IndoorCycleInstructor.com Audio PROfile - Over-Under Intervals (1280)
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Created by Jennifer Sage, Master Instructor at ICI/PRO Profile Description The objective is to train a few beats below and a few beats above the lactate threshold (about 85%MHR, but it is best tested with a field test). This is a powerfully effective intensity for improving threshold and endurance. An audio .mp3 of this profile (+ 12 others) is available to ICI/PRO members http://www.indoorcycleinstructor.com/pro
IndoorCycleInstructor.com Audio PROfile - Over-Under Intervals This is a challenging class, but modifications can be given to new or less fit students to work at a lower intensity. They may not be working around LT, and may not receive the LT adaptations, but they will be working within their own limitations and improving their endurance, receiving other aerobic benefits. Note that this class is much more effective if you have already performed a field test with your students so they have a good understanding of what threshold feels like and so they have an actual threshold heart rate to use as their target. For more information on understanding threshold and performing field tests, read Jennifer’s ebook Keep it Real,available at http://www.indoorcycleinstructor.com. Training zones based on LT as well as approximate % of Maximum HR are given in this profile. In threshold zone methodology, the Under part of the effort is Zone 4 (LT and just below) and the Over part of the effort is low Zone 5. Recovery effort is Zone 2 or 1. In % Max HR methodology one can only guess where threshold lies in relation to MHR,but it is assumed that for the average person it’s around 85% of MHR. Your students can use their 85%MHR, and subtract a few beats for the Under part of the effort, and add a couple of beats for the Over part of the effort. If they don’t feel the sensations you’re asking them to feel (which tells you their MHR is probably incorrect), modify the target heart rates up or down a bit. Can you do this profile without a heart rate monitor, using strictly RPE? Yes, but without a HR to peg the sensation of effort, your students will never learn how their heart rate responds to effort. Nevertheless, RPE for the Under is just below “Hard” and Over is just above “Hard”. More descriptions of RPE are given in the profile. Over Under Intervals The Warm-up Instructor: Introduce yourself, make any announcements you have to make, address any new students. Then begin your warm-up: Good morning everyone. I hope you’re ready for an exciting training session today; I know you will find it challenging. Remember, if you’re fatigued today or just not that into high intensity, it’s always OK to go easier! But if you’re ready, willing and able to work hard, let me take you there. We’re going to need a good warm-up for today’s effort, so let’s dial in a resistance so you feel the road underneath your feet – as you know, we never ride with no resistance, even in the warm-up. Over the next five minutes, I’d like you to gradually raise your heart rate to mid zone 2/about 65%MHR, an easy pace… Take them through the warm-up, suggesting they add a few heart beats every minute or so. The warm-up should be at least 10 minutes. If needed, occasionally stand up to take a saddle break and help raise the intensity just a few beats. During this time explain what they will be feeling during the upcoming work effort: A threshold heart rate is challenging, but not enough to make you want to slow down or stop within 5-10 minutes. In fact, you should be able to maintain a threshold intensity for at least 15-20 minutes, or longer if you’re really fit, although you will have to talk yourself into it. This corresponds to about 85%MHR, or better yet, if you know your LT, use that intensity. Once we start the interval, we will ride for 2 minutes just a few beats below LT, then raise the HR by 4-5 beats, so we’re just above it; you’ll hold that 1-minute. Suppose your LT is 160. The you’ll do the “Unders” at 157-158 and the “Overs” at 161-163. It should feel “comfortably uncomfortable” when you’re just below, with no burning sensation in the legs but a heaviness as you pedal. But it should start to feel a little uncomfortable when you’re above, with some burning in the legs, though manageable. For each set we’ll alternate three times for a total of 9 minutes. When you drop