I find sprint training to be absolutely key for me. The more I practice going 100%, the higher that 100% becomes and the less cognitive load it puts on me.
I did this as part of a study at Copenhagen University. There they called it SET(speed-endurance-training), because there was also some z2 rides, vo2max, anaerobic(2-3min) and superthreshold efforts(10min), though this was not as significant, when they ramped up the amount of 30s sprints. We were in 3 base groups, I think... control, 6x30(me and my mate) and 12x30. They were performed with 3min recovery in between. There was then some further subdivision in terms of the testing protocol. My mate for example was in a 2hour 65% vo2max preload group, whereas I was in a 1hr 65% vo2max preload group. Whether it was the vo2 and lactate testing, which bumped my lower zones and my z6 significantly or the 30s intervals idk, but it was pretty effective. But it was also extremely painful. They hadn't specified whether to do them standing or sitting, but they were asking people how they felt doing it either way. If it was less effective sitting I don't know, but if I was going to do it again, I would sit. Whether I did it indoors or outdoors, I had strong cramping in my back after 3-4 repeats and felt like fainting on repeat 4-5-6 even though my watts(7-900w) indicated that I had caught up anaerobically, despite having done primarily based leading up to the study. Unfortunately I don't have the results, but I do know that my 4min test was up significantly as I accidentally did 13% more on an aborted test that we had to repeat 2 days after. I don't know how this would be or a lesser trained athlete, but I was craving volume big time. Fatiguewise it was not extremely taxing, so I do think it is very integrateable especially if there is no clinical significance to doing it sitting. My efforts were 200w lower on average for sitting, so I do wonder... Oh yeah... the total volume(measured in time) was something like 50-60% of the volume we did in a 2-3 week period prior to the lead-in/adaption period, where we got accustomed to the intervals to minimise gains due to a learning curve. It was also performed only on athletes withh a vo2max of 60 or higher, so I guess being used to going 100% when needed might cause some bias for how much volume you can do during or the fatigue of the intervals themselves. If I was going to criticise something about that study, which I don't know is the same for the study Jonathan mentioned, it would be the ergometer and the fan. We were allowed to self-regulate the level (and position until some riders experienced bronchial constriction with a front position) of ventilation, which for some riders was fan level 0 for the first tests, which would cause a bias in the results. The ergometer was very adjustable, but the saddle was terribly uncomfortable causing a lot of downstairs friction, sliding around and thigh rubbing, and the handlebar/levers also had a really uncomfortable bump on it. I definitely wouldn't do it again, unless they made it possible to use your own bike with a standardised power meter - which is kind of funny, because we could use either our own power meter, supplied pedals, our own hometrainer or a supplied hometrainer for our training and thus our power targets.
Been following y'all for years & this was maybe your best video. The content is great, but this format & Johnathan's charisma is fantastic. Hope to see more like this.
Like Greg Lemond recommended I used to do sprint training twice a week year round until recent years since the 90's. Now I generally introduce them about 6 weeks before an event. About 20 seconds full out, when I was younger up to 12, these days about 6-7 is enough.
Love this new format. Small nit: the middle bumper graphic asking us to “like and and subscribe” is missing the middle “s” in “Subscribe”. Cheers to everyone at TR making us faster!
I think as a relatively high level Zwift racer, 30s sprint training is not frowned upon. It's pretty normal to have them incorporated into your weekly racing schedule. They are really taxing though, and should be spaced accordingly. It shows why some of the best zwift racers are track cyclist. Cheers to another good study and video.
This is basically a lot of what I was doing ten years ago when I would ride around trying to get short KOMs. I didn't have a power meter or a heart rate monitor or even know what an interval was, but I was much more in shape that I am now when I do have a power meter and heart rate monitor and know what intervals are. I also had a lot more time to ride back then. And getting KOMs was pretty motivating, as was coming within a second or two of the KOM and knowing it was achievable.
40 some odd years since it came out, we continue to have new data supporting the models from Lemond’s Book of Cycling. Tue: sprints Wed: intervals Thu: endurance Very few modern training plans spend any time on sprints.
@@gregmorrison7320 yes, my sprints on Saturday are used as openers for Sunday which is either a race or fast group ride. Monday off, then sprints Tuesday (again good openers after Mondays rest), ready for intervals Wednesday, then medium distance Z2 endurance Thursday, longer if I'm not racing Sunday.
You guys talked about this on a podcast a while ago and i decided to test it out. I recently ended a 4 week block that was a variation of the SIT: did 9x15sec all out sprint workouts 2x/week and 2x sweet spot workouts for a total of about 6-7hrs of training/week, down from my usual 10-11 weekly hrs. Admittedly 15 sec is waaaaay different than 30 sec. But still, I did this leading into a block of 30/30s which have always been my achilles heel of workouts. I am almost done with my 30/30s now and have never performed better on those in my life which I cannot help think the 4 weeks of SIT played a role in. I will take a rest week and then move into a vo2 max block so will be curious if i see any improvement there. So far though, in my sample study of n=1, this has absolutely been an effective way to cut weekly hours while still maintaining, if not continuing to eek out small improvements in fitness. Since i am super time crunched the rest of this year, will try a 2-4 week block of 30 second SIT soon. But given how wrecked i was after these workouts, i dont see how they could be reasonably sprinkled in to a week of workouts that havent been adjusted to accomodate the kind of fatigue these SITs generate: seems like a recipe for training overload...? Doing SIT in a dedicated block and then moving on seems to work well physically and mentally.
