VO2 max - the measure of how much oxygen your body can get to your muscles - has tended to grab all the headlines when it comes to evaluating endurance running performance. After all, it's relatively straightforward to measure, gives quantifiable data and is a decent starting po...
of recovery between sets), and advanced triathletes can do two sets of six. Hill sprintsThese hard-charging intervals will give you the brute force you need to punch your way over short, steep climbs. Just remember, after you hit the summit use your gears
Q. I keep reading that the best way to improve on hills is to ride more hills. It's pretty flat where I live, so should I just keep going up and down the one hill I have access to or are there other ways to become stronger on the bike?A. Utilising
over time to as much as 300-400 metres downhill. Focus on your technique and try to go with the natural pace of the hill, but under control. Don’t sprint down, and try to avoid the opposite situation, where you try to brake with feet and quads. You can
between three and five minutes to climb. Ride up it as hard as you can while maintaining a consistent pace. Roll down the hill. Repeat three to six times. Simulate a solo attackStand and sprint for 10 to 15 seconds, sit and cycle hard for two and a half
've exhausted your supply, you can't restock it until you come to a complete stop. So, the only good time to sprint at the start of a race is when (a) the race is a sprint, or (b) the geography of the race makes it crucial for you to get to a certain turn, hill
of effort, so that your muscles do not become excessively fatigued. In sprint or Olympic-distance races (and on short hills), you can afford to exceed CP/CV as long as you don't do it for minutes at a time. Climb the hill steadily, with the sensation
a 1:48 and regularly hit 1:50. At the bottom of the hill, do several sprint repetitions, varying between 50m and 400m. Says Lydiard: "These sprint repetitions begin the development of your capacity to exercise anaerobically." After six weeks of hill
says. "If I do longer five- to eight-minute reps, I add some shorter hill sprints, or 30-second sprints just to break it up. I definitely look forward to sessions more now. Doing 10x1,000m straight can be quite hard, mentally." Combination workouts
should run 30-60 seconds per mile faster than easy pace). Repeat two to four times.Hills + SprintsSharpen speedThis taxing duo trains your body to resume goal pace after a short, fast spurt - as if you were passing someone in a race. "Throwing in a faster
