Should intervals always be done at max?

[GIH]

Maybe so, but I could barely do 6X10 at 240 with 1 minute in between (as in I felt like puking at the end). And 235 is what the Monod spreadsheet spit out, although I only had two datapoints and one of them is quite old. I should have pointed out that I used 10 minute breaks between the 20 minute intervals. I think that allows me to do them at a higher power.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Maybe so, but I could barely do 6X10 at 240 with 1 minute in between (as in I felt like puking at the end). And 235 is what the Monod spreadsheet spit out, although I only had two datapoints and one of them is quite old. I should have pointed out that I used 10 minute breaks between the 20 minute intervals. I think that allows me to do them at a higher power.

Still quite impressive - those 255W intervals with an FTP of 235W. It would be interesting to see what others think.

 

[GIH]

I'll probably do a test to find out my FTP in a week or so once I de-acclimatize, but maybe you are right. At the time I felt confident in the number, but I never tried to do an entire hour all at once, so I guess I don't really know.

 

[daveryanwyoming]

... But, given that my only races are 5 and 10K TTs, are there any shorter intervals at higher power that you would recommend? Or do you feel that these aren't relevant for 5 and 10K TTs. ...

As you approach your target 10K TT it pays to do some L5 work which means intervals that you can just sustain for 3 to 8 minutes, start by targeting 5-8 minute durations and try for four to six reps with equal work/rest times. You'd want to start this work 5 weeks or so before your target event and remember to leave room for a bit of taper in the last week or two if the event is really important.

As far as long intervals and your short event, consider this presentation by Andy Coggans on preparation for 3km and 4km track pursuits. These events are less than half the distance you're talking about and world class athletes are preparing for these with quite a bit of L4 work to target their aerobic performance. There's a lot of tech talk in this presentation, but scroll down to the charts which show training emphasis throughout the year and weekly breakdowns. Even these pursuit riders do a heck of a lot of L4 work until they approach the race season. http://www.fixedgearfever.com/downloads/PASO.ppt

-Dave