I've been doing dedicated trainer road workouts for about 2 years now. It has helped me get strong (I just got 2nd in the state cat 3 crit race). But I couldn't do sprint workouts on the trainer (form is just not right on the trainer). I started going out on the open road and doing 10 second sprints followed by 50 seconds rest x 6 reps ( I just set my cheap timex watch to "timer" for 1 minute and repeat... it would beep for 10 seconds every minute).I did two sets with a 5 minute break between sets. I would finish with a third set that consisted of one 25-30 second effort to train my body for the long sprint (nearly every part of my body would hurt after those efforts). These efforts trained my body to be able to accelerate hard out of the saddle when tired and recover quickly. I did this twice a week for 2 weeks and saw an immediate improvement, it was like I had a completely new aspect to my engine, and was a game changer for crits.
Actually started doing some sprint workouts recently. Been on the mid POL plans but keep seeing that low PL on sprinting. So this time around I switched to low POL plan but added another day for a sprint workout. Keeps it interesting.
SIT is actually a form of HIIT 😂. It's one of the 5 HIIT types talked about by Dr. Paul Larsen in his book with Martin Buchheit "The Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training". It may seem novel but, this isn't anything too new
Excellent production TR. The work that has gone into this is amazing, notes and the video. I like the polarized plans right now so I will stick with those, but interesting and never say never.
I would definitely give it a try. I have 10 hours/week to ride in a good week. That includes training and casual rides. Since I am in my 40's, I guess I'd be a data point in the older population. lol
If you do SIT, it's easier to train your fast twitch muscles because if you choose a lower power, you have to exhaust the lower threshold motor units before the higher threshold units get recruited to maintain power. The key is high perceived exertion which reflects the fact that you'll be recruiting your muscle fibres at a high percentage. One of the ways that I do SIT is fast reps when weight lifting. I think this would be an interesting topic to discuss.
I believe it; I raced and rode BMX when I was younger and could sprint like crazy, I tried a sprint on a 20" BMX with classic 44-16 a few months back and couldn't even spin it to what felt like 80%, since then I bought a road bike and have been going for easy rides, and doing some Tabata interval type sprint / high speed training at home (single stair stepping as fast as possible seems to work well, and air pedaling while lying on my back, etc.) I've been doing a road ride once a week 40-50 miles and at the end of my last ride I tried a short sprint and hit 151rpm cadence which felt far better and faster than on the BMX just months before, even with far more gear inches, and only 6 weeks into riding road, or being on a bike for any real notable distance in the last 6 years. This is the type of training BMXer's have been doing for years, but to combine it more efficiently in combination with easy endurance training that other studies are showing work is something I'm willing to do and put the methods to the test, it will be interesting to see if it translates to faster 3hr ride speeds with the same hr.
Been doing SIT for the first time as a part of this current training cycle. Wow! It feels great and powerful when you're doing it and don't let the 6 reps fool you. Started out feeling like I would be able to do 10 reps, but was totally gassed by rep 6. Definitely feel it EVERYWHERE in your body the next day. Unexpectedly more soreness from a 1 hr ride with SIT than 2hr ride with VO2 Max intervals!
@@toomuch9762 you can't, no one can. All out you might be able to sustain 5-10s then your power will start to fade. I'm not actually sure if 30s should be all out and fade or paced to hold the same power, not heard or read about any studies on that.
Yes, I plan to do more SIT, but am currently still working on my baseline training. Believe that this might already be a part of XERT though. Will have to check. Thanks again for the info.
Saw the same results this winter by going to a 40 minute spin class that was HITT based ( 30-40 second hard efforts, either sprints or heavy resistance ) versus sitting on my road bike Zwift/kicker I did in the past Results: Took of 10s of second on many of my Strava PRs. This is seems like polarization training Dylan Johnson talks about. Mix in hard efforts with longer east efforts 55 years old and in best bike form in 15 years
Great Video and info👏🏻👏🏻I'm currently using the gravity plan and noticed it did not have any sprint type efforts in the plan. I'm preparing for an Enduro this month and just included a finish line sprint when practicing on a similar to the race venue course.
I'd love to include it in mine, I love sprinting. BUT I'm sticking with the program and trusting the process. If TR says sprint, I'll sprint! I've gone from 270 to 305 FTP and my max sprint has increased 200W in the last 4 months. So I'll keep doing what adaptive training tells me to do, it's working!! :)
I'm between plans so I'm very interested in trying this out. I just started taekwondo so my legs are not feeling a large work load with this new input of moving my legs in so many different directions other than front and back. 🤣
I have the same challenge, I end up doing 45-50 mins very late in the evening (midnight sometimes) spinning on the static in the hotels gyms. I do not risk SIT cause I do not have the time for a proper warmup.
