The Ultimate Interval, what, when, who, why....

David Henderson

Hello everyone. I've written an article titled "High Intensity Interval Training", for cyclists who are interested in increasing their fitness levels. My goal was to provide science-based information (as opposed to subjective, opinion, and/or anecdotal), and I include the citations for the scientific articles that I use. A lot of this information is not available to the general public because it restricted by a paywall.

This article has been reviewed and edited, but I always appreciate any pertinent comments and suggestions. I have found that cycling forums are ideal for information sharing. When appropriate, I do revise my article based on the feedback I receive. Please feel free to comment either on this forum or in the comments section of my article. Thanks in advance, and happy riding!

http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com ... ining.html

Regards,
David Henderson

ShutUpLegs

Why don't you post the free text here :?:

shockedsoshocked

Quite good blog post actually. 1min on/2min off are horrible things if done correctly, but extremely effective.

Herbsman

I think you'll find that the ultimate interval is (15x(5x40sec)-2min)/48sec)+6metres

ShutUpLegs

Herbsman wrote:

I think you'll find that the ultimate interval is (15x(5x40sec)-2min)/48sec)+6metres

How hard do you have to pedal :?:

mididoctors

Herbsman wrote:

I think you'll find that the ultimate interval is (15x(5x40sec)-2min)/48sec)+6metres

Herbsman

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Herbsman wrote:

I think you'll find that the ultimate interval is (15x(5x40sec)-2min)/48sec)+6metres

How hard do you have to pedal :?:

Harder.

keef66

Herbsman wrote:

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Herbsman wrote:

I think you'll find that the ultimate interval is (15x(5x40sec)-2min)/48sec)+6metres

How hard do you have to pedal :?:

Harder.

And probably faster

David Henderson

A quick note about determining intensity levels for intervals: There are a couple different methods for quantifying intensity levels for interval training. My most simplistic method is just maximal sustained effort for the duration.

The researchers that I cite in my article use much more precise and complex methods One is a percent of PPO (peak power output). This requires a watt meter and ideally should be done in a lab setting, but one can do it by themselves on a stationary trainer with a power meter device as so: record your highest 30-second power output completed during an incremental test where resistance is increased by 15 watts every 30 seconds, starting at a workload of 100watts until fatigue (can no longer maintain at least 60rpm cadence). The other is Pmax: Your Pmax is calculated by finding the corresponding power output that is measured at VO2max during a progressive exercise test. Outside of a labortory setting that can measure oxygen consumption along with power output, the Pmax intensity can be estimated by taking the average wattage produced over a 5 minute maximal effort and multiply that by .934 (based on writings from Andrew Coggan this only applies to highly fit cyclists).

If you use power produced at lactate threshold your method involves calculating your watt output at your lactate threshold which is ideally done in a labortory setting, but can be estimated by taking the average power output during a 40k timetrial, or a variation is to do a 25 minute time-trial and take the average wattage of the final 20 minutes and subtract 5% to determine a functional threshold power.

Another method is perform a Conconi test which I wrote about and explained here: http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com ... shold.html

PPO (peak power output) and Pmax are higher intensities than Power at Lactate Threshold.

Regards,
David Henderson

P_Tucker

Saying there's one "best" interval is as stupid as saying that a circular saw is the best tool. NOT IF YOU WANT TO KNOCK A NAIL IN IT ISN'T FFS

ric/rstsport

there is *NO* ultimate interval. The best training is the training that is suited to a person and their goals. it will be a collection of *DIFFERENT* sessions that are likely to cover a moderate or wide spectrum of physiological constraints. The best training is not one session but many sessions over a period of time which are likely to change as the persons goals and fitness change. You also need to take into account a person's psychology. For e.g. it may be that cycling at X power output for Y minutes best improves e.g. VO2max, but one person may find such a session intolerable and thus never be able to complete it (e.g. some people hate the constant effort of a 20-min TT effort and regularly fail to complete them)

ric

alex1rob

Thanks for the blog post. I've heard about HIT training after it was on a BBC documentary discussing the health benefits (less insulin resistance, decreased cholesterol in the blood) but I hadn't seen the papers on the fitness benefits.

