Training & Nutrition - How Often to Do Intervals.

I usually do two 40 mile rides on the weekend and a 25 mile ride during the week. My fourth ride has been doing 2min sprints rest 2min, 3min sprints 3min rest and continue to do this until I do five min sprint and done. My question is what can I do to improve my interval day and to get on the bike more can I do two or three days of sprint intervals to get more time on the bike during the week. For my current rides I have to ride 20 min to where I begin my rides and 20 min back. I can walk out of my front door and do sprint intervals.

Summary: Any suggestions on changing my sprint workout, and how many days can I do sprint intervals in a week. Thanks!

You're already doing intervals. Those "sprints" you're going are intervals. Just make sure you hit your max-HR and can go no further at the end of your 2-minutes or 3-minute intervals. And give yourself a little more rest, you want to start your intervals fresh so that you can do them at as high of an intensity as possible for that duration.

Sprints on the other hand are 100% all-out efforts like you're being chased by a carnivorous tiger. You're cranking as hard as you can as fast as you can for as long asy you can. If you can keep this up for more than 45-seconds, you're an uber-human and should be studied by scientists. Like with intervals, the end of a sprint is when you can no longer hold the effort and are literally falling off your bike. Do a short 10-mile ride once a week with 3-5 all-out 100% sprints to complete exhaustion; give yourself 5-6 minutes in between for full recovery.

So... you're fine with intervals. Once a week is great. Once a week I like to do a set of 1-2-3-5-3-2-1 minutes with plenty of rest in between. If you're really feeling antsy and want to do more, then add a 2nd day of hill-intervals. Find hills of 0.5-1.5 miles and do 3-5-10 minute intervals to exhaustion and 100% max-HR.

Any longer than that and you'd be better off doing a hillclimb of 20-25minutes at your LT.

You're already doing intervals. Those "sprints" you're going are intervals. Just make sure you hit your max-HR and can go no further at the end of your 2-minutes or 3-minute intervals. And give yourself a little more rest, you want to start your intervals fresh so that you can do them at as high of an intensity as possible for that duration.

Sprints on the other hand are 100% all-out efforts like you're being chased by a carnivorous tiger. You're cranking as hard as you can as fast as you can for as long asy you can. If you can keep this up for more than 45-seconds, you're an uber-human and should be studied by scientists. Like with intervals, the end of a sprint is when you can no longer hold the effort and are literally falling off your bike. Do a short 10-mile ride once a week with 3-5 all-out 100% sprints to complete exhaustion; give yourself 5-6 minutes in between for full recovery.

So... you're fine with intervals. Once a week is great. Once a week I like to do a set of 1-2-3-5-3-2-1 minutes with plenty of rest in between. If you're really feeling antsy and want to do more, then add a 2nd day of hill-intervals. Find hills of 0.5-1.5 miles and do 3-5-10 minute intervals to exhaustion and 100% max-HR.

Any longer than that and you'd be better off doing a hillclimb of 20-25minutes at your LT.

On the 1-2-3-5-3-2-1 intervals do I just go as hard as I can for each interval. Such as 100% 1min 90%2min and so on. Also for the hill intervals, we have a shortage of big hills where I am. We have one big hill that would take around 3 to 4 min to get up. Should I just go up this hill as hard as I can four or five times in a row. If so, how much should I rest after each climb. Thanks for your informative reply.

Wow, what great advice. Doing intervals at 1-2-3-4-5-3-2-1 is just what I have been trying to devise for myself. I have a steep residential hill that I do 10 reps on, once a week, and I can really feel the difference. I hate hills, but the results are just too great to ignore.