Training & Nutrition - Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week?

Interesting. Talks about intervals. Here is an excerpt:
"...Each of the two groups exercised three times a week. After two weeks, both groups showed almost identical increases in their endurance (as measured in a stationary bicycle time trial), even though the one group had exercised for six to nine minutes per week, and the other about five hours."


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/can-you-get-fit-in-six-minutes-a-week/?em

Yes; current research suggests that seven minutes of burst workouts three times a week (or something like that) are all that's needed to get somewhat fit.

The thing about that is that if you account for warm-up times and such, it's actually closer to 20 minutes.

So is it worth your time to start training with super short intervals in leu of longer training rides?

Don't be fooled, this will be the longest six minutes of your life. :D

If you don't have time for a longer ride then these are a very good replacement. Keep in mind they are extremely taxing to your body and mind so allow for a decent recovery.

I'd say replace an interval session with a micro burst interval session for a month. See how you feel after the month. The only way you are going to be able to determine if a certain training regiment works for you is by trying it.

Training is sport specific. For example, let's say you did nothing but 7 minute bursts.... How ready would you be for a rando? The short answer is not at all.

Just as a general rule of thumb for noncompetitors, you want to mix it up.
You want some long rides, some hilly rides, some short, fast rides.

By way of analogy there is a form of extreme training. I forget the name, but they build you up to the point where you fairly regularly puke or pass out. Or both.

A coach got into this, but at the end of the year he noticed his mtn bike racers had not done as well as they had the previous year...despite nearly killing themselves training.

Sport specific.

seems to me the question is "fit for what"?

They're starting from "healthy but not athletes" and I think the biggest gains come when you're just starting out. Theres also no mention of what the "sustainable pace" for the 90 minute rides was, or how long the time trial was that they used for the final test.

Tabata protocol. (8) 20 sec interval at max with 10 sec recovery. Great on increasing VO2 max but not so great for increasing endurance.

buddy

Training is sport specific. For example, let's say you did nothing but 7 minute bursts.... How ready would you be for a rando? The short answer is not at all.

Just as a general rule of thumb for noncompetitors, you want to mix it up.
You want some long rides, some hilly rides, some short, fast rides.

By way of analogy there is a form of extreme training. I forget the name, but they build you up to the point where you fairly regularly puke or pass out. Or both.

A coach got into this, but at the end of the year he noticed his mtn bike racers had not done as well as they had the previous year...despite nearly killing themselves training.

Sport specific.

I like your idea of mixing it up. I think it keeps the fun in cycling. Even some professionals say that the most significant workout is racing, not intervals.

The article talks about molecular changes indicating endurance. However, a lot of endurance capability comes from neovascularization, increased mechanical efficiency, increase in blood volume and circulating red blood cells...the list goes on and on. These types of workouts probably won't increase these factors; your body adapts to the stresses you put on it. So, you probably won't get great at an endurance sport by doing only these types of workouts. However, they can be used to supplement other training.