E.S.

After stumbling on this article: Weight Loss | Bicycling

I decided to give this "interval" thing a shot. So I wrote it down on a tiny piece of paper, taped it to my handlebars, and away I went. https://www.strava.com/activities/346987646

Long story short but it kicked my butt. And I will be doing it a lot more.

WonderMonkey

Oh yes..... I didn't read that article YET but I know intervals are awesome in a hateful sort of way.

scrming

I started doing intervals over the winter by doing SufferFest videos on my Spin bike... The results for me at least have been nothing short of amazing! I'm definitely now a big fan of HIIT!

WonderMonkey

I know that article was an overview with a bit of specifics but to expand on a few things that I had read but found personally....

- My metabolism was elevated for a significant time after my ride therefore burning more calories than I normally would have on a ride.

- My strength went way up at the end of my weekend rides. I was able to keep a higher pace and have more kick at the end.

sriley4290

so in North Atlanta the roads I ride on are pretty hilly, not huge, but enough to make you work much harder. that is what I use as my intervals. I try to really push myself going up the hills and then rest going down the other side, or shortly after the hill on the straight away. do you think that is as good as the plan you listed, or at least feasible? where I ride there really isn't a lot of straight flat riding.

FrenchFit 

There is a tad more science in HIIT work-outs, e.g. duration of HI, duration of recovery, number of repeats, structure of those 45-60 minutes. Same with running interval training, it's not just fast and slow. A three minute ladder drill is a killer. I've been using Spinervals on a stationary bike and it's hard to imagine doing the same work-out on a moving bike, you'd need 15-20 miles of no stop, great road. Not a lot of that around here.

ColaJacket

Don't you need a power meter, or at least a HRM to be able to do intervals correctly?

GH

Black wallnut 

HIIT is a great way to improve fitness and speed at the same time. IMHO it won't do squat for increasing your endurance......

You do not need a power meter or anything as perceived effort works just fine. HIIT does not have to be as rigid as #FrenchFit makes it out to be to work however the more structured it is the more likely and predictable improvement will be.

unabowler

I use a HRM and I believe a power meter would be almost crucial for a racer, but I've done intervals with intensity just based on perceived exertion. Last fall I followed the century plan in the Time Crunched Cyclist book. The intervals in that program were mostly longer "steady state" intervals and I estimated the level of effort for them. There were also "over-unders" consisting of two minutes under lactate threshold and one minute over. For those, I'm certain I was "over" when I was supposed to be. I had some measurable improvement using that program without HRM or power.

unabowler

I think you're correct on that one.