Really had my fingers crossed for “the nice easy ones”

I would rate this content for 11 out of 10. Thanks

The 30s/30s tabata sounds good, but I prefer the 23s/19s so I can forget which interval I'm on and go smash some Strava KOMs instead

This video is a HIT 💯

Dude, thank you for cutting down the length of the intro. Love your work!

The Gorby is one Zwift workout that gets it right - a perfect V02max workout. Very simple 5x5 at 110% FTP with 5 minutes recovery in between. I really like The Gorby and when you're doing the intervals you can barely complete the last one - which means it really works. As Dylan said, many of the Zwift workouts are hodge podge. But there are some "pure" workouts in Zwift as well. The 2x20 is straight forward FTP work, there's a good sprint one too.

Hi Dylan, another excellent piece of content. I have been using long intervals for all my racing "career", but recently I changed my mind a little bit. I've read an article by Veronique Billat about HIIT training and I was confused. It turned out that most of the best runners use either short intervals (30/30, 15-15, 30/15, etc. like in Ronnestad study) or "longer" 2-6 min intervals. The reason for this duration is the time to exhaustion on VO2max which lasts form around 5 to 10 min depending on the athlete. Runners determine their time to exhaustion and then use intervals which are approximately 50% of TTE. This type of work can quickly elicit VO2max and athletes spend a lot of time around this number. Bent Ronnestad used this protocol (30/15) to check if it can elicit more time around VO2max than more conventional training. I can't agree that it wasn't the same amount of work because training sessions were equalized by the "effort match approach" (RPE and time off work durations were equal between training sessions) developed by Stephen Sieler in one of his studies (time duration of relief interval one mentioned in your video). The problem with 4x8 min intervals is that the study was conducted on moderately trained subjects (VO2max 52 mL kg/min). Like it was stated on review "High-Intensity Interval Training, Solutions to the Programming Puzzle : Part I: Cardiopulmonary Emphasis." by Paul Laursen the effectiveness of this type of work lies in spending a larger amount of time at maximal stroke volume which could be possibly beneficial for recreationally trained athletes. However, the effect of the 4x8 min on highly trained athletes is unknown and it is probably better for them to do shorter 2-6 min intervals that elicit VO2max. It is possible to elicit it with lower intensity intervals (4x8 min), but working between LT and VO2max in highly trained athletes may not elicit VO2max at all. Concluding 4x8 min intervals are great for beginners, but effectiveness for elite athletes is unknown. Stephen Seiler has done awesome series about Ronnestad like intervals and it is deffinetly worth watching.

Can you please have backwards hat Dylan release a training video (parody) and have frontward facing hat Dylan interrupt him?! 😂

Great videos Dylan. Thanks a lot for all the work you are putting into researching and making them. Much appreciated

Thank you for making these videos. and thank you for sharing what they look like in training peaks. Your tone and manner is spot on. Keep on keeping on!

Your vids are great Dylan, a perfect combo of real -life and science. Love it

Fantastic video, doing Intervals this morning and you provided me clear simple information of what I need to do.

Thank you so much for explaining the science behind hiit trainings but most importantly sharing your best training sessions. I struggled to find a good set to increase fitness and now started on the 4x8 minutes regime and it’s just bang on. Thumbs up and keep the great video’s coming!

Great info as always. And BHD was bringing his game pretty strong this week.

I enjoyed this video and appreciate the info in it. I started "Miracle Intervals" a couple of weeks back and haven't felt challenged enough. Now I have some food for thought.

Always appreciate your videos Dylan - cheers.

Awesome video. I learned a ton that i can share with my team! Thanks for the video!

Dylan, I am watching all of your videos for more than 1 year now and I train a lot (>16h/week). I am also watching other videos about training etc. Your work is very valuable. I love it. This vid is on top of that: OUTSTANDING !!!! Best regards from Germany

Thanks a lot Dyaln, great tips once again.

Excellent...on a plateau and need this structure. Thanks!

Another great video. I really appreciate them. Going to do some HIT this evening!

Great videos, love the content and the use of references.

This vídeo is a great one! Thanks for sharing you’re knowledge

Stephen Seiler now has a channel and has a video containing a good explanation of the Ronnestad paper. The goal of that research was not to compare protocols (30/15 vs. steady) with the same work rate (power) and total work time, but to compare protocols with the same rate of perceived effort and total work time. The results were that the athletes were able to ride at higher power levels during the 30/15s than steady state for the same perceived effort and total work time and therefore gained greater benefit from the training.

Thanks for always presenting the science 🤘

Best Channel on UKposts. Love your Vids

Dylan! Always good content and in-depth review! You're seriously inspiring. Plus, your videos are usually in the Blue Ridge, so I'm a seriously happy camper.

