Originally Posted by
Cypress
You could try 4x1 at 400-415W with 1 min between intervals on Saturdays and full-blown Tabatas on Tuesdays.
Everyone seems to have different ideas of Tabatas, but I see them as a 40+ minute Z2/3 warmup then 30s @ a dead-nuts finish line sprint, followed by 30s @ 55% of FTP, repeated 8 times for a total interval time of 8 mins. If you've never done these, they aren't to be taken lightly, nor should you do more than 3-4 weeks of them without taking a break. My breathing generally doesn't return to normal until 15-20 mins after the last interval. You'll need a 4-mile long stretch of flat road with no cars on it. By the 5th interval I find it difficult to maintain a straight line, and by the time I'm done, I'm wobbling around everywhere, unable to focus on anything but turning pedals over. However, Tabatas are the single-most effective way I've ever seen to increase fitness. It's like having a secret weapon.
I called those "dirty 30s". They're brutal.
Tabatas, for me, were always based on the 20s full on, 10s recovery protocol. You get two per minute, a total of eight, for a 4 minute session. The first 3 always seem easy, then the fun starts. To really do them effectively I usually needed to be on a trainer, if I tried to do them on the open road I'd frequently fall over, ride into a ditch, or something else.