Originally Posted by
Redbullet
Thanks, interesting material. So, it is much more complicated than alternating for a number of times "full throttle" and resting periods: identify Pmax with ramp test, then identify Tmax as maximum time at Pmax, then calculate the elements of the intervals...
And, overall, none of those can be done without a power meter - either on the road or indoors with the trainer. Difficult topic.
Precision is not that critical. You just need to be in the ballpark. If the target power you come up with is too easy raise the target next time. Similarly, if you're unable to complete the planned intervals lower the target. The last interval in a set should be tough to get through. I just provided one example. There a plenty of other interval formats and it will be up to you to determine which ones you can do on a consistent basis.
For high intensity intervals, I do 6 - 5min intervals with 1 min rest in between each interval (6x5x1). Target power is supposed to be 106-108% of FTP but I just set a reasonable target and adjust as necessary. No need to measure FTP. I go all out on the last interval and if the final interval power is higher than the first 5 I raise the target next time. I still prefer to do these outside but do them inside when it's miserable or dark out. If I do these a couple times a week the target power naturally goes up over the weeks. I find them very effective.