Hello everyone,

The final 2006 schedule should be completed by the end of
this week. I am working with Coby Pearce - USA Cycling's
Track Endurance Coach - on a very special event. Many of
his top riders will be in attendance. The exact dates will
modify our overall schedule. Hopefully, all will be finalized
this week.

On another note. I came across this in www.pezcyclingnews.com.
It just supports Mike Walden's and mine view regarding training.
So read the following. Take into consideration that most Madison
intervals are between 30 - 40 seconds. If you want more specific
recommendations please feel free to email me and I will give you
my thoughts.

Here goes:
High Intensity Intervals: Hurts So Good
Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:25:13 PM PT

by Dr. Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.

With the approach of (hopefully) late winter in the northern hemisphere,
most of us are transitioning out of preparatory or base training and looking
towards incorporating higher intensity efforts into our programs. What are some
of the current thoughts behind the intensity level of interval training?

Turning up the Speed
With the arrival of March, many of us in northern climates are optimistically
looking forward to getting off the trainer and out onto the road on a more
consistent basis. It also marks the arrival of more regular group rides and the
start of training races, such that the intensity of our training generally
increases.

The urge to get outdoors and hammer is almost irresistible after months indoors.
However, this is also the phase where over-eager cyclists can push themselves
too far by going too hard too soon. One approach to building through this phase
is the common “train by racing,” where natural competition during group rides
and races takes care of any intensity training.

While group rides are invaluable and fun for both training and motivation, the
random nature of group rides make it difficult to truly use them as a training
tool. Therefore, especially with the goal of improving and building up to a
bigger goal later in the season, it’s also good to incorporate some controlled
interval training either solo or in small dedicated groups with a common
purpose.

High Intensity Intervals
At the end of the day, road cycling is primarily an endurance sport, and the
defining characteristics of strong cyclists remain maximizing aerobic capacity
and the power output that can be sustained. What kind of interval gives you the
biggest bang for the buck?

A 2002 study by scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia focused
on intervals done at maximal and supra-maximal intensities as defined by power
output. 38 trained cyclists and triathletes participated, ranging from top-level
to lower-level amateur road cyclists (VO2max 64.5 ml/kg/min, training volume 285
km/wk). They were then split into four groups (matched for experience, fitness)
as follows for four weeks of training:

1. HIT1: 2 sessions/wk of 8 intervals at 100% of maximal power (Pmax, the power
output at which oxygen uptake begins to plateau during the initial VO2max test),
with each interval lasting 60% of time at which Pmax could be sustained during
initial test. Recovery was for 120% of the time at Pmax.

2. HIT2: Same as above, but recovery was until heart rate returned to 65% of
maximum.

3. HIT3: 2 session/wk of 12x30 s intervals at 175% of Peak Power Output (PPO,
the peak power subjects could pedal during the initial VO2max test – this is
higher than the Pmax value, so these intervals are HARD!). Recovery of 4.5 min.

4. CON: subjects maintained endurance training and did not perform interval
work.

Subjects were tested for VO2max, PPO, Pmax at 2 and 4 weeks, with the intensity
of the intervals adjusted as needed following two weeks. Subjects also performed
a 40 km time trial at the start, 2, and 4 weeks.

Watt’s Up, Doc?
So what did the study find? Probably not surprisingly, all three HIT programs
significantly improved every performance measure compared to steady endurance,
low-intensity training, with improvements ranging from 3-8% in these measures.
Considering that the subjects were already fit to begin with (40 km time trials
of about 42 km/h before the study demonstrates that the subjects were not
slouches!), this definitely highlights the efficacy of all three styles of high
intensity training in improving performance in even already trained individuals.

Secondly, these intervals are TOUGH! Subjects were pretty much knackered after
each interval training session, and actually only 64% of the planned intervals
were completed. Lesson here is that there is no substitute for hard work! Also,
the important thing with interval training is to NOT drop the intensity later on
when things start to hurt and get hard in order to complete the planned number
of intervals. Rather, it is much better to keep the original workload and stop
when you can truly no longer keep the pace.

Which Interval Plan is Best?
The interesting part, of course, comes in comparing across the three HIT
programs. Was one head and shoulders better than the other? The short answer is
no, probably due to the limitations in the number of subjects and also in
comparing across individuals. There’s not much that can be done about this,
because monitoring and training almost 40 subjects over 4 weeks is an incredible
feat of logistics as it is!

However, some trends do seem to emerge:

• HIT2 seemed to have a little bit better improvement than the other groups.
This was the group with recovery defined by a return to 65% heart rate rather
than a standardized recovery time. Remember that HIT2 was identical to HIT1
except for HIT1 having a set recovery time. This suggests that it is more
important to “maximize” the training load by individualizing the recovery time,
and to begin the intervals again as soon as the body is ready rather than
allowing the body to recover too much between intervals.

• HIT3 was just as effective as HIT1 and HIT2, and significantly improved
performance compared to control training. HIT3 was the group with the very
high-intensity but short bursts, consisting of 175% PPO for 30 s. The total
workload was MUCH lower than either HIT1 or HIT2. This suggests that, given
limited training time, it might be a good strategy to increase the intensity of
the intervals rather than do a fewer number of lower intensity intervals. This
also fits in well with my previous advocacy of high intensity training improving
aerobic fitness.

Summary
Controlled studies like this clearly demonstrate that intervals WILL improve
your aerobic capacity and your sustained power even if you are already fit and
well-trained. Keep in mind though that it is important to have a base of aerobic
fitness before jumping into this type of high intensity interval training, as
the body needs to have the foundations for adapting to this high stress in place
first.

Another important point to conclude from this study is the wide spectrum of
training possibilities. While all three interval programs were roughly similarly
effective, it remains clear that interval training still must be tailored to
individual needs. For example, while HIT3 was effective, the supra-maximal
sprint efforts may not be as relevant to the steady sustained effort of
triathlons and duathlons.

References
1. Laursen PB, Shing CM, Peake JM, Coombes JS, and Jenkins DG.Interval training
program optimization in highly trained endurance cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc
34: 1801-1807, 2002.

Burgomaster et al. 2005: High intensity training improving aerobic fitness

High intensity training during the off-season

Maximal Aerobic Power

ps. I think for Madisons the HIT3 is the best effort. Keep the super-hard
interval to between 30 - 40 sec. The recovery interval probably needs to be
between 30 - 60 sec. Rpms should be over 120 for the on interval, they can go
down to 100rpms during the recovery interval. Remember, once you start a hard
interval you finish it no matter how good your doing it but do not start the
next hard interval unless you have recovered.
Mike's saying was: No Pain - No Gain. Too much Pain and it's all in Vain.

Talk to you all very soon!
Thanks,
Dale Hughes
Velodrome at Bloomer Park


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