Hi Dylan, a great video as usual, but I think you've somewhat missed the point of the HIIT study. The hypothesis was that the short intervals with rest were effort matched to the longer intervals. For each different type of interval, they each represented what was achievable by the athlete. So as you point out the overall work(joules) for the HIIT sessions was higher, and it was concluded that the interval structure was largely responsible for enabling this to happen. The study author Ronnestad has presented these papers prior to publishing. If you haven't already watched them, I can highly recommend watching the presentations, they are the on ECSS youtube channel. "High Intensity Interval Training and Periodization". He discusses in byte sized chunks what led them to test the intervals they did, and also the background of previous studies which led them to test the hypothesis they did. So it does cover the what you pointed out as issues in the studies and why they did it that way.

Excellent content, thanks Dylan

You are a beast broskie!!! 🤘🏾📊 Watching your videos are really helping me dial things in on my training!!

Thanks Dylan. That was helpful & informative

This was an excellent explanation of interval training!!

Great video again Dylan!

Love your videos. Very informative and funny. Keep them coming. Thanks.

One of the best sports science videos. Big shout out from Hong Kong!

Great job as usual.

Fantastic video! I really like the "simpler is better approach". It lets you focus more on performing the session as planned without worrying about the complexity of the workout. Interestingly, I have always considered 4x8 min to be my standard "go to" set.

I really enjoy your videos coach.

Nicely timed video as I get ready for my 8min interval session😁 Can you do a video on the sort of sessions you should do during a race season?

Thank you! Keep it simple! 👍

Hi Dylan, only discovered your channel recently and been binge-watching it since then! Love your content and your calm way of presenting. If you´re looking for further topics, why not look into the effects of sauna on regeneration? I´d be really interested in this ;-) Thanks again for all your great content!

Hi Dylan, really enjoy your channel - you are one of the few coaches that truly talks sense! Just a note on the Ronnestad 13*30/15 intervals - the thinking behind that protocol was that if the 30s effort is spent pretty much at VO2max power, the 15s recovery period is too short to allow for a full drop in your oxygen utilization, and that in that way you get to spend about 10 min (13*45s) at close to your VO2max, which is difficult to achieve with other protocols as the lag before you are truly exchanging oxygen maximally is about 2 minutes after a rest period. So, in short they were designed to try and maximize the time you spend near VO2max. An additional side benefit for racing, is that the repeated accelerations also tax your neuromuscular system. I've used them for quite a few years now, and I do find them very effective, especially as you suggest about 4 to 6 weeks before racing starts - they are a great way to get your crit legs on.

great timing, was just discussing how to get over the plateau I am seeing now that I am outside more often that inside on the trainer. Perfect, thanks so much. Stay safe. RIP Vt 50. :(

This is the perfect video I needed!!!!!!

Spot on! I am a big S Seiler fan and a fan of keeping it simple.

Thanks Dylan for this very comprehensive video! I would suggest to validate your HIT workout session looking at your Heart Rate Drift. VO2max usually corresponds to >95% of your Maximun Heart Rate. In the course of your intervals, you shall 'cross' your 95% HR max. If not, you are just doing 'Tempo' training. If yes, you are well landing to VO2max area.

Fantastic video. The 6 week mention related to burnout/effectiveness is spot on. I did HIIT stuff before cross season and I was in bang up shape in about a month. Then was getting mental fatigue for the next 3-4 weeks. If you're doing the HIIT stuff correctly, you should be almost dead by the end of the sessions. Then you need to rest appropriately, not go out and ride 2+ hour "recovery" rides. You should be spent. Towards the end of cross season I got my legs and mind back and made sure I was resting properly. Same workouts, but adjusted rest. It was new to do the HIIT stuff correctly, I had always just done the reps, but the more I read about it, the more I realized you really have to dig through the reps towards the end of the sessions. Programmable trainer helps greatly so you don't blow up after 2 reps.

This channel isn't boring but is cycling-scientific oriented, great work Dylan.

Awesome breakdown!!!

Hi Dylan, you're doing a great job! I really appreciate all your advices. I cycle here in Malaysia with lot's of climbs (15-20% grade average). Your movies are very encouraging for us here, cheeers!

This a great video.... once again!!

Great video and I love your philosophy regarding a more simple interval structure, which mirrors my view. I call the 'complicated' interval sets as "entraintainment"!

Great videos. I really like your scientific approach. Would like more information about coaching.

I have to start doing them. I’ve been excusing a plateau for about a year.

Finally somebody explains in a very understandable way hiit intervals, thanks so much for this video! What do you think about Sufferfest workouts? At least they are addictive!

SUPER GOOD! Thanks.

