Race-Like Bike Intervals

Jason Gootman, MS, CSCS & Will Kirousis, BS, CSCS

Tri-Hard Endurance Sports Coaching

USA Triathlon & USA Cycling Certified Coaches

Certified Strength & Conditioning Coaches

For More Information: www.Tri-Hard.com 

This article was published in the April 2005 issue of Inside Triathlon.

There’s an incredible method of interval training that allows you to train like you race.  These intervals require you to take a race-like focus of covering a given distance as quickly as possible.  We call these intervals Parceled Out Effort (POE) intervals.  POE intervals can be a great part of your training across the triathlon disciplines.  Here, we’ll take a close look at how to incorporate POE intervals into your bike training.

POE intervals are performed exactly as their name implies.  You parcel your effort out over a given distance (or duration), with the goal of covering the distance as quickly as you can or going as far as you can over the duration.   Let’s look at an example to see exactly how POE intervals work.  A set of POE intervals on the bike could look like this:  6 X 5’ POE, RI = 2’, 90-100 RPM.  Your job, in completing this set is to perform six five-minute work intervals, while taking a two-minute rest interval (RI) between the work intervals.  You ride fast/hard during the work intervals and slow/easy during the rest intervals.  Specifically, it is your job to complete as much work as possible during the total 30 minutes (6 X 5’) of work intervals.  You want to view this as a 30-minute time trial, broken up by rest intervals.  Completing as much work as possible in the 30 minutes can be viewed in a few ways.  From a theoretical perspective, you can view this as riding with the intent to travel the greatest distance possible in these 30 minutes of riding.  Alternatively, you can view this as riding with the intent to maintain the best average speed or best average power output that you can for these 30 minutes of riding.

To time trial any distance in the best time possible, you should aim for even-splitting or better yet, negative-splitting your times during the first and second half of that performance.  View POE intervals in the same way.  The only difference being the rest intervals, which create broken time trial sets.  By setting up the duration of your work and rest intervals in a variety of ways, you can create specific intensities and train across all spectrums of your anaerobic metabolism in the course of a periodized training year.

Going back to our example, you would perform this set by riding with the intent of covering as much ground as possible in the 30 minutes of work interval riding through optimally parceling out your effort.  There are a few ways to monitor how well you are parceling out your effort:

1.  Perceived Exertion.  You should maintain a feeling of strength through the six intervals.  They should get harder, but you should feel able to complete each one strongly.

2.  Distance Covered.  You should cover the same distance in each interval or cover slightly more distance with each successive interval.

3.  Average Speed.  You should maintain the same average speed in each interval or increase your average speed slightly with each successive interval.

4.  Heart Rate.  Your heart rate should stay the same or increase slightly through each interval.  Also, your heart rate should stay the same or increase slightly with each successive interval.

5.  Power.  Your power should stay the same or increase slightly through each interval.  Also, your power should stay the same or increase slightly from with each successive interval.

If you find your distance covered, average speed, heart rate, or power falling for the last few intervals, you went you went too fast/hard early on.  Next time you do the workout, ease your pace/effort on the first few intervals to better parcel your effort out over the full set of intervals.

It is very important to note that distance covered and average speed are great theoretical indices, but terrible real world markers of your POE intervals.  Variable road conditions, in most cases, make these indices to variable to be helpful.  These two indices are best used when you are riding on your bike trainer or doing uphill POE intervals, where you will be repeatedly climbing the same stretch of hill.

You can use any combination of these indices to monitor your POE intervals.  We suggest using a few indices that you are comfortable with and enjoy using.  Power is the most reliable indices of them all.

