Off Season Interval Training??

sgort2000 said:

This is my first off season and I want race alot next year. I having been riding the trainer about four days a week between 45 minutes to an hour as well as running about 20 miles a week. Should I just be doing endurance rides or should I throw an occasion power interval once a week? I just got a CyclOps Fluid2 trainer and it came with a Chris Carmichael video (TimeTrailing). I have done it a couple times now and it is a hell of a work out. It is pretty much all power intervals. Help!! I don't want to do intervals if it is not going to help this off season.

I would concentrate on building up your endurance levels, especially over the next few months. Save the video until you've had at least 8-12 weeks endurance training. Most of your training should be at conversational pace and enough exertion to make you breath out of your mouth.

sgort2000 said:

This is my first off season and I want race alot next year. I having been riding the trainer about four days a week between 45 minutes to an hour as well as running about 20 miles a week. Should I just be doing endurance rides or should I throw an occasion power interval once a week? I just got a CyclOps Fluid2 trainer and it came with a Chris Carmichael video (TimeTrailing). I have done it a couple times now and it is a hell of a work out. It is pretty much all power intervals. Help!! I don't want to do intervals if it is not going to help this off season.

I would not recommed "Time Trialing" during your offseason, especially as it sounds like you are fairly new to cycling (or at least you recently decided to begin training with the intent of competing). "Focusing" on building your aerobic endurance should definately be one of your main goals for the off season, but keeping some high intensity training in your program is a good idea too. Bear in mind, it takes very little HIT to have an effect on your system, so you want to do much less each workout and not as often/month as you did during the season. How much you do depends on your experience, how much aerobic endurance training your putting in, your ability to recovery, what your goals are, etc.

No need to build intensity now. You will just burn out or peak way too early. Just go slow and be pacient.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the comments. I guess I will save my "intense face" for spring.