from the “Over” to the “Under” by those 4-5 beats, it’s a subtle change, but you’ll feel a mild sense of relief. It won’t be a complete recovery – you’ll still be working hard! There are lots of great adaptations taking place here. Just below LT, you’re body is not generating enough lactate to slow you down, but you’re at your highest aerobic pace, expanding your ability to use the oxygen being delivered to your working muscles. That’s where the endurance benefits come in. Just above LT, you’re generating more lactate than your body can flush out, but it’s only a minute, so we’re teaching the body to handle it better, and to learn to flush the lactate out. That’s why you don’t want to go too high on the “Over” portion – you’ll generate far too much lactate. Are you with me? I want to make sure you all have your target HRs in mind before we start. If you have your HRM, take your threshold number, subtract 2-3 beats and that will be your “Under” target. Add 1-3 beats to your LT and that will be your “Over” target. If you do not have a HRM today, that’s perfectly fine. I’ll guide you to the muscular and breathing sensations you should be feeling at each intensity. Though I’m hoping this will give you yet another reason to get yourself a heart rate monitor – because you will discover a lot about yourself in today’s ride! Each set is a total of 9-minutes, with 6 minute just below, and 3 minutes just above LT. The first set will use a seated flat on the “Unders” and a standing flat or run against resistance on the “Overs”. The second set will be more challenging – you’ll stay in the saddle for most of it, on a flat road. You’ll raise the intensity by using a slightly higher gear and faster cadence, up to 100-105 rpm. This is probably the most cycling specific. Set number three will use seated and standing climbs to reach our target intensity. You’ll appreciate the easy recovery in between sets, where I’ll give you 4-minutes to recover. That part you’ll want to stay in the saddle. You MAY or MAY NOT actually reach your target HR the first set, even though your RPE tells you you’re there. That’s OK. The first set is a test, and your body may need the extra time to warm up. The important thing is to not go very breathless, or to a burning sensation that makes you want to stop within a minute. That is too high, and you won’t get the endurance and oxygenation adaptations we’re looking for. Are you ready to start the first one? Great, Let’s Go! Interval #1 Just before you start, tell them the terrain and how you plan on reaching it: In 1-minute we’ll start the first one. You’ll stand up and push for 30 seconds out of the saddle, guiding your intensity to your lower target. Then you’ll sit and ride a flat road, trying to stabilize the HR. The RPE should feel just below “Hard”. On the “Over”, raise the resistance and do a standing flat or run against resistance, raising the HR only those 4-5 beats. Be careful not to over do it. RPE is only slightly above “hard”. Ready, let’s go. Come with me! It’s not a sprint, stay in control! Instructor: your goal for the next 9 minutes is to guide them to stay on target. You’ll talk more in the early intervals, but try to limit how much you talk as you move from effort to effort, and set to set. Once they know what to feel, you only need to give them reminders, interspersed with occasional motivational cues. After the 2-minutes of the “Under”, lead them into the “Over”: OK, it’s time to raise it to our higher target. Add some resistance, stand up. Your choice, Run with Resistance with a lower cadence of 70-80 rpm or utilize a standing flat with a higher cadence of 80-90 rpm – whatever allows you to stay in the most control of your intensity. Be very subtle, don’t overshoot it. What should you be feeling here? A slight burning in the legs - they are talking to you, letting you know they are working. Your breathing is faster, but not out of control. Mentally, you have to commit, or your tendency would be to slow down. Hold it for 1 minute. When it’s time to drop to the “Under” say: OK, this is where it takes a little control. Ease up, both on resistance and cadence, however, be very subtle. You’ll feel a slight sensation of relief, the burning will subside, but you will know for certain that you are still working. Hold 2 minutes. Repeat for 3 Unders, 3 Overs. Repeat your RPE description when needed, but leave them be as much as