Originally Posted by
Dreww10
I've been reading articles about interval training for years, have done plenty of intervals, but I think there are still a lot of things left unexplained about how to actually approach them and what a specific interval accomplishes. This has, likewise, left me with some questions that come about as I do my sessions.
1. The intent is to "ride as hard as you bloody can", but can you actually do intervals too hard? I've found that if I push beyond the red zone, especially on the first interval when I'm most fresh, I'm unable to recover well enough to finish the rest of the session strong (or even at all). Is the goal in actuality to ride hard but also modulate your effort so you can finish the session, even if you feel like you had more left in the first few intervals? Your goal, really, is to ride beyond FTP, so a whole session at even 101% is going to be more more valuable than cranking one out at 125% and then burning yourself down to below FTP by the end, correct?
In general you should be riding the intervals at an intensity that allows you to complete the set. If you're doing 6 intervals with limited rest in between the first couple should feel relatively easy and the final one should be a struggle.
2. Is the longer the interval duration, the longer you train your body to ride at that effort? Obviously, the longer the effort, the less power you can produce since you have to sustain it, so is riding a 20 minute interval where you're close to FTP going to produce the same gains as a 3 minute interval where you're well in excess of FTP?
One of the most effective interval sets for raising FTP is 6x5x1 (6 - 5min intervals with 1 min rest) @ 106-108%FTP so you don't have to do long intervals to improve your ability to ride longer durations.
3. Do short, more or less VO2max intervals (30s-1min) improve overall speed, or only your ability to produce short, extremely powerful surges? Likewise, does doing short hill repeats at all-out effort really only produce short-burst power/speed?
1 min isn't long enough for a VO2Max interval which is typically in the 4-6 min range. Short 30-60S intervals are useful for improving your anaerobic work capacity. Can be useful for longer term energy systems if you keep the rest interval short, i.e. 30S on 30S off.
4. One of the key points of intervals is to limit the rest period between each effort. Is there benefit to decreasing the rest time, even if it inhibits your ability to produce the necessary power on each subsequent effort? Or is it better to give yourself the time needed to recover for the next one to give 100% the entire session?
Shorter rest is fine for aerobic systems but if you're looking to improve your sprint you should generally be fully recovered in between efforts.
5. If your goal is simply to get stronger and faster in general, are the longer intervals more valuable than the short 1-2 minute intervals? Or is a combination of a short and a long interval day each week a better overall compliment? Is an 8-10 minute long (say 3x8) session a mix of both worlds, or is that not a suitable replacement for, say, a 2x20 day and a 15x2 day? Is there not really a one silver bullet that produces the best all-around results?
Why do you want to get 'stronger and faster in general'? Are you racing? Any training plan will involve an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and consideration for the requirements of the events or type of riding you're training for.
An important criteria for interval sessions is to pick something you can do consistently for a period of time. VO2Max intervals 5 times a week are fantastic for raising your VO2Max but you'll want to blow your brains out after a few weeks and would be unlikely to keep doing them.