Beep. And off you go! The countdown begins. Your breathing quickens, your pulse increases by the second. Tunnel vision. Lactate pain in the thigh. The peak values on the speedometer are overturning. The pulse hammers against the sleepers, but time passes at a snail's pace. The next beep comes just before your legs give up due to over-acidification. Salvation.
The classic, painful scenario of interval training. Simply put, intervals are the repeated alternation between high and low intensities. They require a strong will but reward you with strong legs.
"You can take your form to a new level. Intervals are a real performance boost if you do them regularly and systematically," says World Cup pro Florian Vogel. Interval training is not only interesting for racers. Also
Bikers planning an Alpine cross or a tough tour benefit from the interplay with intensity. And this also makes training more exciting and varied. But simply getting your heart rate up quickly is no good. The right intensity is crucial. And this varies depending on the goal.
You can find the entire article on interval training with all the information and tables as well as bike training for cross country, marathon and Alpine cross as a PDF in the download area below.
You can find this article in BIKE 10/2019. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