possible. After the 3rd “Over”, say: Whew! You’re done with the first set. Back off the cadence, back off the gear. Use your breathing to help lower your HR. It helps to inhale with the nose, and exhale with the mouth, using a longer exhalation; this should help lower your HR. Enjoy this time because it won’t be long before we’re working hard again! Reflect on what you just did. Did you have a hard time reaching your target? I bet the second one will be much easier, because now you are so much more warmed up. Did you find that you overshot your HR, both on the way up and the way down? Use this next interval to dial in your control of your intensity. You are in control, don’t let your body tell you what to do; you tell it. Interval #2 Towards the end of the recovery, describe the next interval: For the next one, you’ll stand up at the beginning just like before, for 30 seconds, to reach your target. But for the remainder of the 9 minutes, you’ll be primarily seated. If needed, you can stand for 5-10 seconds at the beginning of the “Over” to raise to the upper target, but your challenge, if you choose to accept it, will be to raise the cadence from around 90rm to 100-105 rpm, adding a little turn of the knob if you need it, while staying seated the whole time. This is the most difficult, but also the most rewarding because it is the most practical as well! If you were outside on your bike, this is how you would do these intervals – using cadence. Ready to accept the challenge? Let’s go! For the next 9-minutes, guide them through the Overs/Unders, encouraging them to stay seated if possible, to control cadence. 90-ish rpm on the “Unders”, 100-105 rpm on the “Overs”. If you need additional coaching cues, use a few of the following: You guys are looking awesome. I love to see your commitment. Follow my cadence if you need to – I’m pedaling at 100 rpm. Try to be somewhere close to mine. Really concentrate on not bouncing in the saddle. If you are, add a little resistance and slow the legs down a few rpm. Stay on target! You guys are doing great. If you absolutely must take a saddle break, do it at the beginning of the OVER to help raise the HR, but then try to sit back down soon. Think of all the great stuff going on, think of all that O2 you’re delivering! When you’re below LT, you’re still burning fat – imagine it being gobbled up! Only 2 more minutes, hold on to your commitment. When you recover, after a couple of minutes and the HR has dropped, you can allow them to stand and jog easily if they aren’t used to sitting so long in the saddle. But don’t let it interfere with their recovery. Interval #3 Near the end of the recovery, prepare them for the final interval: This next one you may enjoy the most – that’s why I saved it for the end. We’ll use a hill, with more resistance and slower cadences of 65-80 rpm to reach our targets. You’ll stand on a hill for the first 30-seconds, guiding your HR to your “Under”, then sit the climb for the rest of the 2-minutes. For each “Over” you’ll use a standing climb. When it’s time to drop it back down to the “Under”, use a seated climb for the entire 2 minutes. Guide them through the next 9 minutes. Use occasional RPE cues, but talk sparingly. They know what to do now, let them accomplish it! If you need more coaching cues, use some of the previous ones, or the following for hills: As you stand, imagine the hill just got steeper – add some resistance accordingly, but be careful, keep it subtle, as you raise that HR by only 4-5 beats. Feel the legs respond to the hill, they’re talking to you! Not screaming at you, but definitely letting you know they’re paying attention. Drop your HR those 4-5 beats. Picture the road subside just a little; a small sigh of relief felt by the legs. It’s amazing the difference just those few heart beats can mean, isn’t it? Can you lock into the sensation that you feel just under and just over your threshold? (When seated on the “Under”) It’s still a good effort, you’re still climbing, but imagine that you could hold this pace for 10, 15 or even 20 minutes if you really needed to. A good working pace. Feel the hill. Cadence around 70-ish rpm. We’re all in this together. Don’t ease up on me, not quite yet. Only one more hard part and we get to recover! Congratulate them as they recover. Remind them the great physiological benefits they just received. Remind them how their legs grow stronger at that