Interval training advice please!

Micky3882

Just bought a second hand spinning bike for some winter training (it has a monitor on it for rpm, time, distance, etcetc>)

Looking for some advice in the best interval training to do on it - preferably between 30 - 60 mins at a time/2/3 times a week...

Have been looking online but all the info seems to differ greatly, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Herbsman

Depends what you're training for & when your events are...

Micky3882

Just general training to be better in the spring!

I generally do 100 + mile sportive throughout the summer, and want to increase my average speeds and hill climbing for next year

Team4Luke

Micky3882 wrote:

Just general training to be better in the spring!

I generally do 100 + mile sportive throughout the summer, and want to increase my average speeds and hill climbing for next year

then unless you ride your sportives in intervals then why do them. :roll:
Only thing you could do is simulate hills, so some big ish gears and big resistances, do some efforts that you might experience on a climb, so perhaps 5 mins slow RPM or 10mins not quite as overgeared to replicate a longer steadier climb, together with some long steady state efforts using normal gearing.

cougie

I do intervals on a treadmill to improve my marathon time.
I do intervals on a turbo/spin bike to improve my cycling. It does work.

You stress the body by making it work harder than it would over the longer distance - it adapts to cope with this.

Pete Read had some good books for turbo training - you could use those.

Failing that - you could get some Spinervals or Sufferfest DVDs.

Don't just do intervals though - that's a sure fire way to burn out. Do a couple of hour sessions at mid level 2 on your heart rate zones.

bigpikle

then unless you ride your sportives in intervals then why do them. :roll:
Only thing you could do is simulate hills, so some big ish gears and big resistances, do some efforts that you might experience on a climb, so perhaps 5 mins slow RPM or 10mins not quite as overgeared to replicate a longer steadier climb, together with some long steady state efforts using normal gearing.

sorry, but this shows a total lack of understanding about what an 'interval' training session actually is...

Intervals are just measured periods of time you spend at a particular effort, usually followed by a rest period before another 'interval'. They can be done at any effort level you desire. The point is that by doing shorter periods of intensity than you could maintain for an entire ride, you are able to work harder than you normally would, then rest and go back and do it again. These periods of effort create an overload for the body and stimulate adaption, so that you become better able to cope with that effort level in future.

Interval training sessions can be used to improve endurance, speed, ability to climb better, sprint or anything you like - its just a matter of creating the right session to create the overload you are looking for. Riding more strongly in sportives etc is all about threshold power, and some form of appropriate interval training over time is the perfect way to develop this, then you can ride longer at a given power level, ride hills more comfortably at the same power level or perhaps faster at higher power and certainly be able to recover from hard efforts more quickly and completely.

Micky3882

Thanks for the feedback, it seems the correct route to take....
do you have any suggestions for actual routines I could do to last between 30 mins and 60 mins? 2/3 times a week?

napoleond

Get yourself a couple or 3 videos from www.thesufferfest.com
Do one 3x a week with one lower intensity steady ride....

Otherwise a good workout is warm up, then 3-4 x 10 minutes at what is called 'sweet spot' with 5 min recovery in between. It should feel like a challenge but not too hard, and should be evenly paced.

Google Sweet Spot Training for more info if training with HR.

Herbsman

Do 60 mins at 120% FTP

twotyred

do you have any suggestions for actual routines I could do to last between 30 mins and 60 mins? 2/3 times a week

http://www.trainerroad.com

bobones

Micky3882 wrote:

Thanks for the feedback, it seems the correct route to take....
do you have any suggestions for actual routines I could do to last between 30 mins and 60 mins? 2/3 times a week?

Have a look here http://www.turbotraining.co.uk/ for some inspiration.

If you have a heart rate monitor and know your zones then these are good, standard routines:

2 x 20 @ tempo - you can do this everyday as it's not too stressful but hits the sweetspot and will improve your threshold power. 5-10 minute warm up, 20 minutes in HR zone 3 (tempo), 4 minutes recovery, 20 minutes in HR zone 3, 5 minutes cool down. If you want to go harder on this then try it in Z4. Routine lasts 54 minutes.

6 x 5/1 @ threshold (ZeCanon) - 5 min warm up, {5 minutes in HR zone 4 (threshold), 1 minute recovery} repeat 6 times, then 5 minute cool down. Supposedly more effective than 2x20s. I also find them less boring. Routine lasts 46 minutes if done with 6 reps. 5 reps is also acceptable.

Throw in some Tabatas, which are short, brutal and effective:
4 minute warmup, {20 secs full effort, 10 sec recovery} repeat 8 times, 4 minute recovery, {20s full effort, 10s recovery} repeat 8 times, 4 minute cool down. If you can't manage 8 repeats, try 6 instead. You can also do variations, e.g. 40s/20s for intervals.

You can also do some cadence based pyramid intervals, e.g. Russian Steps. Have a look at the website I posted above for examples.

napoleond

ZeCanon is an ex pro who frequents the american bikeforums.net site. He knows his stuff...

Micky3882

Thanks for all the help people..

Can someone shed some light on the HR zones please, exactly what that means and how I know what HR zone I am in.. I am using a spin bike that has rpm, speed, time, distance, but no HR reading

Thanks in advance for any help

cougie

You need a heart rate monitor to tell you your heart rate.

If you havent got one - you'll have to go on perceived exertion.

bigpikle

you'll need an HR monitor to work with HR - cheapo ones are fine.

Once you've got one you need to do some form of max efforts to calculate some max effort numbers and then workout your zones. There are loads of different ways to do this and a Google search will reveal vast amounts of info. Just make sure you ignore the 220-age formula, as there is no point in using guesswork to calculate your HR zones.

If you dont have or want to do this then use RPE as your judge of efforts, It takes some practice but you can use 'feel' to judge how hard you are going and workout the pace etc for different efforts. You can then probably work out speed targets to aim for in different parts of the session. You will just need to practice with your spin bike and work out what you can and cant maintain for 5/10/15/20 mins etc.

bobones

You can do cadence based intervals and tabata intervals without a heart rate monitor. Even without a HRM, you can estimate that your threshold zone starts at the point where you begin panting and find speech very difficult. If your work intervals are near or beyond this point then you know you're putting in enough effort for the likes of the 2x20 or 6x5/1 intervals I posted earlier.

It's probably worth investing in a HRM though. I use a Garmin Edge 500 on my turbo. I program workouts for it using the GarminConnect.com site and the 500 prompts me when intervals begin or end and when I'm going too hard or too slow (based on HR, speed or cadence). Since there is a known power curve for my turbo, I can do "power" based intervals without a power meter by using speed on the turbo as an analog to power in the same way as Trainerroad software does.

Micky3882

Thanks just bought a HR monitor, once it arrives then I can get going!