The 20 Minute Ride
In our last newsletter we looked at smarter nutrition. Today we’re examining how to stay fit with a simple 20 minute ride . Let’s get to it.
Holiday Season
Riding over the holiday season is hard. Less daylight, bad weather, and often greater family commitments. Most cyclists seem to think if they can’t get on the bike for at least an hour and a half they’re wasting their time. The science is clear this isn’t the case. In 20 minutes you can execute a solid workout that can make a difference in your overall health and performance.
HIIT
In simple terms, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves going really hard for short periods of time, interspersed with rest. A classic HIIT workout involves 4-6 all-out 30 second sprints with a few minutes of rest between each effort. Short, sweet, and effective at stimulating training adaptations and improving performance. The only downside? You have to go hard and going hard hurts.
A Simple Protocol
In a recent study, researchers set out to develop a workout protocol to alleviate some of the discomfort of HIIT while maintaining its high-intensity fitness boost. It’s called the 10-20-30. Here’s how it works.
- Warm up for about 5 minutes.
- Ride easy for 30 seconds, ride hard for 20 seconds, ride all-out for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
- Rest for 2 minutes.
- Ride easy for 30 seconds, ride hard for 20 seconds, ride all-out for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
- Cool down for about 5 minutes.
That’s It
In 20 minutes you can reap the rewards of typical endurance training while maintaining solid fitness on the bike. If you’re crunched for time or traveling with access to a gym, get at it and smash the trainer. 20 minutes a few times a week can keep you in the game and ready to throw down once the ride time opens up.
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