4 minute intervals

Lots of things going on here...

steve kaspar said:

i read an article from the british coaches saying these 4 minute intervals done at 80% of your time trial pace will really improve your fitness. they say do 2-3-4-5 once a week with the same rest as your interval. great results will follow..

without knowing what this Time Trial Pace is, sounds like a vague assumption to me.

And anyway, say we talk about a 4min long time trial (which is kind of unlikely). 80% of the max mean power over this duration doesn't sound too tough to me.

steve kaspar said:

i was wondering if doing these at 90% of max heart rate is doing them too hard..

As far as I'd be concerned, my max HR is pretty much equivalement to HR reached at Vo2Max= ~190bpm (maybe with few extra clicks left). 90% of this, 171bpm places me spot on high end threshold HR. That wouldn't be very difficult sustain. I could even sustain it with no rest for the full duration of the maximum number of reps (6x4 = 24min, I could even hold 40-60min at 175 which is > 90% of my max HR).

Quoted post said:

trouble is, i dont want to peak at all...i just want to stay in very top shape. i am not racing this year, but i still like keeping up on the hard team rides...is doing them this hard ok without peaking?

No I don't think that these alone will get you to peak, and even if they would, since you have no racing schedule, what would be the issue?

Quoted post said:

bottom line is, i dont want to peak, just have a super hard mid week training session.

really here, I don't see why you'd be so scared of experimenting a peak. You will undoubtedly experiment ups and downs. Now, an up can be seen as a peak, so what?

Hi, if you are 54 then your Max. heart rate would be around 170 not 200. By all means start using a HR monitor if you are training seriously, because doing an 80% interval is different than doing it at 90%, in fact that would be two different intervals.

Like the other poster said, what's wrong with reaching a peak ? If you do it properly it's a great achievement and later on you will still be in good shape.

His max heart rate could be up around 200. Working out max heart rate is a very personal thing. Everyone is different. Effectively those charts you see at the local gym etc. Are an extremely rough guide. There could be differences of between 30-40 bpm between people of the same age due to fitness levels and weight

So true, I am 47 and my max is around 197. mY wifes is higher than the formula would indicate as well.

I used to do 7 Minute Abs until I discovered 6 Minute Abs. Now I'm really going to town.

Scotttri said:

His max heart rate could be up around 200. Working out max heart rate is a very personal thing. Everyone is different. Effectively those charts you see at the local gym etc. Are an extremely rough guide. There could be differences of between 30-40 bpm between people of the same age due to fitness levels and weight

Max.HR is Max. HR regardless of fitness or weight. Anyway I agree that the
220 - Age = Max. HR ___formula is just a reference, there are more accurate scientific ways to find that out.

(why can I not see peoples avatars and mine once you sign in ?? )

vspa said:

(why can I not see peoples avatars and mine once you sign in ?? )

Hi there

You should be able to see them, what do you see instead? dead image or nothing?

regards

hi. nothing:
User name, an ON/OFF sign, and "registered user", no avatar nor dead image.

and when i come in as a guest i can see them...

vspa said:

hi. nothing:
User name, an ON/OFF sign, and "registered user", no avatar nor dead image.

and when i come in as a guest i can see them...

Hi

You had the option "Show Avatars" un ticked in your profile, I've updated it for you.

For other who might have this disabled;

usercp -> edit options -> scroll down about 3/4 of the way.

regards

alienator said:

I used to do 7 Minute Abs until I discovered 6 Minute Abs. Now I'm really going to town.

Yeah obvious holes in that plan :p

ok i see avatars now... thanks !

well doing abs is not the same as training seriously as a cyclist, i wouldn't take interval training as a joke, it could make all the difference between a succesfull or a mediocre cycling career... it is not a good analogy anyway

First, y'all need to step away from your intervals, take a deep breath, get a grip, and look at the rest of the world. Second, you obviously need a comedic reference. [ame="[MEDIA=youtube]hIYYZPnacWo[/MEDIA]]YouTube - Harland Williams as Crazy Hitchhiker[/ame] Third, it's not as if I was making jokes about mother raping or father raping (another comedic reference you'll fail to get, displaying in the process a complete lack of cultural and musical awareness). No, I just made a less than serious comment in the context of interval training. Lastly, it's time we all remember what Confucius said: Fark you if you can't take a joke.

i've seen the movie and i also think its funny. You know the original poster doesn't really know what he is talking about so its ok !