important combination of cadence around 65-75rpm and a resistance that brings them right to threshold. Ask them to remember what this felt like, so they can recall that sensation when asked to ride at threshold in later classes. Cool Down, at least 5-8 minutes, dropping down to Zone 1 by the time you get off the bike to stretch, HR below 65%MHR. Finish with a stretch. Instructor: If you’re going to do a high intensity class like this one on a Wednesday and have the same group on a Friday, you might consider an aerobic-based format for that second class, or a hill climbing class below threshold, so you balance the intensity for the week. Remember to add your own style, and mix and match the coaching suggestions from the various profiles found on Jennifer’s blog or on future ICI podcasts. Our goal is to help you become the finest indoor cycling instructor you can be! Need more information on lactate threshold and how to find it? If you need more education on lactate threshold and the benefits associated with training at this intensity, be sure to read Keep it Real, an eBook by Jennifer Sage. This eBook covers many other practical and important aspects of teaching indoor cycling (such as safety and proper form), and also includes many other HIT workouts, including additional threshold profiles. Keep your eyes open for an upcoming eBook on HR Training as well. Over-Under Intervals Quick PROfile Created by Jennifer Sage, Master Instructor Training Type: HIT Threshold intervals Working HR Zones: High Zone 4/Low Zone 5; MHR: 85-90%MHR Cycling Specificity: 5 Total Class length: 60-minutes Warm-up: 10-12 minutes Gradually bring the HR to low/mid Zone 3, 70-75%MHR The UNDER target HR is LT – 2-3 beats (high Zone 4) The OVER target HR is LT +1-3 beats (low Zone 5) Interval #1: Total 9 minutes 2 min UNDER: seated flat, cadence 85-95 rpm (use the first 30 sec in a standing flat to raise HR to target). 1-min OVER: Student choice, either a run against resistance with a cadence at 70-80 rpm OR a standing flat with a cadence 80-90 rpm. Repeat 3X Recover: 4 minutes. HR to Zone 2/65%MHR Interval #2: Total 9 minutes 2-min UNDER: SF cadence 85-95 rpm (use the first 30 sec in a standing flat to raise HR to target). 1-min OVER: SF, cadence 95-105 rpm (only stand the first 5-10 seconds if needed to help raise the intensity, but the primary goal is to stay seated.) Repeat 3 X Recover: 4 minutes. HR to Zone 2/65%MHR Interval #3: Total 9 minutes 2 min UNDER: Seated Climb (on the first one, stand first 30 sec to raise HR) cadence 65-75 rpm. 1-min OVER: Standing Climb, cadence 70-80 rpm. Repeat 3X Recover: easy seated flat road 2-3 minutes, leading to cool down Cool Down/Stretch Over/Under Intervals Playlist I used a longer warm-up of 13 minutes. For each 9-minute work interval, I used either two songs that added up to about 9 minutes, or one 9-minute song. I also used a 4-minute 80’s retro song for each recovery. If desired, you can use Mix Meister to create intervals of exactly 9-minutes, but going over or under by a few seconds will not effect the effort much (and your students will never know). Song, Artist, CD (if known), song length Warm Up/Introduction Desert Rose (Remix), Sting, 9:20 A Little Less Conversation (feat Elvis Presley), Junkie XL, Radio JXL: A Broadcast from computer Hell 3:33* (Note: the latter song is fun to comment on the lyrics. He says, “a little less conversation, a little more action” and “c’mon baby I’m tired of talking”; you can use this as a prelude to your upcoming “work” effort!) Interval 1 Hope, Klangstrahler Projekt, Pick Me Off the Dirt, 4:53 The Question is What is the Question, Nick Skitz, Come into My World, 4:09 Recovery Big Country, Big Country, 3:55 Interval 2 Punk’d, Sander van Doorn, Techno Invasion, 4:12 Spente le Stelle, Emma Shapplin, New York’s Deepest Hardest House, 5:02 (for this interval you need fast time trial type music to motivate them to work hard in the saddle) Recovery Master and Servant, Depeche Mode, The Singles 81-85, 3:48 Interval 3 Chutney Punch, Frogacult, Something for Sundays, 9:29* John’s alternate suggestion Strangle Hold, Ted Nugent 8:25 (74 RPM) Recovery/Cool Down/Stretech Just Can’t Get Enough, Depeche Mode, The Singles 81-85, 3:44 Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac, Greatest Hits 4:14 * Available on eMusic
Submitted by JohnMac from Minneapolis on 5/8/10
Email: john@indoorcycleinstructor.com