Exercise intensity

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 minimike 24 Nov 2020

I’ve always been a runner (and a cycle commuter), but an ankle injury got me onto a turbo for rehab and I’ve got a bit addicted.. but it’s also made me notice I only enjoy a session if I’m absolutely hanging afterwards. Given the tedium of turbo sessions and limited time this means pushing somewhere close to threshold for an hour or so. Running I used to do the same, 10-12k at threshold was my preferred session. I can’t get into intervals or be bothered with longer endurance sessions.. (both fail to feel like a proper workout). anyone else experience this? Any tips for growing to love intervals?

 Yanis Nayu 24 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

No, other than having a goal in mind and using them as part of the process of getting there. 

 Marek 24 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

Endorphine addiction is real! So one suggestion is (given that I don't know anything about your training schedule) to get on the turbo 5 days a week. You'll soon find that you can't do a 1 hour threshold session day after day (at least not at a proper threshold pace). You'll have to do something else (e.g., intervals). The whole point of intervals is that it allows you to push the high intensity efforts without impacting too much on the training value of what you do on the next day and day after. Turbo tedium precludes long steady session (for most people) so a variety of intervals (e.g., 3x15m one day, 12x1m another and so on) can still be satisfyingly hard (pacing, hence experience is critical) and still allow you to train most days.

 DancingOnRock 24 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

What caused your ankle injury?

 webbo 24 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

I hope if you were running threshold for an hour you were doing more than 10 to 12k because if you were. You certainly need to do some interval training.

Removed User 24 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

Read "The Time Crunched Cyclist". Seems to be exactly what you are looking for.

 DancingOnRock 24 Nov 2020
In reply to webbo:

And about 4 hours of easy running. Hence my question about ankle injury. 

 JimR 24 Nov 2020
In reply to Removed User:

> Read "The Time Crunched Cyclist". Seems to be exactly what you are looking for.

Read it carefully. The time crunched bit only works for a few months, you still need to get the base in the rest of the time. My understanding is that its difficult to build a good cycling base at under 10 hours per week.   The intervals I do are sweet spot and hills! I don't really use a turbo, though although I suspect it would lead to a more disciplined approach. I've got power meters on my "good" road bike and TT bike which helps a lot on intervals (or pacing a TT).

Post edited at 22:30
OP minimike 25 Nov 2020
In reply to DancingOnRock:

Falling off a climbing wall (from 18 inches 3 months ago - grrrr)

OP minimike 25 Nov 2020
In reply to webbo:

Yeah ok, not an hour!

OP minimike 25 Nov 2020
In reply to Marek:

Yeah that’s part of my issue, I want to get on  every day but I can’t! Seems like sensible advice, thx

 kevin stephens 25 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

I let Trainer Road plan the intervals etc for me; base plan 5 sessions a week. It’s absolutely not base miles but the training is to make it easier to embark on my local very hilly loops in the spring 

Post edited at 07:30
OP minimike 25 Nov 2020
In reply to kevin stephens:

I should do something like that but I kind of object to paying £10/month for the privilege when I’m quite happy listening to music or watching tv while turboing 

 DancingOnRock 25 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

Ha. Ok. See a lot of repetitive injuries with ankles from too much high intensity work and not enough easy stamina work. 
 

Hope it heals well. Very common injury falling from 18 inches. I’m always surprised how people say it’s safer to stay low. You have no time to prepare for hitting the ground. 

 webbo 25 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

If you google turbo training sessions you should get a link to cycling magazine with several different turbo interval sessions.

 Martin Wood 25 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

Given that turbo sessions are tedious and you are time conscious, why not try intervals at AE or AT capacity. Either would shorten the session and both should feel like a proper workout. 

As others have said there's plenty of advice online for different intervals. I use my TT quite a bit and I'm never on it for more that 45-mins. You can then get easy base-miles at/below AE threshold outside when the weather's good.  

Post edited at 18:34
 felt 25 Nov 2020
In reply to minimike:

I can't stand cycling indoors but when I broke my collarbone I did a few months on my wife's Bremshey watching GCN "fat burning turbo sessions". The best one, with Matt Stephens, seems to have disappeared from the web, but there are others. I found it quite motivating having someone else there who was also killing themselves for 45 secs on and off. You need a fan, ideally, the ones to keep you cool.

OP minimike 28 Nov 2020
In reply to JimR:

So, finally got round to looking this up.. Amazon description reads:

’In The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week, Lance Armstrong s personal coach Chris Carmichael presents a revolutionary new approach to cycling training.’

Hopefully it’s different to the ‘revolutionary new approach’ Lance got famous for.. although I admit that would probably work too! 


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