Quadsweep said:I understand pure anaerobic intervals to be 30seconds to 1 minute and done only from a faily rested state. You can't expect them to be anaerobic if you are already hammering along at lactate threshold or higher intensity, or the system worked will be the VO2 system and not the anaerobic system.
Questions
How long should you rest between pure anaerobic intervals?
How long should one take to "RAMP UP" to full intensity with these ie: 30 seconds ramping and then full out for 30- 60 seconds.?
OR! Are you to begin like a sprint, with an all-out effort, but then the effort is held for 30 seconds to 1 minute?
How many anaerobic intervals should one do per workout?
How many times per week at a maximum?
Being extremely intense I am wondering how many weeks one should do them in the racing season before dropping them for a while.?
This is just my view...
I typically do 2 kinds of anaerobic work. 1 minute and kilos.
The 1 minute intervals are paced evenly. I start at a 1/2 sprint and get up to speed, and make sure my wattage is where it needs to be. It usually takes 2 or 3 to nail down the effort. I hold the wattage for the full minute. The cooldown for this is about 3 - 5 minutes.
The kilos are on a marked section of road, as I have trouble seeing straight by the end of the interval set... I hit it hard from the beginning and hold on for dear life. I usually extend the recovery time to 5 - 7 minutes for these, as I find them a bit harder.
I also like doing these up an incline (2% - 3% average). Make sure that you are finishing these around the 1 1/2 minute range.
I have heard quite a bit about when to do these, but I find that if these are done 2 - 3 times per week and about 3 - 4 weeks before your hard section of racing, you should be ready for the efforts. I find that 6 - 8 weeks is all you need to maximize your anaerobic capacity.
You need to have a great base for these to work for you, as you will not be able to stress the anaerobic system enough if you have not had several ( 4 - 6) months of Tempo, Threshold, and VO2Max work prior to beginning these.
How many you do is entirely up to you and what your body can take. Understand, though, the body will adapt quickly to these. For example, I usually prescribe 5 - 8 minutes to begin with and, over the course of a couple of weeks, move into the 20+ minute range.
Jim
