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<\/a>What is interval training and what makes it successful?<\/h2>\nInterval training is simply the process of performing a set amount of work, usually fairly high intensity, then resting before doing it again.\u00a0 And again, and again, and again.\u00a0 Interval training has long been the mainstay of cycling training plans<\/a>, and for good reason.\u00a0 By adding interval training to your program, you add intensity and fatigue resistance at a number of different physiological levels.<\/p>\n However, interval training isn't just as simple as “go hard, then rest.”\u00a0 There's a lot of nuance and science behind the kind of interval training that will yield the gains you need to succeed in your goals<\/a>.\u00a0 It's also a pretty specific balancing act to combine your endurance training and your interval training.<\/p>\n If you want to build your own interval training program, there are a few things to keep in mind.\u00a0 You'll need intensity, specificity, and recovery (in order to get the repeatability you need) in correct balance to be able to execute an interval workout.\u00a0 Let's look at each one of those requirements individually:<\/p>\n Interval work is all about intensity.\u00a0 Yeah, it sounds contrived, but the whole point of performing interval work is to get a significant amount of intensity that you wouldn't otherwise be able to.\u00a0 For example, you simply can't work above your functional threshold power for more than ten minutes without burning out.\u00a0 Your body just can't do it.\u00a0 But you can do\u00a0interval work<\/em> that will net you a lot more time above threshold.<\/p>\n Interval work is a trick to help your body handle more training stress<\/a>.\u00a0 In this case, training doesn't need to be in huge blocks of work, but the repetition of high intensity adds up over time.\u00a0 This is the basic point of doing repeated interval work, but what are some of the nuts and bolts of the whole thing?<\/p>\n Let's dig a little deeper.\u00a0 As you ask your body to work above threshold, you burn up substrates like carbohydrates and creatine phosphate (depending on intensity) to power your muscles.\u00a0 Compared to\u00a0aerobic metabolism, this anaerobic power production is very limited in its scope.\u00a0 Once you burn up all the substrate, you're done.\u00a0 Your body can't continue at that intensity and has to back down.\u00a0 So, in theory, you're limited in how long you can work at that intensity.<\/p>\n What interval work allows you to do is to work at intensity to stimulate physiological changes, then recover and do it again.\u00a0 That recovery is the key to successful cycling interval training, which we'll see later.\u00a0 But suffice to say, allowing for recovery will increase the total amount of time you spend above your\u00a0threshold.\u00a0 Instead of ten minutes, you might be able to get 40 minutes of supra-threshold work in a session.\u00a0 That's a big difference.<\/p>\n The big thing you need to note is that you have to have the intensity if you want effective intervals.\u00a0 Lack of intensity will simply not give you the correct adaptations.\u00a0 The reason you're able to hit such high intensities is the availability of substrates and the capacity for high intensity work.<\/p>\n So, intensity needs to be there.\u00a0 But it can't be just intensity, you need a few other things as well.<\/p>\n Intensity is all well and good, but you also need some amount of specificity in your cycling interval training if you're looking for specific training adaptations.\u00a0 For example, there's a huge difference between the energy system you train at a 1-minute intensity and a 5-minute intensity.\u00a0 In fact, they're so different that you'll be missing the mark entirely.<\/p>\n When you're trying to elicit specific physiological adaptations, you need to ensure you're stressing those physiological systems.\u00a0 If you're not training hard enough, you won't create stress in your high intensity systems.\u00a0 If you train too hard, you'll only get some “spillover” adaptation into the zones you want to train.<\/p>\n Spillover adaptation is a phenomenon by which very high intensity training also creates lower intensity aerobic adaptations<\/a>.\u00a0 So if this is the case, shouldn't we train as hard as we can each time?\u00a0 Well, no, because we need to combine intensity and volume together for the biggest bang for our buck.\u00a0 That's why we choose to focus on specificity instead of just going all out each time.<\/p>\n For these reasons, a power meter<\/a> will be your best option for measuring high intensity efforts.\u00a0 Heart rate simply doesn't have the specificity to handle supra-threshold efforts.\u00a0 While power is (in theory) infinitely measurable, heart rate is very limited.\u00a0 As you reach functional threshold power<\/a>, heart rate is a good training metric.\u00a0 However, when you start getting towards VO2 max, heart rate maxes out while power can continue one.<\/p>\n So heart rate is capped out.\u00a0 Combine that with a significant lag in heart rate response when you increase intensity and your interval could be over before your heart rate catches up.\u00a0 For the sake of specificity, use a power meter to drill down into your numbers and pick the right intensity to create the proper training adaptations.\u00a0 Sure, you can use RPE<\/a> in a pinch.\u00a0 There's even some evidence that it's just as good as a power meter.\u00a0 But there's definitely a benefit in having hard data to reference when you evaluate your training and racing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Along with intensity and specificity, you need one other thing to ensure a quality cycling interval training session: recovery.<\/p>\n One of the biggest tenents of interval training is the amount of recovery involved in\u00a0between efforts.\u00a0 The whole point of doing\u00a0intervals<\/em> is to train at a high intensity for a specific amount of time and then recover for a set amount of time.\u00a0 The recovery is important because it's the time your body recharges and prepares for another effort.\u00a0 As mentioned before, without recovery time, you simply don't have the energy substrate necessary to execute further intervals.\u00a0 Without the correct amount of recovery, your later intervals will suffer due to fatigue.\u00a0 But recovery is more than just rest, it's part of your overall plan to create physiological adaptations.<\/p>\n In some cases, you can manipulate the recovery periods to achieve specific goals.\u00a0 For example, if you're a crit racer and you're looking to build repeatability and the ability to attack<\/a>, recover and attack again, you'll need to focus on recovery more than interval intensity.\u00a0 The shorter recovery involved in intervals like this simulate a real-world situation.\u00a0 It forces your body to tap into energy reserves and stimulates your body to store more glycogen in preparation for similar efforts in the future.\u00a0 It also creates overall adaptations in the form of increased anaerobic work capacity (or W' as I detailed in this post<\/a>.)<\/p>\n In my previous posts on high intensity interval training<\/a>, I went over the physiology of high intensity training in detail.\u00a0 I also gave some tips on how to build an interval training program<\/a>.\u00a0 If you're just looking to add some interval work to your regular riding, you can check out my VO2 max workouts<\/a>, my 1-hour workouts<\/a> or my Zwift workouts<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you're looking to do the programming yourself, here's a couple things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n With all the tools to start your interval training, what are you waiting for?\u00a0 Get out there and build some big fitness in preparation for your early season goals!<\/p>\nHigh Intensity<\/h3>\n
<\/a>High Degrees of Specificity<\/h3>\nThe right amount of recovery<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Building a cycling interval training program<\/h2>\n\n