It almost seems to good to be true that in 4 weeks time I could be 6% faster for only doing 8x1minute intervals twice a week.

Still i'm willing to give it a go!

Herbsman

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

there is *NO* ultimate interval. The best training is the training that is suited to a person and their goals. it will be a collection of *DIFFERENT* sessions that are likely to cover a moderate or wide spectrum of physiological constraints. The best training is not one session but many sessions over a period of time which are likely to change as the persons goals and fitness change. You also need to take into account a person's psychology. For e.g. it may be that cycling at X power output for Y minutes best improves e.g. VO2max, but one person may find such a session intolerable and thus never be able to complete it (e.g. some people hate the constant effort of a 20-min TT effort and regularly fail to complete them)

ric

what's the best interval for winning road races?

ric/rstsport

the one where, when you ride at the correct cadence, power, and for the correct duration, the number 42 flashes on your speedo or powermeter.

Herbsman

I think we need to hook a turbo trainer up to the Large Hadron Collider in the hope of finding the God Interval.

P_Tucker

alex1rob wrote:

Thanks for the blog post. I've heard about HIT training after it was on a BBC documentary discussing the health benefits (less insulin resistance, decreased cholesterol in the blood) but I hadn't seen the papers on the fitness benefits.

It almost seems to good to be true that in 4 weeks time I could be 6% faster for only doing 8x1minute intervals twice a week.

Still i'm willing to give it a go!

Brilliant. Seems too good to be true, already rubbished by a proper cycling coach but hey - why not give it a go eh?

ShutUpLegs

P_Tucker wrote:

alex1rob wrote:

Thanks for the blog post. I've heard about HIT training after it was on a BBC documentary discussing the health benefits (less insulin resistance, decreased cholesterol in the blood) but I hadn't seen the papers on the fitness benefits.

It almost seems to good to be true that in 4 weeks time I could be 6% faster for only doing 8x1minute intervals twice a week.

Still i'm willing to give it a go!

Brilliant. Seems too good to be true, already rubbished by a proper cycling coach but hey - why not give it a go eh?

I guess he takes his training seriously FFS

alex1rob

ShutUpLegs wrote:

P_Tucker wrote:

alex1rob wrote:

Thanks for the blog post. I've heard about HIT training after it was on a BBC documentary discussing the health benefits (less insulin resistance, decreased cholesterol in the blood) but I hadn't seen the papers on the fitness benefits.

It almost seems to good to be true that in 4 weeks time I could be 6% faster for only doing 8x1minute intervals twice a week.

Still i'm willing to give it a go!

Brilliant. Seems too good to be true, already rubbished by a proper cycling coach but hey - why not give it a go eh?

I guess he takes his training seriously FFS

Guys seriously, no need to be hostile! I'll admit I'm new to this and perhaps am not as well read as you guys appear to be but we all start somewhere right?

And as for "already rubbished by a proper cycling coach" perhaps Ric/RSTSport could clarify but I don't think he is rubbishing the method of HIT. He is saying that, it's not for everyone and as such you can't apply the same interval too all... There is no 'ultimate interval'. However, you can't deny the theory of HIT just because it sounds too good to be true, they have applied scientific method to this, and while it may have confounders, (you cannot conduct a placebo based trial with something like this) you can't deny the results over multiple studies.

This programme doesn't call for a complete overhaul of your training, but switching one session to HIT is hardly going to ruin the rest of your training. Stranger things have been suggested, Joe Friel suggests walking in the woods after a race to recover thats surely based on facts right? ...

Every other cyclist takes the winter off to recover, yet Wiggins continued to train this year and look how he is riding at the moment. Just because something is different to the normal thing doesn't mean it's wrong, although I'll admit we will see how he will cope during the tour.

Anyway sorry to rant but you two wound me up, I don't appreciate being spoken to like an idiot.

ric/rstsport

to clarify, i've used those or very similar intervals in coaching riders from novice racers through to elite world champions. however, my 'bugbear' (for want of a better description) is that HIT all year round or at random times may not be appropriate to an individual or to that individual at that point in time.

quality training needs to be appropriate to the individual, their goals, their time, health, etc

mamba80

For me the ultimate interval is when i leave race HQ and 2 hrs later cross the line before anyone else!