"Intervals"?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
"Intervals"?
That's when I peddle as hard as I can getting my fat arse up a little hill and gasp for breath as I coast downy he other side, right?
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1980ish Raleigh Marathon (Vintage Steel)
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"I'm built like a marine mammal. I love the cold! "-Cosmoline
"MTBing is cheap compared to any motorsport I've done. It's very expensive compared to jogging."-ColinL
Rides:1980ish Raleigh Marathon (Vintage Steel)
2006 Trek 820 (Captain Amazing)
2010 Specialized Tricross (Back in Black)
2008 Specialized Roubaix
#3
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Hills are sometimes dubbed "nature's intervals". To really be doing interval training usually you are supposed to turn back around, do the hill again, and repeat until you want to puke.
BTW it's "pedal", not "peddle", the latter means "to sell".
BTW it's "pedal", not "peddle", the latter means "to sell".
#5
Senior Member
Yeah really. Why turn around and repeat it. I get a 10 second break doing 30 mph down the hill before I am trudging up the next one at 3 mph for 10 minutes.
I don't know much about intervals or how much benefit doing things this way and that way on a bike. I do question which is better. I always hear about intervals but now that I'm riding on the roads in constant hills, I went back to riding my flat or near flat (steady 1.x% for miles) trails. When I get home from riding an hour and a half behind my house (roughly 14 - 16 miles), my legs are tired and I can feel it in my entire body, but shortly after I'm back to normal. When I ride an hour and a half on a flat or nearly flat trail at a steady pace (roughly 15-18 mph) all day long I feel like the blood is really flowing through my body. I feel a steady pace ride all day long. I rode 18 miles today on a bike trail with a few very small hills and my body still feels "funny" from the effect of riding. Behind the house on my hills where I have a 100% speed differential (3 mph uphill, 30 mph downhill as I said, 5-10 minutes of heart pumping uphill and 10-15 seconds flying down) an hour later I feel normal.
I just feel like I "did something" when I ride a steady pace on the trail for the same amount of time I would ride the hills.
I don't know much about intervals or how much benefit doing things this way and that way on a bike. I do question which is better. I always hear about intervals but now that I'm riding on the roads in constant hills, I went back to riding my flat or near flat (steady 1.x% for miles) trails. When I get home from riding an hour and a half behind my house (roughly 14 - 16 miles), my legs are tired and I can feel it in my entire body, but shortly after I'm back to normal. When I ride an hour and a half on a flat or nearly flat trail at a steady pace (roughly 15-18 mph) all day long I feel like the blood is really flowing through my body. I feel a steady pace ride all day long. I rode 18 miles today on a bike trail with a few very small hills and my body still feels "funny" from the effect of riding. Behind the house on my hills where I have a 100% speed differential (3 mph uphill, 30 mph downhill as I said, 5-10 minutes of heart pumping uphill and 10-15 seconds flying down) an hour later I feel normal.
I just feel like I "did something" when I ride a steady pace on the trail for the same amount of time I would ride the hills.
#6
~>~
"Pedaling" as hard as one can to get about the local environment is a bit much, lower gearing may be in order if one is hemmed-in by hills and "gasping" at the crest.
Intervals are something else, part of a serious cycling fitness program and might well be postponed until the gasping recedes.
Enjoy the Up,
-Bandera
#7
Senior Member
Works for me. If you live in flatland it takes a little more conscious effort.
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
You are building Base Miles, very important for cycling fitness & keep at it.
"Pedaling" as hard as one can to get about the local environment is a bit much, lower gearing may be in order if one is hemmed-in by hills and "gasping" at the crest.
Intervals are something else, part of a serious cycling fitness program and might well be postponed until the gasping recedes.
Enjoy the Up,
-Bandera
"Pedaling" as hard as one can to get about the local environment is a bit much, lower gearing may be in order if one is hemmed-in by hills and "gasping" at the crest.
Intervals are something else, part of a serious cycling fitness program and might well be postponed until the gasping recedes.
Enjoy the Up,
-Bandera
__________________
1980ish Raleigh Marathon (Vintage Steel)
2006 Trek 820 (Captain Amazing)
2010 Specialized Tricross (Back in Black)
2008 Specialized Roubaix
"I'm built like a marine mammal. I love the cold! "-Cosmoline
"MTBing is cheap compared to any motorsport I've done. It's very expensive compared to jogging."-ColinL
Rides:1980ish Raleigh Marathon (Vintage Steel)
2006 Trek 820 (Captain Amazing)
2010 Specialized Tricross (Back in Black)
2008 Specialized Roubaix
#9
Senior Member
Yes, hills are natures intervals. I had always felt that way. I have been riding where it is fairly hilly, places such as Chapel HILL, HILLSborough... Hey, even my commute has 1800 feet of climb rt...
