The debate over cardio vs. high-intensity interval training (HIIT) usually assumes that the issue is an either/or choice. In that debate, HIIT is usually compared to absurdly low levels of cardio exercise — not to the kinds of classes ICI-PRO instructors probably teach.
This post explores the evolutionary value of combining cardio and HIIT.
In his book Born To Run, Christopher McDougall reveals the blend of morphology, paleontology, anthropology, physics, and math that led to understanding how humans became the greatest distance runners in the animal kingdom.
There’s no way this short article could do justice to McDougall’s fascinating and detailed description of the emergence of homo sapiens over Neanderthals (they were parallel species), and the evolution of humans as supreme hunters — hundreds of thousands of years before the creation of the tools we associate with hunting (spearheads, bows and arrows).
A few of the evolutionary changes include:
– upright posture to allow deeper breathing and limit retention of sun heat
– the ability to release body heat through sweat, rather than panting like other mammals until they must rest or die of hyperthermia
– the ability to accelerate when the pursued animal has been run to exhaustion.
So human “persistence hunting” combined endurance running primarily, with some sprints. Humans evolved to run in conditions that no other animals can match, and it’s easier for us.
Good At Endurance, and For a Long Time
Endurance athletes can typically continue into what would be considered old age in other sports. In many cases, such as distance running, they can still out-perform teenagers or 20-year-olds until their mid-60s.
At his first double-marathon, the most notable thing my then-35-year-old coach, Jim Karanas, saw was the age of most of the runners, who were 45 to 55. He said it told him immediately that the ultra-run was more of a mental than a physical challenge.
When workouts are always high-intensity, over-training is likely. So are failure to recover fully and a high incidence of injury.
It’s also likely that someone will burn out after constant high-intensity work, making it feel like drudgery, instead of something to look forward to each day. Why not work out in a way that you’d enjoy making part of your schedule long-term? Why not create classes like that to bring your participants back over and over again?
Matt Fitzgerald, noted marathon runner and author, suggests endurance training primarily with 2 to 3 high-intensity trainings per week.
McDougall quotes researcher Dr. Dennis Bramble, who said, “If you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.”
But let’s not limit this to running. Endurance athletes of other types display similar results. Countless stories describe master’s cyclists in their 50s and up outperforming younger cyclists.
In his 50s, my coach raced against the cyclists in the 30-year-old category — because he found he could perform better against them than against the experienced racers his own age! Those guys kicked his butt when he was first starting to race.
He was also one of the few (and the oldest that weekend) to ride the notorious Furnace Creek 508 fast enough to qualify for RAAM.
So the choice isn’t really between short, intense intervals and long, slow cardio with a magazine. The right kind of training is not either/or, but both.
(The cardio, of course, should be hard enough to cause a training effect, not help you catch up on your reading.)
This perfect combination is effective, enjoyable, sustainable over the long haul, and entirely in sync with our evolutionary nature.
No more hunting for new music or counting out cues to develop your ride profile. Here is your ready to ride profile for a fully choreographed ride, that can be displayed from your phone, or printed out onto cue cards for your class. This ride is timed out, down to the second, to make your life as easy as possible!
After 37 years of waiting we finally have another Triple Crown Winner. I love horse racing, the beauty, the grace and the power of these animals is intoxicating. Over the last 37 years there have been many horses that have won 2 of the 3 Triple Crown races, but they have no one has been able to pull off the trifecta. The fact that so few horses have been able to win this coveted award is what makes this year's Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, so special and I've decided to immortalize this year's event in a cycling video.
I'm lucky enough to teach at many different facilities and all but one of them have bikes with power. The beauty of power is that every interval can be turned into a race. You can compete against your FTP (Functional Threshold Power), your previous interval's average wattage or just about anything you, as the instructor, can dream up. The first two Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, take about 2 minutes for the horses to complete and the third race, the Belmont, is a bit longer and takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds to finish. These 3 races fit perfectly into a 3 interval set. For the first interval I have my participants ride to the Kentucky Derby video which takes 2 minutes and 3 seconds to complete. At the end of this first race participants get a 30 second recovery, I also have them take note of their average wattage. For the second race, the Preakness, which will take 1 minute and 58 seconds to complete I ask my riders to beat their average Derby wattage by at least 1 watt. The Preakness is followed by another 30 second recovery. Now it's time for the Belmont and a chance to win The Triple Crown. This race is going to take 2 minutes and 26 seconds. I tell my class that if they can complete the Belmont with the same average wattage that was ridden for the Preakness they will be the Triple Crown Champion.
Now let the races begin!
