Riprorin

I only have about 30 minutes a day to ride per day. What's the best way to use the time?

Today I did 20 minutes at a moderate pace followed by 10 minutes of interval training (30 secs on, 30 sec off).

Avg HR for the session was 149, with a max 168. I don't know what my actual maximum heart rate is but it calculates to about 173.

Would this be a good daily workout? If not, what's a better approach.

Riprorin

This is on a trainer, by the way.

jrobe

What are your goals?

I like to do a 30 min Spinervals workout that includes seven 90 sec max efforts with 90 sec rest followed by a 3 min max effort. It is a good short anaerobic threshold workout.

I certainly wouldn't depend on this type of workout for my only training though. It sure wouldn't do much for my aerobic training or endurance. You would be better off with some longer days and some rest days.

roadfix

I often have just 30 minutes. I run and get a heck of a workout which I can't get riding in that short a period of time.

Riprorin

It's too cold and nasty where I am to run.

I'm not training for anything specific. I'm 47 and just trying to stay physically fit and maintain my body fat under 10%.

Enthalpic

It's hard to get much of a workout in 30min as a good chunk of that is just warming up and cooling down. You can get a much better workout with 45min or an hour, as this leaves some time for a "quality set." Furthermore, you don't want to do the same workout everyday; mixing it up will fight off boredom and a fitness plateau.

If you must only use 30min you could try:

10min warm up then 2 x 5min hard with 1:1 work/recovery (last 5min recovery counts as the cool down)

10min warm up then 5 x 1min very hard with 1:2 w/r then 5 min cool down

Start easy (eg 110bpm) then gradually ramp (2-3bpm increase each min) for 25 min reaching a very high intensity (eg 165 - 170) , then cool down for 5.

One day a week could be easy done with high cadence and maybe a cadence drill or two.

You can't do a 20min interval in a 30min workout, as you just won't warm up enough for it to be quality. You could do one 20min threshold interval in a 45min workout, however.

StanSeven

Where do you live? Too cold and nasty to run????

I've regularly run in -10 degrees with 20-30 mph wind and it's no problem. All you need is proper clothing. Running in cold is much easier than biking.

Riprorin

Nah, not interested in running in snow and ice.

billonmidwatch

Note added alphabets for reference.

+1 for A. B. C. D.

Another option 30 minutes on rollers.

I disagree on E. Yes, 5 min ramp up, then jump on it, 20 min interval at threshold (did you say 168 HR?), then 5 min cool down. You'll be dripping, and 5 min isn't enough cool down, you'll still be 120+HR after 5 min. You may be sore the next day (inadequate cool down). Do this once a week as a test. If you only have 30 minutes, crush it. So what if you're sore -- take ibuprofen. Real life will intervene (sick spouse, working overtime, travel for holidays, etc), you miss a couple of days and you recover.

Hit the lap button on your HR monitor after the warm up, and again after the 20 min interval. Note the average HR on the 20 min interval. Yeah, I know I'll get torched for this, but over 4 or 5 weeks, push that 20 min interval average HR higher -- work harder! This works because when you're trying to work harder, in my opinion, you will more likely keep your "normal" cadence (80-90, or 90-100, etc) and adjust your gearing to gradually push up your workload, than you'll train up your cadence and pedal a light load.

Don't worry about the comments... it's not enough... you need more miles...etc. It depends on your goals. Yes, more is better. But in the real world, we are not racing TdF stages, or doing sub 4 hour centuries, or Cat-something upgrading. Doing 30 minute workouts, 5 times a week (ok, at least 4) is very good, for the off season. Some studies say that less is more. Give your body time to rest. Then, make the most of the workout time you have -- when you do workout, work hard. The ramping up and down works the heart muscle. Pushing it to threshold for 20 min is a quality workout. Eat 10g of protein immediately after. Good luck. Let us hear how it works.

Riprorin

Thanks for all of the excellent suggestions!

mocella

+1 on the Spinervals suggestion - I have vol.23 which has 3 different 30 minute workouts for different goals, so you can mix it up a bit vs buying three separate DVDs, which are more likely 50+ minute workouts.

waterrockets 

+1 to the interval suggestions above, but you don't need that much warmup. I set my 8-mile TT personal best on a 6-minute warmup. The trick is to warm up fast. When you get in the saddle, start off with 1 minute at about 90% of your normal 1-minute interval effort. Then spin active recovery for 4 minutes. You'll be fine.

Another good workout to add is sprints. Dial the resistance up so REALLY high, then hammer the hell out of it for 20 seconds. Try to break something. Do this 5x, with 4 minutes recovery between them. Cool down while walking to the locker room.

Yes a longer warmup and cool down are preferred, but certainly not necessary.

DigitalRJH

Rachael Ray should be able to help you with your 30 minute meals....

Riprorin

I just did a 5 minute warm-up (about 19 mph), 20 min intervals (1 min on/off), and a 8 min cool down (~17 mph).

My avg heart rate for the 30 minute piece (with 5 min cool down) was 143 with a max of 165. Max speed was about 27.7 mph. Avg cadence was about 78.

I'm a little tired but not wasted.

MIN 

I hate my trainer. I can barely ride it 30 minutes but I can ride for days on the actual road. I contemplated the trainer today but I just bundled up and went out in the dark, dank Oregon winter roads.

I second the interval suggestion from other members.

Riprorin

I don't mind the trainer, but the rower is a different story. That's brutal.

LIUser22

get rollers

Riprorin

What's the advantage of rollers vs my Fluid 2?

SteelShepherd

Yes, rowers rule when it comes to full body hammering and max power output. When I get up to over 1200cal/hr rate though, it gets hard on my knees. If I only have 1/2 an hour and want max cardio benefit, I hit the rower with all I've got and skip the cooldown.