COAC H Rest intervals are another important consideration when designing HIIT programmes. The goal of a HIIT session is to accumulate a larger amount of work at a high intensity compared to one long continuous effort. It is critical that the rest intervals are sufficient to allow the cyclist to repeatedly reach their target intensities of the subsequent intervals. If the intensity of the recovery period is too high, or the duration is too short, the accumulated fatigue from the previous interval(s) will prevent the cyclist from adequately performing in the subsequent intervals. Typical work to rest ratios (work:rest) are 2:1, 1:1 or 1:2. The intensity and duration of the intervals will influence the amount of rest required, but the session should
be designed to allow the athlete to reach the target intensity in all the intervals.
WHEN DESIGNING A HIGHINTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING SESSION, THE FOLLOWING FACTORS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED: + The intensity of each interval
+
The duration of each interval
+
The intensity of each rest period
+
The duration of each rest period
+
Total work completed {number of intervals x duration of intervals)
Exercise caution when adding HIIT sessions to your training, because more is not always better. Increasing the number of HIIT sessions won’t always benefit endurance performance and you should aim to include –two to three HIIT sessions per week into your training during the relevant training blocks. BENOIT CAPOSTAGNO
currently works for Science to Sport in Cape Town. He is currently completing his PhD at the University of Cape Town and is investigating training adaptation and fatigue in cyclists. For more info: www.sciencetosport.com