This is awesome, I have an event at the end of the month (2 actually) and need to build my top end QUICK! Base is good, race season has been busy AF and classic busy race season means....Losing fitness to fatigue. So I'm dialing back the racing this month and turning up the training. I will add this in for sure. The QUESTION! Do you "sprinkle" these in with your regular plan OR do you "sprinkle" these in and then supplement the rest of your plan with low intensity, similar to a polarized plan? Maybe I missed that part? Thanks for this Jonathan and @trainerroad
Researchers have questioned whether doing SIT efforts spread out throughout the week instead of in specific, concentrated sessions would be equally effective, but no research has been done on that scenario. Likely the best approach is to follow your existing plan and add in SIT efforts incrementally over time.
I really like sprints! But like 10s ones 30 would hurt! And I think at the end of a 3 week block it would be nice to toss in some sprints at the end. Just for fun and variety
You simply pace them differently, if you went truly all out for 30s you would drop out of you're anaerobic power in the last 10s or so. 150-170% ftp is about right to hold for 30s. You can go out harder and fade as long as you're still in you're anaerobic power.
This year I haven't had much time to train and I am a lazy f*ck. I still like to race though. So most of my training sessions are 30sec or 1min full gas intervals. Somehow I have found them to keep me in some shape to finish races and sprint well.
This isn't all that surprising. A 30 sec max effort burns through creatine phosphate halfway through the effort and starts to robustly, even violently, engage the glycolytic system, no? You might think these adpatations in the glycolytic system would hold at lower intensities. That's always the way I've viewed the efficacy of 30/30s at any rate.
I agree, forget HIIT. Do actual sprinting. Sprinting is more intense, and we evolved to get fit the quickest if we exercise at maximum intensity. You certainly would not jog away from danger. Your would not fight at moderate level to keep from getting killed. All animals are genetically adapted to survive, and that means 100 percent effort in either fighting or running away. ALL ANIMALS including humans have adapted for "fight or flight." Maximum intensity exercise is the quickest way to get fit, and it is a survival mechanism. Forget high intensity, go for maximum intensity if you want to get fit the quickest, bottom line. The golden rule of exercise is the higher the intensity, the fitter it will make you. HIIT is better than cardio, and sprinting is better than HIIT because of the increased intensity. Go for the most intense exercise you can do, even if you have to work your way up to it. One of the hardest concepts for people to understand is that how we respond biologically to exercise really is not as much a scientific question as it is an evolutionary one. All animals, including us were not created by scientists. We were created by evolution. This is why even understanding little about the actual science of fitness, I was able to already deduce that sprinting was the most effective form of exercise for getting fit the quickest. I already understood it because of evolutionary thought. It's funny how I have never seen any actual credible science that shows that evolution or instincts we evolved are wrong...
I think that these workouts would work well for me when I am travelling and only have a hotel gym bike and limited time. If I can, I'll schedule a recovery week for these trips. But if I am travelling within my specialty training period, then I could switch to these.
The Gibala et. al study is great, but I think it only shows the benefits that adding a novel stimulus into the mix can have over a short training period (2 weeks in the case of the study). As you mentioned, if a trained athlete continued to perform this 2.5hr/week SIT protocol, they would likely grow stale and watch their gains diminish. I would go a step further and suggest that they would likely begin to lose aerobic fitness and endurance capacity in the long run, because of the lack of time devoted to training below LT1 (which I understand to be ~
Cool format. Make's me wonder.... could an application for this be if your training is disrupted close to an event.... say an injury, illness, or life stress.... do a bit of SIT to try and ramp back up and salvage some fitness.
There are those who claim/insist that SIT is far better at reducing visceral fat than endurance running. I am on week 3 of doing SIT. Only doing it 2x/week for now and only 4 sets per day that I do it. It really makes you sore so I don't want to overdo it. I will eventually increase the amount of sets I do but I really don't see me doing it more than 2x/week because from what I have researched that isn't necessary. I will continue to (also) do fast walking and also some running.
Submaximal training (85% all out speed) - 'intensive tempo' (85% with shorter recovery) will push the HR to max every time, and for a long sprinter, this is as valuable if not more valuable than SIT as described here (with longer recovery). You need both. Race pace and intensive tempo. There is the issue of semantics, some studies have termed HIIT as any effort lasting longer than 60s and SIT, shorter than 60. Even if you're taking 4 min rest between intervals, you will not be able to sustain 95%+ top speed over 6 repeats of 32 sec. With longer rest, perhaps. All out effort doesn't = all out speed.
It could also be that the effect of passing of two weeks (under either regime) did not have any marginal effect on the metrics that were tracked. Two weeks is too short a time. i.e. there the design of the study could be flawed.
Tabata intervals focus on limiting rest and emphasizing repeats, while SIT allows generous rest and emphasizes maximal output rather than repeats of the effort.
Lets say Im on SweetSpot Base Low Volume 2.. If I should/would change one of the workouts, Vo2 - Sweetspot - Threshold, to a Sprint workout. Wich one should I choose to switch?
The best approach is to follow your existing plan and add in SIT efforts incrementally over time as a supplement to your plan. If you must substitute in the base phase, I'd suggest swapping out the higher intensity workout with SIT.
I did Haku as an outdoor workout a few times last month. We've since moved, and I'm still looking for a route than will work well, then will start again. I am on a low volume plan (tue, thu, sun), and adding the extra sprint workout on Sat seems to be manageable. Since it is an all-out effort, I assume the target watts/percentage of ftp is irrelevant? And, would there be any value in alternating between seated and standing sprints, either in the same workout; or one week standing, next week seated?
