Interval Trainig for Dummies - any simple guidelines?

NapD's thread in the training section is an interesting read and probably a good place to get an idea training

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12691101

Worth reading all 19 pages of it even if it will take you all day

Luckily, it's not necessary to die on the bike to get benefits from interval training (ie the intervals do not necessarily need to be "maximal efforts" each time).

Interval training is just a way of riding at an intensity which would be impossible to maintain for a longer duration. The benefits of interval training will depend on how they are performed and at what intensity.

The following link gives a very good guide to the relevant intensity levels referred to by many coaches:
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/ ... oggan.aspx

Typical intervals and their intended benefits would be as follows:

- 2 x 20 min @ Level 4 (with 5-10 min recovery between intervals)
This is at a pace that is around or just below your 10 mile time trial pace - it should be taxing but not impossible to finish the 2nd 20 min interval.
You can build up to these with 2x10, 2x15, 2x20 over a period of a few weeks and even go on to 3x20 etc, or just increase the speed / power that you do them at week on week.
These are great for training your "lactate threshold" and building your sustainable power which will be a benefit in most forms of cycling.

- 5 x 3-8 min @ Level 5 (with 3-5 min recovery between intervals)
These are done at a level just above your 10 mile time trial pace and they focus on improving your maximal oxygen uptake. Hill repeats on a steady climb is a good way of doing these.

- 10-15 x 30s-2min @ Level 6 (with 1-5 min recovery)
Train your anaerobic power production and capacity. Might not be that specific to your training goals unless you are planning to do some road racing where they mimic the hard repeated accelerations you get in bunch races.

So depending on what you are trying to achieve, and when you want to be in top shape will dictate when and how you do your intervals, but most people will find L4 intervals ("2x20's") very beneficial for improving performance at most cycling disciplines.

sparkins1972 wrote:

if I dedicate 1 of these to intervals, it will start to have impact?

For sure - start off fairly easy (ie 2x10 L4) and build week-on-week to harder, longer intervals.

When you stop improving with these alone, you can either add more volume (2-3 sessions a week) or switch focus to harder intervals (ie L5s) to focus in improving a slightly different area.

The key to it all is getting the intensity right - you can use heart rate (less so for the shorter intervals), perceived exertion (ie how hard it feels - although this tends to get better with experience) or power (if you have money to burn).

But I'd suggest to keep it simple if possible - ride a few practice 10 miles as fast as you can and get used to how it feels (your breathing, the sensation in your legs etc) then gauge intervals off this.