Training & Nutrition - Intervals?

I have started training recently, i have been training for about 2 months just getting my base milage up, now i want to increase my power and i have been told to do this by intervals. I was just wondering if someone could explain to me what an interval is. I am guessing that it is a sprint as hard as you can with a rest period followed by another repition. What sort of things do you do when you do interval training? What exactly does it do? does it increase your power? anaerobic fitness?

I have a vauge idea what they are about, but i would just like someone to give me a explanation.

Thanks
Stew

I was just wondering if someone could explain to me what an interval is.

A measured period of intense exercise activity. Followed by a rest period and then repeated.

I am guessing that it is a sprint as hard as you can with a rest period followed by another repition.

Not necessarily, it does not have to be maximum effort.

What sort of things do you do when you do interval training?

Refine pedal stroke, increase cadence, resist fatique.

What exactly does it do? does it increase your power? anaerobic fitness?

It increases your capacity to perform work. (power)

I have a vauge idea what they are about, but i would just like someone to give me a explanation.

Interval training is the practice of using the "overload principle" of exercise physiology to achieve increased capacity for a particular task. The two other major principles, specifity and frequency relate to just "what muscles you are training" and "how long or how often" do you train them. All three methods represent a balanced program to enhance "all around" fitness to a particular task......


Thanks
Stew

You're Welcome
Richard Cranium

Cheers Richard for the anwsers.
Thanks again
Stew

Any book on bicycle training has articles on Intervals and advice on how to do them. There are different varieties and techniques. Basically, it's a way to overload and consequently condition muscles, heart, and cardio systems. There's an article for one technique on this page (http://www.ridefast.com/ctscafe/articles/2002/index.htm).

There are many, many different kinds of intervals. Most of them require the use of a heart-rate monitor or a power tap. One guy I know does 5 minute intervals at set power levels [350 watts, or whatever].

I have a few routines that I do at different times of the year. One of them is a variation of the Conconni MaxHR test: On a long flat stretch, I'll bring myself up to 75% of MHR for four minutes, recover for two, 80% for four minutes, recover for two, 85% for four minutes, recover for two, 90% for four minutes, recover for two, 95% for four minutes, recover for two, 95+% for as long as I can hold [usually less than four minutes, and recover for as long as I need to feel human again... I do a couple of recovery laps and do it again. This is a kind of threshold training, and I find it particularly useful i late spring/early summer.

At this time of year, when I'm training for the cyclocross season, I focus on short-recovery intervals. I do two minutes at 90%-95% MHR and then recover for 45 seconds. I'll do about ten or twelve of these. These intervals are to train to recover quickly and output maximum power.

Then, there are hill intervals, which are usually longer intervals based on repetition climbs of hills [six minutes on, three minutes off].

Originally posted by velocipedio
and recover for as long as I need to feel human again...

Which, for me, would be about two weeks! I can't speak for others, but I've found that I have to be in pretty good shape to even execute some of the intervals that are recommended for people training to race. You can expect it to take some time to get there, and even then, intervals are probably not going to be the favorite part of your cycling schedule.