Here’s some example numbers showing the above interval set done really well:

1^st 5’ Interval:

1.67 miles covered, 20 miles per hour (MPH) average speed, 166 beats per minute (bpm) average heart rate, 200 watts average power

2^nd 5’ Interval:

1.69 miles covered, 20.3 MPH average speed, 167 bpm average heart rate, 208 watts average power

3^rd 5’ Interval:

1.69 miles covered, 20.3 MPH, 169 bpm average heart rate, 208 watts average power

4^th 5’ Interval:

1.71 miles covered, 20.5 MPH average speed, 169 bpm average heart rate, 216 watts average power

5^th 5’ Interval:

1.72 miles covered, 20.6 MPH average speed 170 bpm average heart rate, 218 watts average power

6^th 5’ Interval:

1.73 miles covered, 20.7 MPH average speed, 170 bpm average heart rate, 221 watts average power

In this example, the triathlete got stronger with each successive interval.  He/she negative-split the 30 minutes of work intervals by successfully parceling out his/her effort.

There are a few tremendous benefits to doing POE intervals.  First, when performing them, you must focus on realistic pacing.  You must ride at a pace/effort level that you can sustain.  You’re ingraining the habit of parceling out your effort and finishing strong.  When doing these intervals you are doing your best riding when you are fatigued!  Conversely, many interval approaches have you “hanging on” (i.e., riding with low power output) while tired.  The POE approach teaches you to be strong when you are tired!

To do these intervals well, you must focus on your form while you are doing them.  Your efficiency in how you pedal and handle your bike will be directly reflected in your total work accomplished.  Conversely, many interval approaches have you doing whatever you have to do in order to “stay in zone”, often forcing you to ride with very poor form.  The POE approach teaches you to always be cognizant of riding with your best form!

To do these intervals, you must do your best.  Mentally, these intervals teach you how to perform like a champion.  There is no hiding.  You get no points for simply tiring yourself out, as is a negative side effect of many interval approaches.  The POE approach teaches you to focus like a champion on always doing your best!

Here are a few suggestions for setting up your POE interval workouts in your training:

--Do one POE interval workout each week, except in recovery weeks.  If you live in a climate where during the winter you are doing all or most of your riding on your bike trainer, do two POE interval workouts each week.

--When doing one POE interval workout per week, alternate how you do the workout each week.  In one week, do your POE intervals at a normal cadence (90-100 RPM).  On alternate weeks, do your POE intervals in a low cadence to help develop your bike specific strength/power.  Do these by doing uphill POE intervals or by doing large gear POE intervals on the road or your bike trainer.  For uphill and large gear POE intervals, you should choose gearing that requires you to pedal in the 60-70 RPM range.

--Do 20-40 minutes worth of intervals in each workout.  Progress your intervals from long to short as you move from the beginning of your training year to a racing peak.  As you progress from longer to shorter intervals, the intervals become faster and more intense, and thus help you to prepare for racing.  Longer intervals are more aerobic in nature.  Shorter intervals are more anaerobic in nature.

An example of long POE intervals is:  2 X 15’ POE, RI = 5’, 90-100 RPM.One example of moderate POE intervals is:  3 X 8’ POE, RI = 4’, 90-100 RPM.Another of moderate POE intervals is:  4 X 6’ POE uphill, RI = 3’, 60-70 RPM.An example of short POE intervals is:  12 X 2’ POE, RI = 2’, 60-70 RPM.

--For POE intervals of 10-20’, make the rest interval equal to one-third the time of the work interval.  For POE intervals of 5-9’, make the rest interval equal to one-half the work interval.  For POE intervals of 1-4’, make the rest interval equal to the work interval.  The above examples of POE sets demonstrate this.  For your rest intervals, you should ride in a very easy gear, in the lowest intensity zone in the system of training zones you are using.

--To create full workouts, you should include a 10-15’ warm-up and a 10’ cool-down, sandwiching your POE intervals set.  We suggest building pedaling and handling drills into your warm-ups.   Parceled Out Effort (POE) intervals can be a fun, challenging way to develop your cycling abilities.  Use them wisely, and you are on your way to some fast bike splits this summer! 

To learn more about Jason, Will, and Tri-Hard Endurance Sports Coaching: www.Tri-Hard.com.