you have a power meter). If it's decreasing or staying the same then perhaps you can generate more power for the shorter (4-min) duration does that produce a better effect? what are you training for, what are your goals, where are you in your season? all things to consider

ric

thansk for the reply, well my goal is to riase my top speed and bebale to keep it for longer. right now my speed on a flat is around 20-22 mph and i can keep it for about 20 mins. (i could probably keep 17-18 mph for an hour just geussing though) being a light guy its hard for me to produce the power on the flats. Iam not really training for one thing in perticular atm but i would like to do some races in the next few months just to get race experiance, and maybe next year race for places (or even this year, depends how things go). if you would like anymore information just ask and ill respond as soon as i can. thanks so much,
steve

kosmicsteve said:

thansk for the reply, well my goal is to riase my top speed and bebale to keep it for longer. right now my speed on a flat is around 20-22 mph and i can keep it for about 20 mins. (i could probably keep 17-18 mph for an hour just geussing though) being a light guy its hard for me to produce the power on the flats. Iam not really training for one thing in perticular atm but i would like to do some races in the next few months just to get race experiance, and maybe next year race for places (or even this year, depends how things go). if you would like anymore information just ask and ill respond as soon as i can. thanks so much,
steve

To be honest, a lot of it will depend on the rest of your programme and how much time you have. There's little use to suggesting intervals of X minutes and Y intensity, if the rest of your programme is either really easy riding or really hard riding. We really need to look at everything together to decide on the best way forward. That's beyond the scope of this forum, as we'd need to consult with you, taking lots of details and looking in depth at your situation. If you'd like RST to consult with you, or want some coaching please don't hesitate to contact me at [email hidden]

Ric

ric_stern/RST said:

To be honest, a lot of it will depend on the rest of your programme and how much time you have. There's little use to suggesting intervals of X minutes and Y intensity, if the rest of your programme is either really easy riding or really hard riding. We really need to look at everything together to decide on the best way forward. That's beyond the scope of this forum, as we'd need to consult with you, taking lots of details and looking in depth at your situation. If you'd like RST to consult with you, or want some coaching please don't hesitate to contact me at [email hidden]

Ric

I'm a light rider also, I have been working on speed on one or intervals during my previous training sessions and i have found that trying to maintain 100rpm doesn't necessarily have me generating large amounts of power but does allow me to shift to the next gear as 100rpm becomes easier.

i've been trying to complete this whilst remaining at levels that Ric has assisted me in working out which zones i should be working within.

Ric had me undergo a MAP Test to Discover my Max heart rate and from that discovering my Lactic threshold, i have been working at 100rpm within this zone and when i can complete this over periods of time i have found that i am beginning to generate more power and speed as i move to more difficult gears.

when i first visited the velodrome Andrea hads me begin in 52x17 wasn't a tough gear but i did find it difficult to spin for longer periods of time wear i would normally mash out big gears i never reallyn understood why, but now i see the light.

Ric your a star! already i'm 10minutes off my original 17.9miles 1.01:30 to 00:49:02 it seems to be working