| While any riding will help there are some workouts | | | | 3-4 minutes. This is training which is meant to give |
| that are more effective than others. Some rides | | | | the biggest increases in VO2max âEUR" |
| are to get your ready to train. Others are to help | | | | which according to Hoff & Helgerud is the |
| you recover. But there are certain key workouts | | | | deciding factor for endurance (something I only |
| that require a lot of effort and payoff with big | | | | partly agree on but anyway). |
| improvements. Spring is just around the corner so | | | | The theory is based on training the heart at |
| here are the top 5 workouts that will improve | | | | maximal Stroke Volumes to expose it to maximal |
| your speed, endurance and help burn the winter | | | | shear stress - conditions which are only reached |
| pudge by spiking up your metabolism. | | | | at the highest heart rates. Why 4 minutes? |
| Warning: As with any exercise program, check | | | | Apparently it takes over 2 minutes for the heart |
| with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you | | | | to reach maximal stroke volume under these |
| to do intense exercise. | | | | conditions, so you need to keep working for a |
| Velmax Intervals | | | | longer period of time in order to get maximal |
| These are power based intervals I created based | | | | training effect here. They have found that |
| on research on increasing VO2 max and thresold | | | | intervals that last longer than 4 minutes usually |
| power. To do these properly you will need a | | | | mean a drop in intensity and are therefore less |
| power meter and have tested your functional | | | | effective. |
| threshold power. These are among the hardest | | | | The researchers had the athletes doing multiple |
| intervals I have ever done so if you have less | | | | days in a row of just 4×4 intervals (up to |
| than a year of training under belt or are coming | | | | 18 sessions in 14 days) with 2-4 weeks of lower |
| off a layoff, don't do these as you will probably | | | | volume training to facilitate recovery, while still |
| throw up if done correctly. | | | | maintaining the gains without as much work |
| The performance gains from these are quite rapid | | | | needed. On average subjects saw a.5% |
| so the prescribed intensity is for the first time | | | | improvement per workout. |
| you do these intervals. Usually each workout you | | | | The experiments have led to large increases in |
| will increase either the number of intervals or | | | | VO2max, up to 10% increase in the course of |
| wattage you do them at after the first workout. | | | | the experiment for already highly-trained athletes. |
| Warmup 15-20 minutes | | | | If you are training with a power meter or |
| Velmax intervals | | | | heartrate monitor do the intervals as follows: |
| 30 seconds at 135% of FT power / 30 seconds | | | | Warmup 15-20 minutes. 4 min at 120% of your |
| easy Repeat until you can't sustain the wattage. | | | | threshold power at high cadence 100-110rpm or |
| As wattage flucuates I would usually set a target | | | | build to your maximum heartrate from the fitness |
| and when you can't sustain 10-20 watts below | | | | test. |
| that level the workout is over. | | | | - Recover for 4 minutes |
| For example, if your threshold is 300 watts then | | | | - Repeat for a total of 4-6 times. |
| your Velmax target for your first workout is 405 | | | | - Cooldown for 10-15 minutes |
| watts. It's okay to go above but don't drop below | | | | Muscular endurance intervals |
| 400. When you can't keep it above 395 watts, | | | | This workout is good for increasing force |
| the workout is over and cool down. The first time | | | | development. Putting out a lot of power is the |
| you do these it is common to only get 15-20 | | | | combination of pedal cadence and gear selection. |
| repeats. Keep the same wattage target until you | | | | Aerobic conditioning and pedaling drills will let you |
| can get over 30 repeats. When you can up your | | | | spin, and this workout will help you be able to do |
| wattage for the next workout by 10-15 watts. | | | | it in a bigger gear. This workout is great because |
| Athletes I work with have gone from averaging | | | | it works the cardiovascular system and really |
| 400 watts for 18 intervals to 450 watts for 31 | | | | works the legs. In time your legs won't get as |
| intervals in just 3 weeks. This translates into | | | | tired from sustained hard efforts. |
| increased higher sustainable power, higher | | | | While doing the low rpm intervals focus on being |
| sustainable heartrates and better recovery ability | | | | smooth and relax your upper body. If you have |
| from hard efforts. | | | | knee problems switch to higher cadences until |
| The reason they work so well is that the 30 | | | | your knees don't hurt. |
| second work period really drives the heartrate up | | | | Do this workout twice a week with at least two |
| but the 30 second recovery isn't enough for your | | | | days between workout as your legs will take |
| heartrate to come down much. With each interval | | | | longer to recover from this workout than higher |
