First of all, if you really want to get serious about interval training on the bike, you absolutely MUST buy an indoor bike trainer. In my opinion, this is the #1 training tool for cyclists. There are many types of trainers and essentially all of them can get the job done. Maybe I'll make a separate post sometime that provides a more in-depth review of the trainers that I have tested... But breifly, the key thing to keep in mind when selecting a trainer, is that you never want to be able to "out-work" it (ie. if you are in your big ring in the front and smallest cog in the back and can still spin away, your trainer is not providing you with enough resistance). I prefer the fluid trainers because their ride quality most closely resembles the ride on the road and therefore I own a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
The second thing you need to get serious about interval training on the bike is a reliable way to measure workload. The easiest way to do this is with a power meter. Speedometers are not a good indicator of work on an indoor trainer for a couple of reasons. First, speed on the trainer does not equal speed on the road. Second, speed on the trainer is highly dependent on tire pressure and contact pressure between the rear wheel of the bike and the roller of the trainer. It is very hard to exactly control these variables so speed in one workout cannot be accurately compared to speed in a second workout. A rear hub powermeter like the Cycleops Powertap (which is what I have) will work great, but a crank-based system (like the SRM or Quarq, neither of which I have tried) works fine too. Power meters can certainly be pricey, but both the indoor trainer and the power meter are critical tools to becoming a better cyclist. I would buy these two things long before making any upgrades to my bike, buying fancy clothing, etc., if given the choice. Another thing to keep in mind is that Kurt Kinetic actually makes a "power meter" for their indoor trainers. This system can only be used when the bike is on the trainer, but it uses a mathematical calculation based on wheel speed and the known viscous properties of the fluid in the resistance unit to estimate approximate power output in watts. I have not tried this system, but I have heard that when compared to a true power meter like a Powertap, the Kurt Kinetic system typically overestimates wattage by ~10%. However, the key thing is that this system is consistent against itself, which is what is really important for measuring improvements. It seems like it would be a great way to start training with power cheaply.
So now, if you've already got your indoor trainer and a power meter, you're probably ready to hear the point of this post in the first place, which was my plan for how to utilize indoor training to improve your power output on the bike.
The basic idea for the following training plan was given to me by a road cyclist that I ocassionally train with. It's not fancy, and it really is not extremely time consuming, but it really does work! The disclaimer however, is that you cannot do this program for 1 week and expect to see results (maybe you will, I don't know). But the idea is that continuing with this type of interval training should help you to reach wattage goals at a rate of approximately 1 watt per week. I did these workouts for 12 weeks this winter and improved my functional threshold power (FTP) >12 watts by the end.
So here is the basic idea:
First, you need a baseline FTP to start with. I like to do this with a 20 minute all-out power test. Simply warm up, and then go at 100% effort for 20 minutes, then cool down. Take 95% of the average power for the 20 minute interval, and you have your current FTP. This will hurt, so beware!
Then, the weekly workouts look like this:
Tues: Warm up 15:00. 5 x 4:00 intervals @ 110% FTP w/ 2:00 recovery after each interval. 15:00 cool down.
Thurs: Warm up 5:00. 2 x 20:00 intervals @ 95% FTP w/ 10:00 recovery after each interval. 5:00 cool down.
Sat or Sun: Minumum 1:30:00 steady state ride at 75% FTP. Go longer if you've got the guts to do it on the trainer or if the weather is nice and you can get outside.
Every 4th week, choose a weekend day to re-check your FTP using the same 20 minute protocol you used at the beginning. Re-adjust the power goals for each workout according to this new FTP.
On the off days (Mon, Wed, Fri) I was doing some easy running and swimming. These trainer workouts are not too time consuming so you could easily work this program into a regular triathlon training schedule.
A final point to keep in mind when doing a lot of work on the trainer is that your fluid requirements increase drastically as compared to outside where you have the natural cooling of the wind. If you're anything like me, the sweat literally pools on the ground while on the trainer, so I make sure to replace not only my water loss, but electrolytes as well. I generally consume ~32 oz of
Gu Electrolyte Brew for an hour workout on the trainer. Try the blueberry pomegranate if you haven't had it before, it's awesome!
