Intervals

When you jump on the indoor trainer try to make each session specific, rather than just flicking on the TV and pedalling away. In doing so you’ll find that the time passes more quickly as you’re focussed on your workout instead of watching the minutes tick by. To get you started with your interval training, and to keep things fresh, often it’s easier to use specific training tools with on screen instructions telling you when to push hard and when to recover.

 Incorporating regular interval sessions into your training routine can lead to vast improvements in your overall fitness, endurance and speed by increasing your cardiovascular efficiency (the ability to deliver oxygen to your muscles) and ability for your body to manage the build up of lactic acid.

There are many forms of interval training but each follow a common thread – integrating periods of high intensity with recovery to form a block of work, often repeated several times. As they are very intense sessions be sure to factor in enough recovery time throughout the week and don’t attempt to do them every day!

Although intervals can be done on the road, the beauty of doing them on an indoor trainer is that there are absolutely no distractions (other road users, traffic lights, roundabouts) to contend with so you really can focus on quality. You’re also not affected by weather conditions which means it’s a much more consistent and repeatable environment to monitor how your fitness is improving over time.