34. HIT LONG INTERVALS: FAST START BETTER THAN STEADY PACE?

Photo by Tom Dils on Unsplash

High intensity training (HIT, that is doing intervals above second threshold/FTP/critical power) is a powerful stimulus to improve endurance performance. However, it requires a great physical and mental effort and leads to fatigue in the following days. As a consequence, it must be carefully dosed and can represent only a small part of the annual training program. For example I published two retrospective analysis (1, 2) of training+racing data of top 5 finishers in the final general classification of Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, which highlighted as high intensity training (above FTP) represented only 2-6% (!) of the total time spent on the bike during all the preparation (from january) preceding the grand tours achievement.

So, as HIT should be carefully dosed, it is important understanding how to perform HIT sessions to get the most from this powerful but limited use weapon. In this scenario (what is the ‘optimal’ HIT session?) in the last two posts we saw that short intervals provided superior adaptations compared to long intervals both in well-trained amateur and professional cyclists, when both HIT formats are performed at the maximum sustainable intensity.

In this post, we look at another comparison between two HIT formats.

Are decreasing intensity (fast start) long intervals superior to steady-pace long intervals?

A study published by Bent Rønnestad and Colleagues on International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance in 2019 tried to answer this question. (3)

---

WHAT DID THEY DO?

• They recruited 11 well-trained cross-country skiers (mean VO2max: 70). Even if they are not cyclists, the findings can be still valid as we are talking about endurance sports exercise physiology.

• In two different days, after a warm-up, the participants performed two different High Intensity Interval Training (HIT) sessions in the lab using roller-skis on a treadmill:

  • Fast Start-long intervals: 5x5min as follows:

    • The first 1min30s at 100% MAP (read ~120% FTP)

    • Then, 3min30S at 85% MAP (read ~100% FTP)

      3min recovery between the 5 min intervals.

  • Steady pace-long intervals: 5x5min at 90% of maximal aerobic power (MAP, read ~110% FTP) with 3min recovery.

  

---

WHAT DID THEY FIND?