Build Endurance With Variable Rest Intervals

Today, let's explore types of workouts featured in 'Dominate the Bike: A 12-Week Program for Power, Speed, & Endurance': Variable Rest Intervals

As the name implies, variable rest intervals are interval workouts where the work period stays the same, but the rest period changes.

Here's an example:

So, after the first interval 3-minute tempo interval, you'll complete a  easy 1 minute as your working rest. After the second interval, you'll complete a 1.5 minute easy bike as your rest, and so on.

But what's the point of this? 

Let's start with the benefits of interval training: Interval training enhances endurance, fortifies your cardiovascular system, and accelerates the process of lactic acid clearance. Instead of lactic acid building up in your bloodstream, causing an increase in hydrogen ions, acidity, and subsequent fatigue, repeated intervals enable your body to efficiently metabolize lactic acid, converting it into energy. As a result, your lactic threshold is elevated.

Another way to put it is that interval training allows your body to work at a high intensity while still giving you enough time (during the 'rest' period) to break down lactic acid.

The shorter your rest periods, the better it is for your fitness - as long as that rest period is long enough to do the job of getting you ready for the next interval (by clearing lactate from the muscle).

By varying rest, we can keep rest short during those moments when your body is more likely to clear lactate at a faster rate, and longer during those moments where it is not clearing lactate as efficiently.

This is key to improving your fitness on the bike. That's why we incorporate this type of workout about every 1.5 weeks in the 'Dominate the Bike' progarm. 

What's the final takeaway? Strategically varying your rest between intervals is key to enhancing endurance. If you haven't purchased the 'Dominate the Bike' program yet, give the sample workout above a try.

Happy training!