Most of the time, when we talk about cycling endurance training, we think of long, low-intensity miles. You spend anywhere from six to 16 weeks clocking hours on the bike so you can build your aerobic system and make those long hours feel easier.

While it’s true this long and slow method to building endurance is effective, it’s not the only (or always the best) option. For those of us who can’t get up and ride for four to six hours a day, a schedule-friendly method called polarized training presents a practical way to build cycling endurance on a time budget.

Here’s everything you need to know about this type of training and how it can improve your cycling endurance and your rides.

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The Benefits of Polarized Training for Cycling Endurance

As the name implies, polarized training emphasizes the opposite ends of the training spectrum. That means, in any given week, you do both really hard efforts and easy aerobic rides—the best of both worlds. It’s a bit controversial (polarizing?) in the sports science community, mostly because they’re used to half-day base slogs. But this method is backed by a body of sound research.

“Ultimately, your ‘base’ comes down to your mitochondrial capacity,” says exercise physiologist Paul Laursen, Ph.D., of the training service lab Plews and Prof. “Research shows that while longer, lower-intensity exercise increases the number of mitochondria in your cells, high-intensity training makes those mitochondria more powerful.”

Plus, when you do a set (or especially multiple sets) of high-intensity intervals, your heart rate stays elevated during your “recovery” periods, which benefits your aerobic energy systems—especially as the session progresses, says Laursen.

However you slice it, interval training undoubtedly builds cycling endurance, even if you’re already pretty fit. “Our research has found that when well-trained cyclists performed two interval sessions a week for three to six weeks, their VO2 max, peak aerobic-power output, and endurance performance improved by 2 to 4 percent,” Laursen says.

To that end, the best way to build endurance is by blending the distribution of your training so about 80 percent of your rides are in those aerobic ‘zone 2’ intensities (in terms of heart-rate zones) and about 20 percent are performed at high and very-high intensities, or a blend of zones 3 to 5 throughout the week, says Laursen.


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The Ultimate Endurance Training Interval

Cyclists looking to build endurance via interval training should perform intervals ranging between 30 seconds to 5 minutes, at a very hard intensity. These build your aerobic system while also being hard enough to recruit some fast-twitch sprint fibers, which makes those power-producing fibers more resistant to fatigue over time.

“Performing three to six of these leg-burning efforts, allowing one to two minutes of recovery in between, can have impressive effects,” says Laursen. As you gain fitness, increase the number of reps and the intensity.

Aim to perform these sessions twice a week, allowing at least one day of recovery in between. Then do the rest of the week’s riding at a moderate aerobic pace. Keep in mind, too, that if you’re planning to do a 100-mile ride, you still need to clock some longer days in the saddle so you can be comfortable on the bike, practice 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 that you not only include easy days and rest days in your weekly endurance training plan, but also that you eat a balanced diet, get adequate sleep, and be mindful of your general recovery.

If you don’t, “you can 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.”

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selene yeager
“The Fit Chick”
Selene Yeager is a top-selling professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as a NASM certified personal trainer, USA Cycling certified coach, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, pro licensed off road racer, and All-American Ironman triathlete.