Short intervals can make you a stronger cyclist
The days are getting shorter, and the temps are cooling, which can only mean one thing: TIME TO ZWIFT! That’s right, we are gearing up for our weekly indoor bike sessions (I lead on Thursdays at 6pm! You can join us starting on November 3rd by emailing me. No need to be an H+P member and it’s FREE).
Those that joined in on the fun last year might remember the pain and suffering of some of the interval training we did last year. Why intervals? It is well documented that doing intervals is a great way to build fitness, especially when you are time crunched. Generally, interval training can be broadly split into two categories, short (SI) and long (LI) intervals, where interval duration and intensity are inversely proportional. Meaning the shorter the interval duration, the higher the intensity, and vice versa. This makes sense because you cannot sustain huge power for a long time, but you can probably hang on for 30 seconds.
30 seconds is not long. Is it even worth it to do SI if you are training up for an endurance event? The short answer (haha), is: YES! And, it might produce a greater training stimulus than LI. How is that possible!
There has been some good research looking into the training adaptations to SI vs LI if they are performed to the same perceived effort. One study in particular divided the subjects into two test groups, one doing a SI workout and the other a LI workout weekly over the span of 10 weeks. The SI group did 13x(30s on:15s off) for 3 sets, and the LI group did a more traditional workout, 4x5min with 2:30 recovery. The total work time was approximately the same, and all participants were instructed to “do them at your max sustainable work intensity, to achieve highest possible average power”.
The result were surprising. Although both groups improved their 40min TT, the SI group also had significant improvements in the 30 second all out test, 5min TT, and VO2max. Basically, the LI were quite event specific, whereas the SI gave riders an overall fitness boost. Here are a few reasons why:
With such a short work window at 30s, you can do many repeats and therefore spend a lot of time well above your current VO2max.
Spending lots of time way above your VO2max results in a large training stimulus, which can encourage mitochondria biogenesis (useful for aerobic exercise).
The 2:1 work to rest ratio was also important so that you didn’t recover too much between efforts.
Doing SI in the off-season or during a build is a great way to gain fitness, while LI closer to race season will help dial in your more sustained, race-pace efforts. So if you ever start cursing me on the bike, or wonder why we are doing short stuff, know that I have your best interests at heart.
See you in Watopia!