Correct in assuming that the power target would be irrelevant for the SIT intervals - just give it all you've got! Regarding seated vs. standing, it would be great to do both, but the guiding principle here should be specificity. If you plan to use this sort of fitness in an out of the saddle, typical sprint scenario, this is a great opportunity to practice. If not, no prob doing them seated as long as you are able to give it your all.
I spent a winter doing 2 sessions a week of something similar called sprint 8. AFter a warm up, It is 8 all-out sprints with 90 seconds of recovery. It was brutal. The first few times I did it, it looked like I had two black eyes. My wife was scared that I was going to really hurt myself. It took an insane amount of mental fortitude. That being said, I did maintain surprisingly good fitness with these workouts that only lasted 20 minutes. Shortly after I joined TR. I don't know how sprint 8 affected my FTP, as I wasn't measuring it at the time, but TR took me from 270 to 310 watts in 4 months. I don't think I got anywhere near those gains using 2 sprint 8 sessions plus a long ride every week.
That's a great question that highlights an area for improvement in many studies. Since it has such a profound effect on performance, we'd love to see on and off the bike nutrition measured during all studies.
LOL, you've been taking the mickey out of training by chasing Strava KOMs for years, and yet, if you went out and chased 4-6 30s KOMs (with the additional benefit of Strava KOM motivation, live segment data etc) it might not be so bad after all.
A little bit superficial. The purpose of the SITs is to sink the lactate buildup rate (which is counterintuitive, but that is what the studies show) and increases fat oxidation rate. That is why it is so effective on time trial-like efforts. You ideally pair these units with training on an empty stomach and with Sweet Spots efforts at very low cadence (below 55).
Tough enough to keep consistency good with life and other stress, not adding sprints to that. I have the extra time, rather keep it at lower intensities to not hurt myself.
It's a specific term for a specific type of HIIT. 3x8min VO2 max intervals are also considered high intensity intervals, so in the case of describing a very specific type of work interval in a study/meta-analysis, it's important to easily differentiate between groups using this particular type of sprint interval training.
@@ktakashismith VO2 max intervals are exactly that. HIIT is HIIT and it is different, it is ALL OUT for very short periods with full recovery between. 40/20's or 20/40's are also NOT HIIT, they are just fancy VO2 intervals. What he describes in the video is HIIT, this is why people do HIIT wrong thinking it is any kind of hard interval session, HIIT is very specific.
90% of your training in the recovery zone? WTF is the point of even getting on the bike then? Just do a couple days of Berserker mode riding, and find something more constructive to do with your time while the rest meander around in 36/28 getting passed by geriatrics on their hoverounds. These "studies" are asinine!
![How to Stop Pumping Out on Boulders [Endurance Training Guide 2024]](/img/n.gif)
My fat loss zapped with SIT. It's the core of my workout. I love it! So many benefits!
This felt like the Dylan johnson video.
I find sprint training to be absolutely key for me. The more I practice going 100%, the higher that 100% becomes and the less cognitive load it puts on me.
Along with plyometrics and max vertical jumping, S.I.T. is a large component of my fitness regimen.
Get the "burn". It feels awful but when you are finished it feels sooo good as it slowly fades away. I think it's addictive.
I did this as part of a study at Copenhagen University. There they called it SET(speed-endurance-training), because there was also some z2 rides, vo2max, anaerobic(2-3min) and superthreshold efforts(10min), though this was not as significant, when they ramped up the amount of 30s sprints.
We were in 3 base groups, I think... control, 6x30(me and my mate) and 12x30. They were performed with 3min recovery in between. There was then some further subdivision in terms of the testing protocol. My mate for example was in a 2hour 65% vo2max preload group, whereas I was in a 1hr 65% vo2max preload group.
Whether it was the vo2 and lactate testing, which bumped my lower zones and my z6 significantly or the 30s intervals idk, but it was pretty effective. But it was also extremely painful. They hadn't specified whether to do them standing or sitting, but they were asking people how they felt doing it either way. If it was less effective sitting I don't know, but if I was going to do it again, I would sit. Whether I did it indoors or outdoors, I had strong cramping in my back after 3-4 repeats and felt like fainting on repeat 4-5-6 even though my watts(7-900w) indicated that I had caught up anaerobically, despite having done primarily based leading up to the study.
Unfortunately I don't have the results, but I do know that my 4min test was up significantly as I accidentally did 13% more on an aborted test that we had to repeat 2 days after. I don't know how this would be or a lesser trained athlete, but I was craving volume big time. Fatiguewise it was not extremely taxing, so I do think it is very integrateable especially if there is no clinical significance to doing it sitting. My efforts were 200w lower on average for sitting, so I do wonder...
Oh yeah... the total volume(measured in time) was something like 50-60% of the volume we did in a 2-3 week period prior to the lead-in/adaption period, where we got accustomed to the intervals to minimise gains due to a learning curve. It was also performed only on athletes withh a vo2max of 60 or higher, so I guess being used to going 100% when needed might cause some bias for how much volume you can do during or the fatigue of the intervals themselves.
