intervals advice

example of my interval
i want to get the most out of my turbo trainer intervals just like anyone

i'm trained as a runner but keen on doing duathlons ,not been on my bike for a week due to some seriously hard off road races (running not cycling) so i decided to do 3 x 5 mins on the turbo trainer at threshold pace ,with 3 mins rest in between.in the rest period i hop off the bike and run around the house just to practice transitions for my duathlons.

my intervals today
5 mins @ 287w,37.7kph, 62%max zone,26%race
3 rest
5 mins @ 225w,35.05, 33%race zone 50%thres
3 rest
5 mins @ 232w,34.62, 53%race zone,29% thres

I couldn't of pushed any harder if i wanted
should i push so hard I feel sick after a interval session or am i over doing it?

should i be averaging my speed abit more in these sessions instead of this downhill spiral in speed? should i be sticking to the threshold zone or keeping at max?my race duathlon distance are normaly 5k run 20k bike 5k run

thanks

I'm sure the experts will chime in soon, but it looks like you are going way too hard. My coach stresses I should be aiming to do the intervals all at the same power and keeping the power constant within each interval too.

The pace you are going at must be way over threshold or you could maintain each interval easily for 5 mins - a threshold interval is typically 15-20mins and generally they don't start feeling hard until 10mins+. They look more like Vo2max intervals, but beyond a sustainable power.

A typical protocol for this kind of Vo2max interval session is 4 x 5min with a 5min recovery between each.

Neil

I'm no coach and I'll state my perspective, so take it for what it's worth.

Your work/rest ratio looks about right - at least it's what I usually do


I try to finish like I feel I could do 1 more interval. Pushing to (near) exhaustion just requires too much recovery time and adversely affects CTL. It looks to me that you are trying to go too hard. I would try a power level that allows you to "comfortably" complete at least 5 (maybe 6?) of the 5 min intervals. Depending upon your goals and limiters, you could either add a few more intervals or increase the power.

My 0.02,
Dave

thanks for the replies
i think i'll change to 5 x 5mins at avg 220-230ww see if i can hold that wattage
235w is my avg i can hold on a 25 mins, i think i got carried away on the first interval today. fed up of being slow on a bike, its frustrating

if your maximum avg power on 25' is 235w, you should aim for intervals of, at least, 236w. Imho.

If you really want to improve your threshold power (roughly the same power you can hold for ~60 minutes), the most common method might be the 2*20 min intervals by ~90...100% of your 60 min power.

Maybe you could try eg 2*20 min with 200 W first, wether it goes as easy as a warm up ride, just increase the power by 10 W next time.

The 5*5 min intervals are more used for VO2 max development, important issue as well, but the power might be little bit higher than your 20 min power.

__________________
These are layman's opinions, expressed in language no self-respecting scientist woul be using.

What does your warm-up look like?

my warm ups on the turbo trainer are 10 mins at about 140watts before i do the intervals.

The problem I have with my cycle training is lack of time, i'm running nearly daily, its only on my days off i can hit the turbo trainer or if the weather is ok i'll go out on the hills but i'm normaly tired from running. my cycle training is for the sprint duathlons which i love to compete in. distances are normaly about 20k for the bike part. i probably need more time in the saddle (long slow rides) rather then interval work at this stage,i've only been cycling a year. i try to use my run training experience and do similar things on the bike.

Lack of time = pick your battles.

I think you're gonna have to decide which area needs the most focus. Juggling all those responsibilities will end up with a poor result from both disciplines and you'll feel crappy about your training.

What kind of time are you devoting to running?

A cheap trick to get faster on your bike [it's a TT/Tri bike - yes?] is to get a really good aero position with a pair of good deep dish wheels. That doesn't cost any training time. Just money.

i would say 80% is dedicated to running, i do 30-50 miles a week thats 30mins to 2hours aday dpending on the type of training. i bike when i have a rest day or do it in the evening on the turbo trainer when my wife is watching something crap on TV i'll do 30 mins
i had a blast tonight on the trainer trying to hold my power at 240w for 5 mins ended up avg of 234w, i couldn't keep it steady it was going up and down.

i don't know how people train for ironman events where do they find the time?!?!