Hi. I need to shed a few pounds added over the last 6 months and plan on using HIIT sessions.
Any recommendations on which of the cycling workouts fit this criteria?
Thanks
Nearly all of them.
Specific workouts may be:
Revolver
Half is Easy
The Trick
Team Scream
The Omnium
ProRides
Thanks I’ll try a few of these.
Bear in mind that weight loss is dependent on food intake, too, not just what exercise you do.
1 Like
I’m planning on using the my fitness pal app to monitor calorie intake.
I don’t know your eating habits, but making sure to eat 5 servings of veg and 5 of fruit every day helped me shed some pounds (and is a healthier way to eat). It made me feel full all the time!
1 Like
One suggestion you may want to consider that helped me drop 25# in 2021. At least once a week do a fasted ride. My staple was Friday mornings. NO calories in before the ride, just water or tea. Then I would do a ride, typically a tempo ride, for two hours.
I would have a good recovery drink ready in the fridge to take as soon as I finished.
I did the Rapha 500 to close out the year and I did four of the rides as fasted rides. Helped keep off the excess pounds I would typically put on from my wife’s great holiday baking.
I have the same issue with my wife’s cooking over holiday periods. Too tasty to say no. These are the pounds I’m now trying to shed.
I’ll try the fasted rides, have done some research and this have worked in the past.
The HIIT research also suggests similar results are possible and as time is short at present for rides, this was the reason I was considering this as an option with longer rides on weekends.
No question HIIT rides will work. I used them a lot. I just found the fasted ride was a nice change of pace that still yielded results for me. Good luck!
So true. I managed to shed 6kg by cutting cookies and alcohol and eating fruit & veg instead.
1 Like
I also cut sweets and reduced alcohol (although from a low base). Then when I went from 3 to 4 hours of exercise per week to 7 to 8 hours (coincident with buying a KICKR and starting Sufferfest/SYSTM), I had to add back some sweets to stabilize my weight when it kept on dropping. I forced it to stabilize when I got to what I weighed 20 years ago. I had no interest in returning to my collegiate telephone pole with a head days.
2 Likes
Hi @Daviescgwen! @titanicus provided excellent suggestions! I am a HUGE fan of HIIT training and think it provides multiple health and fitness benefits. Do you have a heart rate monitor with a chest strap? It is super helpful to have an honest check of your workout training intensity to ensure that you accumulating the correct percentage of time in the high intensity zones… too much is just as much of a detriment as not enough.
Yes I have a heart rate monitor and am finding HIIT sessions of benefit but need to get the balance right between these and longer zone 2 rides. Not sure I’ve achieved this yet.
Interesting to here that getting the nutritional balance correct was mentioned as I struggle here with longer rides and bonking if the are intervals and surges.
I’m finding I can last a 40 minute HIIT no problem at all but on a 2 hour ride with 3 x 12 min sweet spot I failed to complete the 3rd interval. I’m trying to reduce calories but this is clearly impacting here.
@coach.jinger.g How many HIIT sessions would you suggest in a week?
Which of the videos would your recommend?
Thanks
C Davies
I get so massively ‘hangry’ if I’d try that, I’d be in jail within a week… Brave souls who manage this!
Don’t you bonk within an hour though?
1 Like
Not at all. I woke up early this morning, geared up and rode Half The Road for the first time. 1 Hour 46 Minutes. I rode it in Level 1 mode because ERG is just too easy. I averages 71.6% of my FTP so I still took it easy.
I finished, cleaned up the area around the bike of wet towels and soaked headbands. Took a shower and hung my kit on a rack in the garage to dry.
Only then did I have my recovery drink, my first calories of the day. It was 16 oz of milk with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a scoop of protein powder. Feeling great, then off to work.
2 Likes
Any advice on nutrition on indoor sessions?
If for arguing sake I’m doing a 2 hr ride at zone 2 with 3x12 minute intervals on the ride at 90%FTP on an indoor trainer what would I need to eat to get me through a session?
Did this last weekend and the third interval beat me but I finished the rest of the ride.
Any advice great fully received.
Cutting alcohol…no problem. 
Cutting cookies…unforgivable …no way … ain’t doin’ it. 
3 Likes
HI @Daviescgwen! The research on the amount of HIIT demonstrates that training above 90% of heart rate max should be 5-9% of your total training. Any more than 9% for an experienced athlete leads to accumulated fatigue with greater risk for injury and overreaching. Typically, this translates to 2 x 30-40 min HIIT sessions per week.
And I agree! The nutrition component is critical especially during longer rides (greater than 90 min). Have you listened to the podcast about fueling?
@TrapMeSuf BAHAHAHA! You have just described my exact feeling if I tried to perform a fasted endurance ride.
1 Like