| your heartrate and oxygen useage keeps going | | | | candence aerobic riding. |
| up until you hit your Vo2 max. The recovery time | | | | Warmup 15 minutes building up top end of your |
| is enough for your legs to clear a bit allowing your | | | | aerobic range (90% of your average heartrate |
| to do more work than you could if it was | | | | from your fit test) Cadence 90-100 rpm. |
| continuous. This allows you to accumulate a lot of | | | | Work set 5 X 10 second stomps with 3 minutes |
| time at your maximum oxygen capacity eliciting a | | | | recovery between efforts (choose a hard gear, |
| rapid improvement in your cardiovascular system. | | | | slow to walking pace and then stomp on the |
| While very effective, I once again to not try | | | | pedals trying to accelerate as hard as you can for |
| these if you aren't used to intensive training. | | | | the 10 seconds). 5 minutes easy riding after the |
| Tabata intervals | | | | stomps followed by 10-30 minutes at 70 rpms at |
| Tabata intervals are named after the doctor who | | | | the top end of your aerobic zone. (If you are |
| did the research into the effectiveness of short | | | | using a power meter this will be 85-90% of your |
| high intensity intervals versus longer, moderate | | | | Functional Thresold wattage). Cooldown 10 |
| exercise. Tabata describes the interval protocol. | | | | minutes easy spin to clear the legs and gradually |
| 20 seconds work/ 10 seconds rest repeated 8-10 | | | | bring down the heart rate. |
| times. Dr. Tabata's research showed these | | | | Threshold intervals |
| intervals to be the most effective for eliciting | | | | Your Functional Threshold (FT) for practical cycling |
| improvement in both the aerobic and anaerobic | | | | purposes is the maximum heart rate or power |
| system. | | | | you can sustain for about an hour. The higher |
| The key is the maximal efforts with shorter | | | | your threshold power the faster you can go for a |
| recovery periods. Incomplete recovery leads to | | | | sustained period without having your legs blow up |
| an increase in oxygen debt leading to and | | | | on you. Very simply, the way to raise your |
| improved ability to process oxygen. In a six week | | | | anaerobic threshold is to ride at your threshold |
| study these intervals done 5 days per week | | | | heart rate or power for progressively longer |
| increased VO2 Max by 13 percent, aerobic | | | | periods. These are hard but effective. If you have |
| capacity by 14 percent and anaerobic capacity by | | | | done the fitness test you will have calculated your |
| 28 percent. This is with only 20 minutes of | | | | anaerobic threshold heart rate and/ or power if |
| exercise a day including warmup and cool down. | | | | you have a trainer or on-bike meter that |
| 20 seconds hard / 10 easy spinning X 10 repeats | | | | measures wattage. |
| = 5 minutes of hell | | | | Start with 2 X 10 minutes at your threshold heart |
| Then ride easy for 5 minutes and do it again. | | | | rate with 5 minutes recovery between intervals. |
| Gauge you effort level âEUR" based on your | | | | Each week increase the amount of time of the |
| current fitness level. If you are new to cycling or | | | | intervals by 2 minutes until you are up to 20 |
| just getting back into go about 80% instead of all | | | | minutes each. |
| out. If you have been training regularly give each | | | | To increase from there look to add a third |
| 20 second interval a 100% effort. Don't try to | | | | interval or multiple days of threshold intervals in a |
| pace yourself, just attack each interval like its the | | | | row. This can be very taxing but when you |
| last in the set. | | | | recover from the workouts you will be stronger. |
| If you are using a power meter you want to | | | | Mixing it up |
| target 150% of your functional threshold power | | | | While you will get your biggest improvements in |
| for the 20 second hard efforts. When you start | | | | fitness from high intensity workouts there is still a |
| do just one set of intervals but as your fitness | | | | need to longer and easier rides. While you can |
| increases you should increase the number of sets | | | | build great endurance performance with the |
| you do. | | | | workouts listed above, if the events you do are |
| 4 X 4 intervals | | | | long (ie. over 2 hours), you need to get your |
| Norweigian researchers Hoff & Helgerud | | | | body used to spending that kind of time on a |
| have found you can get better increases in | | | | bike. As well, lower intensity rides are great in |
| cardiac output from frequent high intensity | | | | promoting physical and mental recovery. |
| exercise than longer but less intense training. The | | | | Sometimes it's hard to push yourself hard enough |
| basis of Hoff & Helgerud's endurance training | | | | to get the training benefit from intervals because |
| theory is the 4×4 interval. This means 4 | | | | of mental burnout, so mixing up your training is a |
| intervals of 4 minutes each, at 85-95% of HR | | | | great way to keep fresh mentally and keep |
| max (for top endurance athletes between | | | | progressing physically. |
| 90-95% of HR max), with low-intensity breaks of | | | | |