Gerryattrick

In an effort to keep fit while not able to ride outdoors much at this time of the year I've rejoined a gym.

My 3 times a week regime consists of a 45 minute spin bike session followed, after a rest period, by a 10 minute session consisting of 30 seconds of fast, high resistance spinning alternating with 90 seconds of easy spinning.

Do I get any extra benefit mixing the two, or is the HIIT part superfluous?

Allegheny Jet

The HIIT intervals will make you stronger so there is a benefit. With a 3 to 1 rest/work ratio you should be fairly recovered do a good quality next rep. What is your goal in doing the intervals? Depending on the goal there may be better alternatives since you are willing to work.

Dudelsack 

The Carmichael plans do this kind of stuff. The HIIT is always placed in a session of more leisurely spinning, a warm-up as it were.

What you're doing sounds fine.

Carmichael even emphasizes that there are times you should skip the HIIT and just enjoy the cruise, not that anybody really enjoys indoor work-outs.

Gerryattrick

My hopes for this year are to do more 50+ mile road rides and try out some different locations for mtb rides. As well as improving stamina I want to improve the way I tackle the many short, steep hills, both on and off road, in my part of the country.


I hoped (in my usual unscientific way) that this exercise regime through the winter could help in this.

Allegheny Jet

The ten minute interval session won't help get you ready for 3 hour rides, but will have you locked and loaded for nasty 30" hills and rollers.

Jim from Boston

This thread is particularly serendipitous for me because just this week I started doing intervals, specifically HIIT. In fact just this past Sunday, I sent this PM to a fellow Fifty-Plus subscriber:

I'm fortunate to be a daily year-round cycling commuter early in the morning, with a pleasant, minimal one-way distance of 14 miles, easily lengthened during the nice weather. My commute is really my only chance to train. I had long rejected the idea of intervals because getting on the Road early is a challenge itself, and I didn't want to lose my enthusiasm by punishing myself too much. That fairly simple regimen described above seemed tolerable, and for the first two days so far was tolerable and somewhat enjoyable.

That talk show on the local station WRKO, is actually a paid advertising program called “Men’s Health New England” by Dr. S. Scionti of the Scionti Prostate Center of Boston. I just happened to tune in this past Saturday, Jan. 11, and his discussion was about diet and exercise for cardiovascular health. In particular he discussed the Mediterranean Diet, and then HIIT. I happen to be in the medical profession, and I found his program informative and seemingly factual, with references to the established medical literature to support the benefits of even such a seemingly easy program.

In any event, his talk inspired me to get started this week. If interested, his website is https://www.wrko.com/content/menshealth and podcasts of his program are available for download. The most current recent program online is January 4th, so I presume the January 11th program should be up soon. [Note: I have no relationship with Dr. S., never met him, and only occasionally listen to his show. BTW, I did use to listen to a similar plastic surgeon’s show on Saturdays, just for fun. ]

Intervals on the road during a defined commute are more variable than what one can do on a trainer. I have quickly learned that I must watch out for traffic and not pay too much attention to the stopwatch on my cycle computer. Sometimes the stopwatch times out during an interval and I have to reset. Often the terrain is out of synch with the interval, e.g. downhills on the intensity interval, uphill on the rest interval, with stoplights interspersed.

As mentioned above I just use “Rating of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) as my monitor (see subsequent post). I consider my usual happy-go-lucky pace is at an RPE of 50 (out of 100), and previously sometimes tried to ride most of the commute at a steady 60. So I ride about 6-8 miles at my usual pace (exertion) to totally warm up, then I estimate my RPE during the intense one-minute intervals to be about about 70-80. I then revert to my usual RPE of 50 for the remaining 2-3 miles.

Jim from Boston

RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE (see preceding post) * On RPE scale, 10 times the number is equivalent to heart rate. For cardiovascular effectiveness, one should exercise to ~ 60% of maximal heart rate: Max HR = 226 – age (for women), 220- age (men)

TromboneAl

For me, it works best to split the HIIT from the LSD (long stead distance) exercise. My current system is, each week, to do:

One long ride (e.g. 60 miles), in which I don't exert myself much.
One HIIT session with a warmup followed by 4-5 30-seconds sprints (I do this running or riding)
One strength training session

I found that if I put a few sprints in during my long ride, I would be too tired at the end of the ride.

Dudelsack 

Anyway, as a certified Kool-Aid drinker, why don't you try Carmichael's training program? Misery loves company, and I've yet to get into the hard stuff. It's next week.

Gerryattrick

This is a new approach for me, trying to get fit for cycling rather than just cycling. It's a simple regime I believe I can stick to, whereas I know I'd fail at something as structured as the TCTP.

It was your thread on the the Carmichael program that got me thinking about being a little bit more structured.

Good luck next week.

osteoclast

I'm doing a version of the "experienced century" TCTP....no century in 9-11 weeks.

In the third week, so doing SS intervals X3 ...12 minutes with 6 min rest in between. I'm inside on the exercise bike so 90 minute EMs max.

Sometimes I take rest days instead of EM days or do EM days on scheduled rest days because of work commitments.

SEPIs this w/e. Will try to stick to the interval work anyway.

Easier to do in the gym compared to outside on the bike; too hilly here and too "wintery" right now.

TeamCNY

That's hilarious....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...robic_benefits

Allegheny Jet

I don't get it... What does the attached have to do with training for a three hour effort? Coe?, his longest effort was less than 4'.

Null66

Interesting and timely. I'm not 50, yet... 48 impending in April.
I've committed to a 200k in April, and due to health issues have not ridden much from Nov to Feb, maybe 150 miles. I've acquired a fluid trainer and the "time crunched cyclist" an interval/intensity based training program. Start Monday.

How does this differ from Carmichael/HIIT?
I'm familiar with variations of HIT for weight lifting.

Interestingly, or rather bizarrely, the WIKI doesn't even mention Arthur Jones.

Dudelsack 

Carmichael wrote "The time crunched cyclist". It's one and the same. I finish week 2 this weekend.

Null66

doof!