If I was going to criticise something about that study, which I don't know is the same for the study Jonathan mentioned, it would be the ergometer and the fan. We were allowed to self-regulate the level (and position until some riders experienced bronchial constriction with a front position) of ventilation, which for some riders was fan level 0 for the first tests, which would cause a bias in the results. The ergometer was very adjustable, but the saddle was terribly uncomfortable causing a lot of downstairs friction, sliding around and thigh rubbing, and the handlebar/levers also had a really uncomfortable bump on it. I definitely wouldn't do it again, unless they made it possible to use your own bike with a standardised power meter - which is kind of funny, because we could use either our own power meter, supplied pedals, our own hometrainer or a supplied hometrainer for our training and thus our power targets.
That sounds brutal, Yannick! The worlds of cycling and science appreciate your painful contributions ;)
Great comment! Thank you!
Any thoughts of sprint intervals at 5seconds only ? 5 seconds x 10 or 15 etc ?
Been following y'all for years & this was maybe your best video. The content is great, but this format & Johnathan's charisma is fantastic. Hope to see more like this.
Like Greg Lemond recommended I used to do sprint training twice a week year round until recent years since the 90's. Now I generally introduce them about 6 weeks before an event. About 20 seconds full out, when I was younger up to 12, these days about 6-7 is enough.
Love this new format. Small nit: the middle bumper graphic asking us to “like and and subscribe” is missing the middle “s” in “Subscribe”. Cheers to everyone at TR making us faster!
You mean copying Dylan's format?
Wow Jonathan, great production quality. TR videos are always amazing, but this is above even your usual high quality. Kudos y’all.
I think as a relatively high level Zwift racer, 30s sprint training is not frowned upon. It's pretty normal to have them incorporated into your weekly racing schedule. They are really taxing though, and should be spaced accordingly. It shows why some of the best zwift racers are track cyclist. Cheers to another good study and video.
Just happy to see a thumbnail of Pete!
We ❤ Pete!
This is basically a lot of what I was doing ten years ago when I would ride around trying to get short KOMs. I didn't have a power meter or a heart rate monitor or even know what an interval was, but I was much more in shape that I am now when I do have a power meter and heart rate monitor and know what intervals are. I also had a lot more time to ride back then. And getting KOMs was pretty motivating, as was coming within a second or two of the KOM and knowing it was achievable.
Coming off of Short Power Build plan this week. And busy for next three weeks. So I will git SIT a go
40 some odd years since it came out, we continue to have new data supporting the models from Lemond’s Book of Cycling.
Tue: sprints
Wed: intervals
Thu: endurance
Very few modern training plans spend any time on sprints.
Yep and more sprints on Saturday, until recent years I followed this plan since the 90's.
@@gregmorrison7320 yes, my sprints on Saturday are used as openers for Sunday which is either a race or fast group ride. Monday off, then sprints Tuesday (again good openers after Mondays rest), ready for intervals Wednesday, then medium distance Z2 endurance Thursday, longer if I'm not racing Sunday.
You guys talked about this on a podcast a while ago and i decided to test it out. I recently ended a 4 week block that was a variation of the SIT: did 9x15sec all out sprint workouts 2x/week and 2x sweet spot workouts for a total of about 6-7hrs of training/week, down from my usual 10-11 weekly hrs. Admittedly 15 sec is waaaaay different than 30 sec. But still, I did this leading into a block of 30/30s which have always been my achilles heel of workouts. I am almost done with my 30/30s now and have never performed better on those in my life which I cannot help think the 4 weeks of SIT played a role in. I will take a rest week and then move into a vo2 max block so will be curious if i see any improvement there. So far though, in my sample study of n=1, this has absolutely been an effective way to cut weekly hours while still maintaining, if not continuing to eek out small improvements in fitness. Since i am super time crunched the rest of this year, will try a 2-4 week block of 30 second SIT soon. But given how wrecked i was after these workouts, i dont see how they could be reasonably sprinkled in to a week of workouts that havent been adjusted to accomodate the kind of fatigue these SITs generate: seems like a recipe for training overload...? Doing SIT in a dedicated block and then moving on seems to work well physically and mentally.
I've been doing dedicated trainer road workouts for about 2 years now. It has helped me get strong (I just got 2nd in the state cat 3 crit race). But I couldn't do sprint workouts on the trainer (form is just not right on the trainer). I started going out on the open road and doing 10 second sprints followed by 50 seconds rest x 6 reps ( I just set my cheap timex watch to "timer" for 1 minute and repeat... it would beep for 10 seconds every minute).I did two sets with a 5 minute break between sets. I would finish with a third set that consisted of one 25-30 second effort to train my body for the long sprint (nearly every part of my body would hurt after those efforts). These efforts trained my body to be able to accelerate hard out of the saddle when tired and recover quickly. I did this twice a week for 2 weeks and saw an immediate improvement, it was like I had a completely new aspect to my engine, and was a game changer for crits.
Sprint High Intensity Training
Haha sh!t
😁
💩
Actually started doing some sprint workouts recently. Been on the mid POL plans but keep seeing that low PL on sprinting. So this time around I switched to low POL plan but added another day for a sprint workout. Keeps it interesting.