New here. Wow! Crammed a lot of great info into a short time and presented it well. Like the fact that there is room for interpretation as well as individual preferences. I guess that most here don't need to be reminded that lactic acid is not your friend when doing intervals.

Thanks again !!!

No matter, if you go 30/15 , 4min or 8min.. if you say afterwards " dude that went easy" it simply was no HIT workout... so get roasted or stay home 😛

Legend

I was just reading up about this, you read my mind! Could you possibly do an episode about the different kinds of training methods, like polarized training vs. Sweet spot training.

I only did intervals once a week. I did a sprint workout once a week. Intervals were specific to a psychological goal, threshold, VO2, processing. Criterium type intervals are very different than intervals for time trials. Climbing intervals are different, too. Recovery between intervals is as long as needed to maintain power for the length of interval. Building up to 5x5min over a macrocycle will make you tough as h$%l. Sprints need full recovery. 10 seconds is a good start for sprint. Work up to 20 second sprints. All my riders became monster finishers after working hard on sprints.

Just did 10x3 mins @ 386 watts today, first Vo2 HIIT interval of the year and omg I'm not used to such high intensity lol. Body was just crying for my Z2 rides but really glad I pushed through. Racing is here!

Hi my friend, i from Chile, i see your videos and read the articles , i very happy with your reviews,i used that found my to discriminate information and use the more correctly method for X period, i physical education teacher, Master in sport science and all videos of you upload show different information with that you must interpret with your necesity, since there is no master recipe , thanks !

Wicked concent dude

I'm no expert but this is what I've noticed in regards to mid-to-high intensity cycling workouts: you'll be good at what you do in training. If your goal is a higher 8 minute power, doing only tabata intervals isn't going to help as much as working on sustained, above threshold intervals. Great content! I think all these workouts have a place depending on the needs of the cyclist.

As a bit of redemption for Zwift's training platform, try programing your own 4x and 8x sessions in ergo mode. The most disciplined intervals you'll ever do.

As Usual...a Great video! 👍

Great as usual Dylan , Yeah I always think it's funny when riding mate say 30 second interval are " easier" , I always know I am doing them right when I almost puke at the end of my second set 😭

Another great video Dylan! Between you, Sonya Looney's podcast, and the TrainerRoad podcast I've learned a ton about training, nutrition, and cycling. Thank you so much! I'm curious about combining HIIT training with another hard but non-structured ride during the week. Say I do 2, hour long HIIT sessions during the week, then do a long / hard MTB ride on the weekend (30+ miles) - where I'll be hitting VO2 max intervals several time cos its mountain biking. Is that going to be too much stress? Should I only do one HIIT workout that week?

Hi Dylan, Enjoying your posts! Just installed power meter pedals and starting to learn about training. I'm 61 and bike to help with my endurance for racing my off road motorcycle. Yet, I still enjoy getting stronger/faster on the bicycle and most importantly stronger endurance for my racing my motorcycle. I just obtained my FTP last week and now training lower zones verses pushing hard all the time. Want to be efficient and not over train. Have you come across any age specific does and don't in your research? Next I'll look into power between left and right sides. Seeing 55%L/45%R. Just today realized I start out with my left foot clipped in, but that should not account for much more power on the left side. Thank you!

Very great !!!

Just finished 1 min x 120% FTP with 1 min x 50% FTP with 30 repeats. What a great fun. :) Thanks for video. Really helpful!

Hey Dylan! Great content, as usual. I'm wondering, when we talk about progressive overload during the training block, at what rate this overload should progress? E.g. in terms of TSS.

Let's take a look at the science!

Somehow i accidentally managed to do a workout similar to the tabotta, i do a quick warm up and then i do around 20-35 laps of 25 second hard zones on a climb with a recovery lap every 10 and it seems to be working

Hi Dylan, great video! one question still: would you recommend to do the threshold intervalls at a specific cadence?

This is in fact one the best videos in a long time on youtube. I love it the way you take complex matters from all over the net and simplifies them. I totally agree with you that many times we have over-processing in training physiology. Great great video - keep it up

I just spent some time perusing Google Scholar and my school's databases for articles on active vs. passive recovery. If like me, you've never given much consideration to passive recovery then you'll find yourself a really interesting rabbit hole. One of the more fascinating findings was that in one study, they found that passive recovery resulted in a higher RPE (I would speculate that's due to contrast bias). Other studies found little difference between the two with regards to adaptations, they both seemed to work equally well. Others suggested active recovery as a best practice. One thing that struck me was that there doesn't seem to be enthusiastic community consensus one way or another (still have to do a more thorough dive though, perhaps a more thorough investigation will uncover some consistency). Not at all what I was expecting to find.

Love your videos, and wondering how sustainable are HIIT or Build Phases in light of the current extended training period. Is there any science out there about rockin the Build endlessly or is a Z2 week/month needed to keep the gains coming?

