WU: 15 minutes building to 55-70%, including a 45 second effort at main interval set intensity after ~10 minutes.

MS: 3 x 12 minute blocks, each comprising: 16 x (30 seconds @ 120-130% / 15. seconds at 30-40%) with 4 minutes easy spinning as active recovery between each block of micro intervals.

CD: 5 minutes at 55%

PURPOSE: Increase the maximal volume of oxygen the body can take in and deliver to the working muscles. This workout stimulates improvements in stroke volume and mitochondrial function, enhancing overall aerobic capacity. It also improves speed of recovery between hard efforts (lactate buffering), enhances the ability to overcome force due to the need to re-accelerate multiple times, and increases anaerobic capacity and VLamax, as a significant amount of lactate can accumulate during each block of micro-intervals.

HIIT Types: Matches with Type #4 and Type #5.
- Targets: Focuses on anaerobic capacity and neuromuscular power, with some aerobic metabolism effects, particularly in Type #4, where both aerobic and anaerobic systems are engaged. This combination allows for the development of aerobic endurance alongside anaerobic power. The high neuromuscular and anaerobic demands necessitate careful management of recovery periods between sessions to prevent overtraining and ensure optimal adaptations.

Benefits of RST:
- Aerobic Adaptations: RST significantly enhances VO₂ max by improving the cardiovascular system's capacity, including stroke volume and mitochondrial function. The aerobic component of **Type #4** contributes to sustained improvements in oxygen delivery and utilization.
- Anaerobic Capacity and VLamax: The repeated sprints heavily tax the anaerobic energy systems, leading to substantial improvements in lactate production and buffering capabilities. This increases VLamax, enhancing the body's ability to generate energy anaerobically, which is critical for short, high-intensity bursts of power .
- Recovery and Lactate Buffering: RST enhances lactate clearance and recovery between sprints, improving the body's ability to manage high levels of metabolic byproducts and maintain performance during sustained high-intensity efforts. This is supported by work demonstrating that RST can stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and improve lactate clearance .

Supporting Research:
- The seminal study by Tabata et al. established the foundational benefits of high-intensity microburst intervals on both aerobic and anaerobic capacity, showing significant increases in VO₂ max and anaerobic performance in subjects performing repeated maximal efforts.
- More recent research suggests that microburst intervals may outperform classic VO₂ max intervals in developing aerobic capacity by stimulating a higher stroke volume and increased mitochondrial efficiency.

Additionally, these studies demonstrate that microburst intervals can provide a superior training stimulus for athletes seeking to improve both their aerobic and anaerobic capacities simultaneously, making RST an effective and versatile workout format for performance enhancement.

References:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23539308/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23832851/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8897392/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24382021/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31977120/

Total rest - bike free day

PURPOSE: Let your body and mind recover, absorb the benefits of recent training, and improve your fitness.

WU: 12 minutes building to 60-70%, including a 1 minute effort @ 95-105%.

MS: 8 x 12 second sprints, with 7 minutes at 50-65% between each sprint. The sprints should be a maximal effort, and the power targets prescribed in this file are for illustrative purposes only.

Remaining time @ 55-70%

CD: 5 minutes at 55%

PURPOSE: Develops speed of muscle contraction, strength of muscle contraction and how long the muscles can remain contracted by training ability of body to recruit more muscle fibres.

These sessions also contribute to improved anaerobic capacity by allowing access to greater phosphocreatine and glycogen stores. There is some evidence that sprint training can help improve aerobic capacity, possibly through improved mitochondrial function.

You can read more about the science supporting the use of sprint training here:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.14133
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14986190/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23539308/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20424855/

2:15:00 at 50-65%

Maintain intensity within the recommended range, but don't worry if you occasionally go beyond it; just keep pedalling consistently.

Endurance rides need individual tailoring. Well-trained cyclists might target 50–65% for long rides, while beginners benefit from 70–80%. This difference is due to beginners' lower absolute power output, allowing higher relative intensity with less strain.

PURPOSE: Build aerobic fitness by promoting increased mitochondrial production (cellular powerhouses), improved muscle capillarisation, slow-twitch muscle fibre development, and efficient fat utilisation as the primary fuel source.

These endurance rides ultimately enhance aerobic capacity, lactate threshold, muscular endurance, and reduce VLamax (maximal lactate production rate).

For further insights on the significance of low-intensity training, refer to this informative article by Stephen Seiler and Espen Tønnessen:
https://sportsci.org/2009/ss.htm