SIT is actually a form of HIIT 😂. It's one of the 5 HIIT types talked about by Dr. Paul Larsen in his book with Martin Buchheit "The Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training". It may seem novel but, this isn't anything too new
Excellent production TR. The work that has gone into this is amazing, notes and the video.
I like the polarized plans right now so I will stick with those, but interesting and never say never.
I would definitely give it a try. I have 10 hours/week to ride in a good week. That includes training and casual rides. Since I am in my 40's, I guess I'd be a data point in the older population. lol
If you do SIT, it's easier to train your fast twitch muscles because if you choose a lower power, you have to exhaust the lower threshold motor units before the higher threshold units get recruited to maintain power. The key is high perceived exertion which reflects the fact that you'll be recruiting your muscle fibres at a high percentage.
One of the ways that I do SIT is fast reps when weight lifting. I think this would be an interesting topic to discuss.
In terms of weight lifting its like doing at 5rep max taking 5 minute breaks
I believe it; I raced and rode BMX when I was younger and could sprint like crazy, I tried a sprint on a 20" BMX with classic 44-16 a few months back and couldn't even spin it to what felt like 80%, since then I bought a road bike and have been going for easy rides, and doing some Tabata interval type sprint / high speed training at home (single stair stepping as fast as possible seems to work well, and air pedaling while lying on my back, etc.) I've been doing a road ride once a week 40-50 miles and at the end of my last ride I tried a short sprint and hit 151rpm cadence which felt far better and faster than on the BMX just months before, even with far more gear inches, and only 6 weeks into riding road, or being on a bike for any real notable distance in the last 6 years. This is the type of training BMXer's have been doing for years, but to combine it more efficiently in combination with easy endurance training that other studies are showing work is something I'm willing to do and put the methods to the test, it will be interesting to see if it translates to faster 3hr ride speeds with the same hr.
Been doing SIT for the first time as a part of this current training cycle. Wow! It feels great and powerful when you're doing it and don't let the 6 reps fool you. Started out feeling like I would be able to do 10 reps, but was totally gassed by rep 6. Definitely feel it EVERYWHERE in your body the next day. Unexpectedly more soreness from a 1 hr ride with SIT than 2hr ride with VO2 Max intervals!
Most people don’t realise how hard it is to maintain a 100% all out sprint in cycling running or whatever you’re doing
@@toomuch9762 Especially for 30 sec.
@@oldanslo yes i meant to say for 30secs in the original comment 👍
@@toomuch9762 you can't, no one can. All out you might be able to sustain 5-10s then your power will start to fade. I'm not actually sure if 30s should be all out and fade or paced to hold the same power, not heard or read about any studies on that.
Yes, I plan to do more SIT, but am currently still working on my baseline training. Believe that this might already be a part of XERT though. Will have to check. Thanks again for the info.
Saw the same results this winter by going to a 40 minute spin class that was HITT based ( 30-40 second hard efforts, either sprints or heavy resistance ) versus sitting on my road bike Zwift/kicker I did in the past
Results: Took of 10s of second on many of my Strava PRs.
This is seems like polarization training Dylan Johnson talks about. Mix in hard efforts with longer east efforts
55 years old and in best bike form in 15 years
Great Video and info👏🏻👏🏻I'm currently using the gravity plan and noticed it did not have any sprint type efforts in the plan. I'm preparing for an Enduro this month and just included a finish line sprint when practicing on a similar to the race venue course.
I'd love to include it in mine, I love sprinting. BUT I'm sticking with the program and trusting the process. If TR says sprint, I'll sprint! I've gone from 270 to 305 FTP and my max sprint has increased 200W in the last 4 months. So I'll keep doing what adaptive training tells me to do, it's working!! :)
WAY.TO.GO!!!!
@@TrainerRoad Oh and I'm only half way through short power build.... Thanks for making me faster, and for the speed to come!!!
Can we please get an actual Sprinting 101 video?
I know you have a few videos on improving technique, but I'd love a babysteps explanation and tips
***Paging Thor*** ...
@@TrainerRoad missing that guy. 😪
Always appreciate the good advice from trainer road.
100% works in combination with a balanced strength and endurance training
Loving this new format!
I'm between plans so I'm very interested in trying this out. I just started taekwondo so my legs are not feeling a large work load with this new input of moving my legs in so many different directions other than front and back. 🤣
Isn't it incredible how good you can get at pushing watts on the bike, but how a small amount of activity in a different motion can throw us off?? 😂
Please paint me a picture of how a 1:hr SIT Cyclocross workout would look .
Thanks.
🤮about sums it up.
Woukd SIT work for maintence, e.g. work trips when time is very limited? Great video by the way, keep them coming in this format 👍
That's a great question that would be wonderful to see researched.
I have the same challenge, I end up doing 45-50 mins very late in the evening (midnight sometimes) spinning on the static in the hotels gyms. I do not risk SIT cause I do not have the time for a proper warmup.
I just like how the body shape of sprinters looks like than endurance racers, in general.:)) Either way, its nice to ride a bike. Cheers!
All I could think after the first few minutes was, so my training can just go into my commute and target specific KOMs along the way.
👑
This is awesome, I have an event at the end of the month (2 actually) and need to build my top end QUICK! Base is good, race season has been busy AF and classic busy race season means....Losing fitness to fatigue. So I'm dialing back the racing this month and turning up the training. I will add this in for sure.