Great content. I'm always viewing your vidoes over and over as I develop as a rider. One question I do have though is How do you stay in zone when you are doing race specific intervals on a MTB track? Should you aim for as hard as I can go over the time period or should the average watts over the period be your target watts? Because I find it hard to get to my FTP value on the MTB trails. Or should I do my intervals on the road, which is much easier to get consistant watts? Thanks for any advice you can give. Clint

Dylan, could you do a video on rest weeks? I prefer to ride only easy, zones 1 and 2 for 5-6 days, followed by an easier workout. I have had some people criticize this, saying that I should do a similar workouts to a normal week, with reduced volume. I say their rest week is really what a taper should be, but it would be nice to see what the science says.

good information here

In psychotherapy for anxiety one of our most evidence-based practices is exposure response prevention which voluntarily introduces measured low levels of emotional adversity to which the patient practices learning to cope or adapt. In meditation the really secret in the sauce is the experience of having your thoughts drift away briefly (often to stressful thoughts) and then brining you’re focus back to a more comfortable place like the breath. The HIIT structure is inherent in all of these. Similarly on a macro level, periodization training largely looks like a year long HIIT session. This mechanism really is something special for so many aspects of being a human.

You are the GOAT

This content is DOPE! I want to get better on 5hour rides with around 1000-1900 climbs in it? So I'm not sure which 2 intervals a week would be good to start with? The 10x30sec. and 4x4min. or maybe replace the 4x4 with a longer one?

Before I had a power meter I used to go too hard on the first and second intervals and then fade significantly over the course of the workout. Lesson: Leave something in the tank at the beginning so you can get a good consistent workout.

Tabata training is defined as training at the intensity that exhausts subjects during the 7th or 8th sets of 20-s bicycle exercise bouts with a 10-s rest between the exercise bouts. The term ‘Tabata training’ emphasizing not only the procedure but also the exercise intensity that exhausts the subject after 7-8 sets of the exercise. In the original research, the intensity was ~170% of the power required to elicit VO2max, which is about 200% of FTP. Any lower intensity or higher rep is not Tabata training but another type of high intensity intermittent training.

Hi great video like your channel. Question Does the timing of when you eat before a ride or race matter? When is it most effective?

I am understanding something wrong or is there an error with the shown percentage of the intervals? The VO2max intervals (12:35)are shown with 4x4 min @110-125% of FTP. But the 4x8min intervals (13:43) are also shown with the same intensity of 110-125% of FTP? Am I missing something? I think the percentage is too low for the VO2max intervals, right?

Brilliant video ! Just wondering if the unnamed cycling channel contained the letters C N G although not necessarily in that order, as they love to rave about short rides and not doing base work.

OH - also - a fun, outside ,Tabata like workout I do - "Telephone pole sprints" (if you have telephone poles on route) Sprint from one to another, rest from that one to next, alternate 8 times. I find it hard to ride a structured workout outside at times, that this little doozie is fun and helps get those cross legs prepped.

Love the analysis, full and objective as ever. Training for a long multi day challenge (LEJOG - 8 days of 140 miles, one end of the UK to the other), pairing Vo2 and Threshold intervals with a fair amount of zone 2, thought is the higher I can get my Vo2/threshold the better I will be at absorbing the long days & elevation...

hey Dylan, super cool video, thanks! I'm focused on Triathlon and primarily ride my TT bike. Do you think it is necessary to do my VO2 max intervals in Aeroposition to be more specific, or is that not necessary? Thanks! Alex

Can you cover the topic of periodization of heat training; i.e., is a protocol where you do your endurance sessions in the heat but your high intensity sessions in cooler conditions better than doing all sessions (high and low intensity) in the heat?

Just rewatched this, great info Dylan as usual! One question... at the end when you show the graphs of the workouts, on the 4x8s the intensity shows 110%-125%. This is the same intensity as on the 4x4 graph. Is that correct or should it be lower? Keep up the great vids...

Finally Zwift listened to you Dylan. They are introducing Tabata now ;)

Hey Dylan - Your 4x4 VO2 Max intervals and 4X8, 8 minute intervals are both at the same intensity - 110-125% FTP. The only differences are that the 8 minute intervals are twice as long and the recovery times are shorter. Is this what you intended to say?

Great content as usual! I know it's not always feasible to aim for a number during the 30s/15s intervals but surely for the 4 and 8 minute intervals a % of FTP rule is helpful as a guide? What would you suggest?

you certainly don't want to be doing those 4 x 8 min intervals at 110-125% like you had on the TP set up trust me!!! anyone that regularly does that session will say even 105-110% is pretty solid for those efforts on only 2 mins rest. cracking video as always