Check out my Triple Crown Video with embedded soundtrack
Tommy Taylor with professional cyclist George Hincapie
Finding a sub for your typical Indoor Cycling class can be a real challenge at times… finding someone qualified to coach a room full of experienced cyclists and endurance athletes expecting a Performance Cycle class can be nearly impossible. Impossible that is unless you happen to be friends with a popular, local cycling coach like my friend Tommy Taylor 🙂 Tom agreed to coach this week's Performance Cycling class for me, while I'm in Phoenix for a family wedding!
This week's class profile is a repeat of week one – which was very well received by my athletes – Coach Troy’s Spinervals Competition 22.0 — Time Trialapalooza. This week will be different with many now having a true understanding of FTP after our assessment last week! Tom is a believer of the “Best Effort” I include in every class to give everyone a baseline wattage to work off of = no one is sitting there wondering; “what the heck is my threshold you're telling me to work below, @ or above?
Class length 75 minutes + Cool Down
Warm Up — 10 minutes. 5 minutes of gradual increases in wattage. During the second 5 mins. we’re finding the wattage where everyone is first noticing a change in breathing; VT1 / Aerobic Threshold = the top of the Recover Zone shown above. This establishes a rough understanding of a base wattage that we use throughout the rest of class.
3 x 30 sec. Hard / 30 sec. Easy – Openers to AT/LT. I cue these by first having everyone find the amount of load @ 70 RPM that has them feeling they should (not just could) come out of the saddle. The 30 sec. Hard is then simply accelerating to 90+ RPM which results in some pretty impressive power numbers. The 30 sec. Easy is back to 70 RPM — many will stand during the Easy portion.
2 minutes rest – I encourage riders to focus on their recovery. Once they feel calm in their breathing, bring back the Base level work wattage.
20 min. Tempo — Here I included a 4 min. “Best Effort” to establish a benchmark PTP Personal Threshold Power (top of the Perform Zone) or ride at 110% of FTP if known. It’s very helpful to riders to have that understanding of their personal upper wattage number. The “Best Effort” Threshold # + the Base Threshold # we found earlier form the three Power working zones I use in class.
– 1 min. build at preferred cadence (suggested as 85-95 rpm) — press the Stage Button to reset the averages.
– 4 min. “Best Effort” This should hurt, but be do-able. I ask everyone to observe their average at the end and then…
– 15 min. reduce effort slightly (15% — 20%) and maintain wattage in between the two Thresholds.
I have everyone note the combined average, over the full 20 minutes, at the end of this effort. I’ll use this wattage in the Tempo Intervals to follow.
5 min. Rest — Once breathing calms we bring back ~ Base Wattage and ride out of the saddle for a break.
15 min. Tempo — Quickly establish the average wattage from the 20 min. Interval. > Stage Button and then maintain. You may want to offer slight changes in cadence & load, while keeping wattage = to the initially established #.
5 min. Rest –
10 min Tempo — Time is shorter… so we should be able to work a little harder. Again quickly establish the average wattage from the 20 min. Interval + (if possible) add 10-20 watts > Stage Button and maintain
5 min. Rest
5 min. Tempo — What have you got left? I’ve got a really competitive group and although I heard some grumbling, they all appeared to push this 5 minutes at (some above) their PTP / FTP
Cool Down
Here’s my Playlist from week one's class in Spotify and Deezer – all are 10 minute+ songs. As this is a timed class, I don’t worry about trying to match the efforts to the music.
With CEU credits being given, and accomplished indoor instructors being challenged, educated and motivated to train with power… I can confidently say we have the real deal. We spent 6 hours off the bike exploring the foundation, science and practical tools of Power Training, and 2 hrs on the bike putting theory into practice. Those that are fortunate enough to have power bikes to go back to, have not merely a few more arrows in their quiver, they have a whole new quiver. The others will have to do the work of change agents, and try to motivate their clubs to action, or find other places to train and/or teach.
With this post, I will begin a weekly posting of the bulk of what I covered in one intense day (as well as embellishments along the way). If you follow along, you’ll get “powerized” over time. As a member of ICI/PRO you will also be permitted to download a host of tools week to week, that I charge for on my Cycling Fusion site. This is part of the ICI/PRO pledge to provide value for your membership. As we move into the Winter months, we will switch to more Heart Zones training, but power will never be far behind.
Let’s start with the basics: What is Power, and Why Should I Care?
What is Power?
In cycling, (indoors or out) it is simply the product or combination of the torque applied to the crank arm, and the RPM or cadence of rotation; think resistance and cadence combined. It is measured in Watts, as the product is indeed energy, and it is manifested as speed — the more power you apply, the faster you will make the bike go. ICI/PRO Members continue reading here.
