Saturday, September 01, 2007

T-Max...Torture to the Max

This has been one of the best training weeks I've had in a long time. Why is that, you ask? Well, for starters I got in my all my hours. Second, I got in some good intensity work with 3 successfully completed interval sessions. One of those interval sessions was something new called T-Max intervals. What are T-Max intervals, and what is so special about them?

What makes these intervals different is that they are tailored to your ability...from the wattage number you do the interval at, to the length of the interval.
Here's the lowdown...

First, you've got to find out what your peak power output, or T-Max, is. To do this you do a graded type of test. You start out at 100 watts and then add 30 watts every minute until you collapse. Whatever your wattage was at the moment you stopped is your PPO (peak power output). After a day or two, go out and ride as long as you can at your PPO. For those of us who are mortal that will be between 4-6 minutes. We're almost done here. The last step in setting up your new interval is to multiply the amount of time you could ride at your PPO by 60% (0.6). That figure is your T-Max work interval. For example, if you rode for 5 minutes, your work interval would be 3 minutes. Double your work interval, and that number is your recovery interval. Using the above example... 3 minutes on, 6 minutes off.
Now all you have to do is go out and put yourself in the pain cave and do the work. The ultimate goal is to do 8 efforts, but don't feel bad if you can only do 3-4 for a while. From what I've read these are some of the most painful and hardest training sessions you'll ever do.
Now why should you bother with these particular intervals? They'll make you fast and fit...and in a hurry. Significant changes in fitness were observed within 4-6 weeks. I only just started doing them so I can't tell you much from personal experience. I will tell you this though, they hurt like a mofo. I completed 3 efforts and went for a fourth, and about a minute and a half into the fourth effort I collapsed... spectacularly.

Between the T-Max intervals, and 2 lactate clearance sessions, I was in the hurt locker this week. It's all good though. That's the thing about doing intervals/high intensity efforts. They hurt like hell while you're doing them, but afterwards you almost feel good about having pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone.

I leave for Las Vegas on Wed, and even though I'm gonna take my road bike out there, I'm gonna try and get as much riding in here as possible. I'd like to think I could get in 4hrs by Tuesday. That will give me almost half my hours in before I leave. I'm gonna ride with a buddy while I'm there, and I don't doubt that there are plenty of places to ride and accumulate some hours, but I'm not gonna take any chances. When I come back I'll only have a few days before my race in Tallahassee.


8 comments:

Daryl Spano said...

Good blog. Question for you: I have read about these T-Max intervals before. Everyone say's their great, but no one says how intense we should ride them at. (I can calculate how long to do them, but there is no direction on how much power we are supposed to be doing them at...)
Say I am doing 3 minutes on and 6 minutes off. Do I do them at FTP, my Peak Power Output (that I recorded for determining T-Max time), or my maximum 3 minute effort? Help?

Sean said...

You do them at your Peak Power Output. That is the number you should've recorded from doing that graded test (adding 30 watts per minute till you couldn't go any more-the wattage number as you collapsed is your PPO). Next thing is to go out and ride at your PPO as long as you can, which will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-6 minutes. 60% of that figure will be your work interval.

Hope that helps

Daryl Spano said...

xlnt. Thanks.
Daryl

Anonymous said...

Sean had a fatal accident on his road bike on Tuesday Morning. He had a collision with someone backing a trailer out of a driveway. Sean was a really good guy...always willing to give advice etc... and had a great sense of humor. All of the cyclists in our area will miss him greatly.

Anonymous said...

RIP Sean. The world feels your loss. I will pray for your family.

Russ

Anthony said...

Not fair, not fair at all. RIP

Anonymous said...

What to do to remember one my dearest friends, and one of the kindest guys I ever met. NEVER again will I back out of my driveway. I will park facing the street. I know your up there making 'em laugh, riding like heck, and probably taking in a movie or 2.

demetre said...

Did he get a chance to go to Las Vegas?