How to Do Cycling Intervals

Intervals of intense work followed by short rests or normal pedaling are one of the most effective ways to increase your cycling speed and endurance. Knowing how to do intervals correctly on your bike is a matter of both injury prevention and natural performance enhancement.

Instructions

1. Establish your aerobic base for your cycling training period by cycling steadily until you reach at least 300 miles (for the entire training period). Make sure at that point that you are injury free and fit enough for the rigors of cycling.

2. Begin with a set of short intervals that get you just below your VO2 max, or maximum rate of oxygen consumption. You can estimate the intensity of the intervals by measuring your heart rate and then starting by working at around 85 percent of your highest heart rate. Perform eight intervals of around 20 to 30 seconds duration each and then rest for about 20 seconds after each one.

3. Allow yourself 48 hours of recovery after each interval training session on your bike. During the 48 hours you can do low intensity exercise such as fast walking or swimming. You should stretch and make sure to eat enough but don't attempt another interval since overly frequent interval sessions will harm rather than benefit your cycling.

4. Raise the bar of your intervals by increasing the intensity, duration and frequency of the intervals within each interval training session. Continue, however, to take your 48 hours to recover between sessions.

5. Integrate rolling hills into your interval bike work, since this provides you a real life scenario where the interval work will enhance your performance while giving you riding experience. Make sure that the intensity phase of rolling hill intervals is on the down side of the hill, where you pedal intensely to gather enough speed to bring you up the next hill.