HIIT cycling. Tempo intervals. Cycling interval training.
You’ve probably been bombarded with those cycling terms if you’ve been searching for ways to become a faster cyclist.
But what is cycling interval training? And how effective is it? Can it really help you become a faster cyclist?
Cycling interval training is one of the best ways to teach your body to move fast, for a longer length of time.
And in this post, we’ll dive into answers to these questions:
Let’s get started.
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WHAT IS CYCLING INTERVAL TRAINING?
Cycling interval training involves repeating a chunk of time cycling at a high intensity followed by another block of time dedicated to rest. 1
Rest during a cycling interval training session can be either active rest (such as easy pedaling) or total rest (no spinning the pedals) to give you a small breather before you push through another cycling interval.
For example, a cycling interval training session might look like this: 1-minute sprint, easy pedaling for 1 minute, repeated 5 times. (You’ll find a cycling interval training session you can do in this free download.)
Interval workouts are grueling and demanding, so you must be prepared to do them. Always do a cycling warmup, 10 to 15 minutes of easy pedaling to warm your muscles before your main interval set.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE CYCLING INTERVALS?
Cycling intervals are challenging, and while you never *have* to do them, incorporating intervals into your weekly routine can improve your endurance, leg strength, and cycling speed.
So how effective are cycling intervals? In short: extremely effective because cycling intervals boost your cycling speed.
And to see why cycling intervals are so effective, we have to take a detour and talk briefly about VO2 max and lactate threshold to see how cycling intervals will improve your endurance.
About VO2 max. VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process and use in a minute when cycling.
A high VO2 max means your body processes and uses oxygen more efficiently than someone with low VO2 max. A high VO2 max is typically seen as a sign of athletic ability. (I won’t dive into all the details of VO2 max here, but VO2 max values vary by gender, age, and training history.)
While a higher VO2 max number is advantageous, and you can train to push yourself to a higher number, it’s not as important as the ability to make the most of your VO2 max.
So how do we make the most of what you have right now with your current VO2 max?
Here’s where we need to talk about lactate threshold.
About lactate threshold. Your body creates and uses lactate as you move throughout the day.
Lactate forms when your body breaks down sugar for energy when there’s not enough oxygen.
As you go about your normal daily activities, your body uses all the lactate it produces throughout the day.
But it’s a different story when you’re doing high-intensity cycling intervals—your body can’t convert lactate back into fuel as quickly as it’s made.
Eventually, there will be a spike in blood lactate, and this point is called your lactate threshold. Once you reach lactate threshold, you’ll begin to slow down.
But the good news is, you can train your body to process lactate efficiently and push your threshold higher, which will improve your ability to ride faster and longer.
HOW MANY CYCLING INTERVAL SESSIONS SHOULD YOU DO PER WEEK?
The number of interval sessions you should do weekly depends on your fitness level and cycling training goals. Ready to get going? Grab this download today to get started with 20-minute indoor cycling workouts.
Cycling interval training for beginners: start with one cycling interval workout a week to build endurance and cycling fitness. Cycling interval workouts are like extra strength medicine—a little bit goes a long way—so cycling intervals once a week will be more than enough.
For advanced cyclists: do two cycling interval workouts a week, separated by an easy cycling day, such as a total rest day or a cycling recovery ride.
Your cycling interval workouts will challenge you to hold a faster pace longer, with shorter recovery periods between intervals to boost your cycling speed.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOUR INTERVALS BE?
Your cycling interval length can range anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.
Cycling interval training involves repeating a chunk of time cycling at a high intensity followed by another block of time dedicated to rest, and you’ll find several names for cycling interval workouts.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): HIIT intervals are short, intense bursts of high-intensity cycling (such as sprints) followed by rest or low-intensity cycling. (Dive deeper into HIIT cycling benefits here and 20 to 30-minute cycling indoor workouts here.)
Fartlek (Swedish for speed play) intervals: Fartlek intervals are unstructured, freestyle speedwork if you’re not into specific distances or times. You get to choose how long each interval will be and how long you want to rest between each interval.
Hill repeats: You’ll face a variety of hills when you ride outside—short and steep or long and gradual. And if you want to become skilled and fast at climbing hills, doing hill repeats (along with leg workouts for cyclists) will build your leg strength and mental endurance.
Tempo intervals: Tempo intervals are demanding because of the time you’ll spend cycling at an effort where you can talk in short sentences. If you haven’t done tempo intervals before, start with 2 x 10-minute tempo intervals; rest for 5 minutes after each interval.
Why should you consider cycling interval training? Cycling interval training is one of the best ways to teach your body to move fast, for a longer length of time.
But you don’t have to craft cycling interval workouts yourself.
That’s because I’ve created a free download with three 20-minute indoor cycling workouts to help you boost your cycling speed—grab it now!