The QUESTION! Do you "sprinkle" these in with your regular plan OR do you "sprinkle" these in and then supplement the rest of your plan with low intensity, similar to a polarized plan? Maybe I missed that part? Thanks for this Jonathan and @trainerroad
Researchers have questioned whether doing SIT efforts spread out throughout the week instead of in specific, concentrated sessions would be equally effective, but no research has been done on that scenario.
Likely the best approach is to follow your existing plan and add in SIT efforts incrementally over time.
I really like sprints! But like 10s ones 30 would hurt! And I think at the end of a 3 week block it would be nice to toss in some sprints at the end. Just for fun and variety
You simply pace them differently, if you went truly all out for 30s you would drop out of you're anaerobic power in the last 10s or so. 150-170% ftp is about right to hold for 30s. You can go out harder and fade as long as you're still in you're anaerobic power.
Saw studies on this years ago. Its all about the mitochondria. The bloods power plants
I do both , best of both world . S.H.I.I.T training
😂😂😂
This year I haven't had much time to train and I am a lazy f*ck. I still like to race though. So most of my training sessions are 30sec or 1min full gas intervals. Somehow I have found them to keep me in some shape to finish races and sprint well.
This isn't all that surprising. A 30 sec max effort burns through creatine phosphate halfway through the effort and starts to robustly, even violently, engage the glycolytic system, no? You might think these adpatations in the glycolytic system would hold at lower intensities. That's always the way I've viewed the efficacy of 30/30s at any rate.
yeah, the first 15 seconds aren't too big of a deal. the second 15? wow.
I agree, forget HIIT. Do actual sprinting. Sprinting is more intense, and we evolved to get fit the quickest if we exercise at maximum intensity. You certainly would not jog away from danger. Your would not fight at moderate level to keep from getting killed.
All animals are genetically adapted to survive, and that means 100 percent effort in either fighting or running away. ALL ANIMALS including humans have adapted for "fight or flight."
Maximum intensity exercise is the quickest way to get fit, and it is a survival mechanism. Forget high intensity, go for maximum intensity if you want to get fit the quickest, bottom line.
The golden rule of exercise is the higher the intensity, the fitter it will make you. HIIT is better than cardio, and sprinting is better than HIIT because of the increased intensity. Go for the most intense exercise you can do, even if you have to work your way up to it.
One of the hardest concepts for people to understand is that how we respond biologically to exercise really is not as much a scientific question as it is an evolutionary one. All animals, including us were not created by scientists. We were created by evolution. This is why even understanding little about the actual science of fitness, I was able to already deduce that sprinting was the most effective form of exercise for getting fit the quickest. I already understood it because of evolutionary thought.
It's funny how I have never seen any actual credible science that shows that evolution or instincts we evolved are wrong...
I think that these workouts would work well for me when I am travelling and only have a hotel gym bike and limited time. If I can, I'll schedule a recovery week for these trips. But if I am travelling within my specialty training period, then I could switch to these.
The Gibala et. al study is great, but I think it only shows the benefits that adding a novel stimulus into the mix can have over a short training period (2 weeks in the case of the study). As you mentioned, if a trained athlete continued to perform this 2.5hr/week SIT protocol, they would likely grow stale and watch their gains diminish. I would go a step further and suggest that they would likely begin to lose aerobic fitness and endurance capacity in the long run, because of the lack of time devoted to training below LT1 (which I understand to be ~
Cool format. Make's me wonder.... could an application for this be if your training is disrupted close to an event.... say an injury, illness, or life stress.... do a bit of SIT to try and ramp back up and salvage some fitness.
It's a great question, Jake! We'd like to see this researched.
There are those who claim/insist that SIT is far better at reducing visceral fat than endurance running. I am on week 3 of doing SIT. Only doing it 2x/week for now and only 4 sets per day that I do it. It really makes you sore so I don't want to overdo it. I will eventually increase the amount of sets I do but I really don't see me doing it more than 2x/week because from what I have researched that isn't necessary. I will continue to (also) do fast walking and also some running.
Lacks backwards hat Dylan and hypergain beast mode Ad for a full copy.
I have been doing something similar for decades it works
Most old timers have been doing that. Me included
Submaximal training (85% all out speed) - 'intensive tempo' (85% with shorter recovery) will push the HR to max every time, and for a long sprinter, this is as valuable if not more valuable than SIT as described here (with longer recovery). You need both. Race pace and intensive tempo. There is the issue of semantics, some studies have termed HIIT as any effort lasting longer than 60s and SIT, shorter than 60. Even if you're taking 4 min rest between intervals, you will not be able to sustain 95%+ top speed over 6 repeats of 32 sec. With longer rest, perhaps. All out effort doesn't = all out speed.
It could also be that the effect of passing of two weeks (under either regime) did not have any marginal effect on the metrics that were tracked. Two weeks is too short a time.
i.e. there the design of the study could be flawed.
Does S.I.T recover better? If so, it seems like a good way to train during base period when you do a lot of resistance training.😊
I miss Thor
Dylan Johnson
Sounds to me like the SIT group basically just had a two-week taper that the other group didn't have.
How is this different from tabata intervals?
