Right so started cycling to work a bit need to put the base miles back in somewhere but a cycle rides over 1hr 30 minutes doesn't really go down well with the shoulder.
In addition seeing as its raining, alot. Then I thought I'd hit up some intervals on the rollers.
I've started using a new app called 'IntervalTimer'.
It is free, but has ads. However they really get in the way.
Getting to grips with the app was alittle slow as the app doesn't offer you any tutorials or a help section , but once I played about and figured it out.
Firstly hit 'i' in the bottom corner. You'll open up the settings screen.
Scroll to timers intervals and you'll get some options.
Countdown time is just the no. of minutes or seconds you want to give youself to prepare to start the workout. If you do a 5 minute warm up then put in 5 minutes. If, like me you've ridden home from work, I hit 10 seconds.
For a tabata style session.
Your 'set time' is the time you are cycling your hardest - 20 seconds
Hit the time in seconds to adjust this and hit the 'Bell' to change the sound.
For tabata just skip Low Interval Time and get straight into putting 20seconds in High Interval.
Your rest time is however long you get between intervals and for tabata its 10 seconds.
I repeat the 20seconds on and 10 seconds off method - 7 times, so I scroll to number of sets and hit 7.
Now it DONE and then the PLAY action to begin the workout.
Green screen will show you when you should be working and red screen is when you are resting.
Other stuff
'Low interval time' and 'high interval time' as well as 'set time' is confusing. You must enter 'set time' otherwise you'll just do all your rest intervals in a row.
I don't use the low interval time in tabata. You'd use low interval is you were doing stepped splits or practising breakaways. You'd hit maybe 40 seconds in the high interval (zone 5 type effort) and then 1 minute in the low interval for something a bit more measured (zone 4 effort) then perhaps have a 1 minute rest.
Sounds.
I've found that the easiest sounds to here and work with are the Bell and the Airhorn. Anything more than that and it gets difficult to know where you are.
The Bell is a nice little tinkle letting you know to being and the Airhorn is strong, clear and loud so through all your spluttering and panting you know when to stop.
You can have music playback with the interval sounds over the top, there are options further down the settings screen.
Share On
I use HIIT Interval Training Timer for Android http://halmi.sk/?sub=interval.training.timer&title=Interval%20Training%20Timer it's ace. Just need a way of mounting the phone to the stem.... actually, on the other hand, forget that. I hate looking at the timer when I'm doing training. When you have to watch the seconds/minutes pass when you're suffering, it makes time seem to slow down...
ReplyDeleteYou've got a Garmin, right? Just use the 'training' feature on it. You can build all sorts of interval sessions. I find it a bit easier to make the session up in Garmin Training Centre first, then transfer it to the Garmin itself. Training Centre is free - probably came in the original box.
ReplyDeleteFew things: I have always used the garmin in the past but sometimes I have to change a few sessions to suit my schedule and I find making amendments clunky. This app was just a look see for a quick tabarta or something similar.
ReplyDeleteI've got a specific always on the turbo bike - robbed the mount from garmin. So due to my own fault can't clip the garmin on.
My garmin has gone a bit mad since South Africa, maybe a mix of dust, heat, rain, smashing it up.
I like to listen to music and sometimes have it too loud to hear the garmin.
For the iPhone I think the 'Seconds Pro' app is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I like cycling very much. I take laps every week. I have this timer which I purchased recently. It helps me a lot because I can set timer and get track of everything that I do. :) Check my Clear Timer App here.
ReplyDelete