This late winter I "tried" to use intervals to help prepare for an "attempt" at a Brevet, 200km and around 7,900 feet of climb that was held early spring. By "attempt" meant just go the distance regardless of time. Here is my log:
https://www.bikeforums.net/clydesdale...00k-april.html
The good, bad and REALLY ugly!
However, structured intervals are radically different! In practice, difficulty, and most definitely in effect!
Intervals (and by this I mean structured) will give you an incredible short term improvement in your riding. There is something to the physiological effects of the structured pattern.
The reason I say "tried" is that I easily overreached and had to rethink the whole thing. If you look at my log, you'll see many of my betters, warned me of just that. Given that I had a goal, surviving an unprecedented day of climbing, I tailored what I was doing to just improving my climbing. So longer intervals and longer recovery at fairly high levels of effort (zones if you will). But even then, the intervals were amazingly effective!
Look into intervals such as:
Joe Freil's
The Cyclist's Training Bible: Joe Friel: 9781934030202: Amazon.com: Books
or
Chris Carmichael's
The Time-Crunched Cyclist, 2nd Ed.: Fit, Fast, Powerful in 6 Hours a Week (The Time-Crunched Athlete): Chris Carmichael, Jim Rutberg: 9781934030837: Amazon.com: Books
Once I feel adapted to Commuting and the 100 mile / week goal. I'll be back at them once a week.
This week spoke with my SO, Mary and we're going to do the Velo ride. So prep for that starts soon!
This late winter I "tried" to use intervals to help prepare for an "attempt" at a Brevet, 200km and around 7,900 feet of climb that was held early spring. By "attempt" meant just go the distance regardless of time. Here is my log:
https://www.bikeforums.net/clydesdale...00k-april.html
The good, bad and REALLY ugly!
However, structured intervals are radically different! In practice, difficulty, and most definitely in effect!
Intervals (and by this I mean structured) will give you an incredible short term improvement in your riding. There is something to the physiological effects of the structured pattern.
The reason I say "tried" is that I easily overreached and had to rethink the whole thing. If you look at my log, you'll see many of my betters, warned me of just that. Given that I had a goal, surviving an unprecedented day of climbing, I tailored what I was doing to just improving my climbing. So longer intervals and longer recovery at fairly high levels of effort (zones if you will). But even then, the intervals were amazingly effective!
Look into intervals such as:
Joe Freil's
The Cyclist's Training Bible: Joe Friel: 9781934030202: Amazon.com: Books
or
Chris Carmichael's
The Time-Crunched Cyclist, 2nd Ed.: Fit, Fast, Powerful in 6 Hours a Week (The Time-Crunched Athlete): Chris Carmichael, Jim Rutberg: 9781934030837: Amazon.com: Books
Once I feel adapted to Commuting and the 100 mile / week goal. I'll be back at them once a week.
This week spoke with my SO, Mary and we're going to do the Velo ride. So prep for that starts soon!
#11
Senior Member
Intervals:
Ride 20 miles to this 20 minute interval:
Strava Segment | Raven Rock 491 full climb
Go do 8 of these
Strava Segment | High Rock
Finish off with another 45 miles with 4,000' of base.
There are various types of intervals ranging from very short high output (sprints) to longer 95% output sessions; think 2x20 min or 3x30 min.
Many times you will see an interval listed as 2:1 where the numbers represent the workout vs rest periods. In a 2x20 scenario it would be 20 min work; 10 min rest; 20 min work
Ride 20 miles to this 20 minute interval:
Strava Segment | Raven Rock 491 full climb
Go do 8 of these
Strava Segment | High Rock
Finish off with another 45 miles with 4,000' of base.
There are various types of intervals ranging from very short high output (sprints) to longer 95% output sessions; think 2x20 min or 3x30 min.
Many times you will see an interval listed as 2:1 where the numbers represent the workout vs rest periods. In a 2x20 scenario it would be 20 min work; 10 min rest; 20 min work
#12
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I have read up and been doing 'intervals' for the last 3 rides and have really noticed a difference. after my ride tonight I got 2 PR and 2nd place on one of the segments I travel(1.1 mile@24.2 MPH) Keep this up and I should have no problem doing a sub 6hr century by the end of the summer.
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