Tabata intervals focus on limiting rest and emphasizing repeats, while SIT allows generous rest and emphasizes maximal output rather than repeats of the effort.
How can we implement this training in trainerroad?
Any similar research done with women?
I'm confused, I think Jonathan got younger....
I have a TR plan set up for cyclocross - Why doesn't it throw in some sprint trainings?
CX plans definitely have workouts in there that build your anaerobic capacity! :)
Lets say Im on SweetSpot Base Low Volume 2..
If I should/would change one of the workouts, Vo2 - Sweetspot - Threshold, to a Sprint workout.
Wich one should I choose to switch?
The best approach is to follow your existing plan and add in SIT efforts incrementally over time as a supplement to your plan. If you must substitute in the base phase, I'd suggest swapping out the higher intensity workout with SIT.
4min is a short recovery for us trackies 🤣🤣
Y'all lay down insane watts though! ⚡
I am confused
He said 65% or sweetspot or tempo intensity
I thought sweetspot was 88 - 94% and tempo is 76 to 87%?
I feel like this video needs a “Backwards Hat Jonathan.”
That being said, great video. Very informative!
Are there any workouts in TR that simulate this workout?
Yes! There are many of them to pick from. Check out the "Max Efforts" category of Sprint Workouts in our workout library :)
I did Haku as an outdoor workout a few times last month. We've since moved, and I'm still looking for a route than will work well, then will start again.
I am on a low volume plan (tue, thu, sun), and adding the extra sprint workout on Sat seems to be manageable.
Since it is an all-out effort, I assume the target watts/percentage of ftp is irrelevant?
And, would there be any value in alternating between seated and standing sprints, either in the same workout; or one week standing, next week seated?
Correct in assuming that the power target would be irrelevant for the SIT intervals - just give it all you've got! Regarding seated vs. standing, it would be great to do both, but the guiding principle here should be specificity. If you plan to use this sort of fitness in an out of the saddle, typical sprint scenario, this is a great opportunity to practice. If not, no prob doing them seated as long as you are able to give it your all.
I spent a winter doing 2 sessions a week of something similar called sprint 8. AFter a warm up, It is 8 all-out sprints with 90 seconds of recovery. It was brutal. The first few times I did it, it looked like I had two black eyes. My wife was scared that I was going to really hurt myself. It took an insane amount of mental fortitude. That being said, I did maintain surprisingly good fitness with these workouts that only lasted 20 minutes. Shortly after I joined TR. I don't know how sprint 8 affected my FTP, as I wasn't measuring it at the time, but TR took me from 270 to 310 watts in 4 months. I don't think I got anywhere near those gains using 2 sprint 8 sessions plus a long ride every week.
Did the endurance group get to eat more than the sprint group?
That's a great question that highlights an area for improvement in many studies. Since it has such a profound effect on performance, we'd love to see on and off the bike nutrition measured during all studies.
LOL, you've been taking the mickey out of training by chasing Strava KOMs for years, and yet, if you went out and chased 4-6 30s KOMs (with the additional benefit of Strava KOM motivation, live segment data etc) it might not be so bad after all.
A little bit superficial. The purpose of the SITs is to sink the lactate buildup rate (which is counterintuitive, but that is what the studies show) and increases fat oxidation rate. That is why it is so effective on time trial-like efforts. You ideally pair these units with training on an empty stomach and with Sweet Spots efforts at very low cadence (below 55).
Tough enough to keep consistency good with life and other stress, not adding sprints to that. I have the extra time, rather keep it at lower intensities to not hurt myself.
Wise you are, Rickus!
Sprint Interval Training
SIT = Segment intervals @ Two-am
More like this pls. The podcasts are a bit zzzz
All it needed was a “Backwards hat Jonathan” and the rip off would be complete 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Should have just given Dylan a job.
Where is backward hat Dylan?
Warm up
Z1-5 minutes
Z2- 20 minutes
Z3 5 minutes
10x
Z7 30-sec
Z1 30-sec
Rest before next set
Z1 2-minutes
Repeat 4 times
I think it's sprint INTERVAL training and not sprint INTENSITY training
WTH is a "recovery interval" besides being an oxymoron??
You've just invented a new name for HIIT training! Max effort for 10-60s with almost full recovery between IS HIIT!
It's a specific term for a specific type of HIIT. 3x8min VO2 max intervals are also considered high intensity intervals, so in the case of describing a very specific type of work interval in a study/meta-analysis, it's important to easily differentiate between groups using this particular type of sprint interval training.
@@ktakashismith VO2 max intervals are exactly that. HIIT is HIIT and it is different, it is ALL OUT for very short periods with full recovery between. 40/20's or 20/40's are also NOT HIIT, they are just fancy VO2 intervals. What he describes in the video is HIIT, this is why people do HIIT wrong thinking it is any kind of hard interval session, HIIT is very specific.
90% of your training in the recovery zone? WTF is the point of even getting on the bike then? Just do a couple days of Berserker mode riding, and find something more constructive to do with your time while the rest meander around in 36/28 getting passed by geriatrics on their hoverounds. These "studies" are asinine!
Can’t talk…..sprinting……🥵
no shit going harder is better, you can go 100 miles at 12 mph, but will never challange you, thas why the more you scale ot the better