Favorite Intervals
 

Do you have a favorite interval? If so why do you like that interval?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFYRiqodvU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzSFYRiqodvU For winter trainer work in the morning before work.
Soon will be able to do them in real life on the road.
Pirk

That does look pretty good short interval

My favorite is 8 x (3+1). 3 being at 250 watts and 1 being 170 watts

Favorite Interval; Oxymoron.

This makes no sense.

First you can't express intervals in terms of watts and have it mean anything to anyone else. It needs to be a percentage of FTP.

Second is the 1 minute at 170 supposed to be the recovery? or is part of the interval? Typically, you'd refer to this as 8x3 on one minute rest, if that's what you're describing.

Third, what are you targeting here? 3 minute intervals are kinda neither here nor there length wise. Your intervals are going to vary in length and intensity depending on the place you are in your schedule, and what you're working on.

Sprint 30 seconds, cruise for 2 minutes. Repeat a bunch of times.

Find a big hill. Ride up it, then coast back down. Repeat a bunch of times.

Ride hard for a mile, then ride at an easy pace for a mile. Repeat a bunch of times.

Keep it simple.

Makes no sense?
Why can't you express intervals in terms of watts? Don't people train using power? I follow a "12 week winter training" book and that's how they write their intervals. It's simple explanation, 8 sets of 3 minute sub threshold and 1 minute recovery.
I do this on an egornomic bike that's my power numbers.
yes 1 minute is recovery.

Because it doesn't make any sense to anyone else. 250 for one person is going to be an easy endurance pace, for another it's going to be V02 max, and for another an all out 30 second effort.

Also, it has to change for you as your FTP changes, or you won't being hitting your Zones correctly.

If you're going to do 3 minute intervals, you want them at 105%-110% of your V02max power or about 120% of FTP. Saying at 250 watts only makes sense if that is 120% of FTP.

We do a pretty fun one in our trainer class. It's a one half hour standing drill, in your hardest gear, with fifteen second sprints thrown in at the top of each minute.

This question would likely get more helpful responses if it were more defined, i.e. What's your favorite interval for raising FTP? or what's your favorite interval for raising one minute power, or what's your favorite interval to help you recover quickly, hang in a crit?

It all depends on what you're training, what you're traing for, and where you are in your cycle.

That said, since I like winning races, my favorite interval is race winning intervals. They're based upon the pattern of what Coggan and Allen found in power files from race winning moves.

They go something like this: One minute all out (2xFTP or thereabouts, to get seperation or join the break) 10 minutes at 100-105% FTP ( to keep the break away) 20 second all out sprint (to take the win from your breakaway partners).

thanks for this!! will be perfect for doing on the crappy hotel gym bike when i'm on the road travelling.

Maybe you need to understand this is "MY Interval". I asked for people's favorite intervals not universal intervals.

105% is good but my understanding is you DON'T have to do 3 minute interval at 105%. 250watts happens to be 85%. This is the early winter building phase (week 8) and 3 minute at 105% is towards the end of the building phase (week12).3 minute at 85% with 1 minute rest happens to be my favorite.

I have a hill with a grade from 15-22% that takes me about 90 seconds to ride, which is perfect for out of the saddle intervals.

One half hour standing? I assume this is for the hills

But wouldn't that 85% change as you get more powerful? I've never heard of anyone expressing intervals in watts.

Do you sit or stand during the interval?

10 minutes at 100-105%?

It is/was a simple question? "what's your favorite interval"

yes that 85% will/would change with time but at this point this happens to be my favorite interval.

cognitive dissonance

An article from Jonathan Vaughters on Bicycling.com.

"I call this the On/Off Interval, or 10/20. After a 30 to 45-minute warm-up, find a flat stretch of road with no stops or traffic lights that takes you at least 10 minutes to ride. Then, very simply, ride 10 seconds in an all-out sprint, followed by 20 seconds of easy spinning--over and over. For 10 minutes. Each sprint must be at your max, and you can't coast during the 20-second rest, either; you have to keep spinning. For those of you with power meters, the 10-second "on" should be 600 to 1,000 watts, and the 20-second "off" about 150 to 200."

that sounds terrible. Ugh!

5 x (30 secs. all out w/ 30 secs. rest - spin or stop). Sometimes I do 3 sets of 5x with 5 minutes between sets. Sometimes I knock the 30 secs. rest down to 20 secs. Sometimes I throw these in at the end of a hard or long ride. Sometimes they are thrown in at the start.

I really don't get to work out very seriously, since running is and has to be my focus for the next couple years. The quick burst one helps bolster the legs a bit without detracting from my running. Another favorite of mine is attacking any of the local steep hills (no climbs over 3 or 4 minutes around here, the steep hills are the ones that make me hurt).

My dream workout that'll do once I finish my running eligibility is:
1x hill spinning/seated
1x hill spinning half - standing half (gear up from first)
1x hill standing whole hill (gear up or stay)
1x hill spinning/seated (gear down)

-Ride to hill furthest from home and do this on each of the four big hills on the way home. (hills around 7/10th of a mile with 150+ feet of elevation gain average, shortest hill - 3/10th of a mile - features a 20% section). I'd also like to spend a ride on one hill (153' rise, 7/10th mile long) until I crack.

EDIT: I guess I should say, my goal for improvement targets what my legs can put out. I don't have a power meter, but I believe my power output is pretty low. I do have a good cardio from running, I've shocked a few riders with how long I can spin, but when it comes to putting out power - I get dropped - and thus I want to change that.

3x10 minutes at 100-105% of FTP with 5 minutes or less between intervals at a more pleasant tempo pace.

They're effective boosting FTP, not as unpleasant as 20 minute intervals, and more compatible with traffic light spacing on suburban roads.

Sit for the first half, stand for the second. The top half is the steepest.

What I like about this interval is there is a goal to it. Get to the top of the hill the fastest. This is more interesting than a flat road interval where I am looking at a clock.