Ask Bicycling

The ultimate busy person’s interval workout. Plus: clear any obstacle – bunnyhop like a boss.

If you want to optimise your interval training for endurance benefits you should do intervals ranging from 30 seconds to five minutes, at very high intensity. These build your aerobic system while also being hard enough to recruit some fast- twitch sprint fibres, which makes these power- producing fibres more resistant to fatigue over time.

“Performing three to six of these legburning efforts, allowing one to two minutes of recovery in between, can have impressive effects,” says exercise physiologist Paul Laursen. As you gain fitness, increase the

number of reps and the intensity.

Aim to perform these sessions twice a week, allowing at least a day of recovery in between. Then do the rest of the week’s riding at moderate aerobic pace. Keep in mind that if you’re planning to do a 100- pluskilometre ride, you still need to clock some longer days in the saddle, so you can be comfortable on the bike, practise pacing, and dial in your nutrition and hydration – all things that shorter interval workouts can’t do.

Finally, remember that interval training, though beneficial, is also stressful. It’s essential not only to include easy days and rest days in your weekly training plan, but also to eat a balanced diet, get adequate sleep, and be mindful of your general recovery.

If you don’t, “you could end up fit but unhealthy, with high levels of stress hormones and inflammation that can do real damage over time”, Laursen says. “It’s all about balance.”

THERE ARE TONS OF OBSTACLES ON MY LOCAL MTB TRAIL. I NEED TO LEARN TO BUNNY- HOP – PLEASE TEACH ME HOW!

Firstly, you need to step on the gas, not the brakes. While talented trials riders can bunny-hop from standstill, the rest of us need some speed. You want to come into it at cruising speed, so you have enough momentum to complete the move.

Then, about a metre away from the obstacle, stop pumping, and level your bike pedals horizontally. Crouch into your bike, shifting your weight into your handlebars and pedals to load the suspension, then immediately pull up the front wheel – and

the front wheel – high enough to get over the obstacle.

As the front wheel comes up, lean your weight forward; and once you see the front wheel clear the obstacle, push the handlebar away and down, and suck your legs up toward your body to bring the back only wheel up and over. Remember to stay off the brakes as you come down the other side, unless you want to endo.

Most importantly: practise small first. And practise on something more forgiving than a rock or log – like a built-up pile of dirt.

I WANT TO ADD FASTING DAYS TO MY DIET – BUT WON’T I GET TOO HUNGRY?

You will feel hungry, but your hunger may also become more tolerable over time. Studies of alternate- day fasting have shown that people rate their hunger at eight on a scale of one to 10 for their first few fast days; but after two weeks, that number drops to three.

“Hunger doesn’t seem to get worse as the day goes on, and some studies report increased fullness and satisfaction,” says Kristin Hoddy, a dietician and fasting researcher. “Some subjects say they get distracted, and ‘ forget’ they’re hungry!”