We’ve all spent time trawling the internet for training advice, or reading one of the popular cycling training books to get some insight on the question we are all looking to answer - how do I get fit fast?

Unfortunately, they are no quick hacks to get fit fast, but there are a number of ways to improve your own training to help boost that fitness in the shortest time possible. In this article we are going to explore some of the various ways we can improve your training to help you get that fitness back in next to no time.

Polarise your training:

Polarised training consists of a large percentage of time (approximately 70 to 80% of training time) exercising at low intensity, with little to no time (0 to 10%) at moderate intensity and the remainder (15 to 20%) spent in high intensity.

While there are a number of different training strategies to improve performance, there is a growing body of research to indicate that athletes and coaches should adopt a polarised training model in order to maximally improve performance and physiological adaptation over a short training period.

The key to getting polarised training right is ensuring that the easy training sessions remain easy and that you give maximal effort during the hard sessions. This is where the majority of athletes go wrong- going too hard on the easy days and not hard enough on the hard days.

How do I apply this to my own training?

Excellent results can be achieved through following a polarised program on only approximately 7-8 hours per week. When training for 7 hours per week, it is recommended to spend approximately 60 – 90 minutes (20% of training time) training at a high intensity.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can be defined as short to moderate bouts (10 seconds to 5 minutes) of high intensity work separated by brief periods (2 to 5 minutes) of low intensity work or inactivity that allow for partial but often not full recovery. The benefit of HIIT is the ability for an individual to accumulate a greater amount of time at high intensity compared to one continuous effort.

While this does sound daunting, and often leads to cyclists being hesitant to include HIIT into their training due to the increased levels of physical discomfort, it is a good method to improve physical fitness in less time than traditional methods of training.

One should exercise caution when adding HIIT sessions to your training, because more is not always better. As little as 2 HIIT sessions a week for 2 – 4 weeks can result in improvements of performance. Increasing the number of HIIT sessions won’t always benefit endurance performance. Ensure you allow adequate recovery between sessions.

An example of a Polarised training week for a time limited athlete

What does HIIT do to help improve endurance performance?

HIIT induces a number of adaptations to training with the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems being where the majority of the adaptations occur. Some of the changes that have been reported to occur include:

a) Increases in blood and plasma volume (increased oxygen-carrying capacity). An increase in the vasodilation of the blood vessels that deliver oxygen to the working muscles. Increased recruitment of Type II muscle fibres during HIIT sessions.

b) Type II fibres are recruited at intensities above 90 per cent of VO2 Max. Type II fibres are larger and more powerful, but less oxidative and more glycolytic than Type I fibres.

c) Exercising at intensities above threshold causes Type II fibres to adapt and become more oxidative and more fatigue resistant. The intensity of training sessions will produce a high cardiac output and promote the changes mentioned.

Try these sessions to improve your fitness:

8 x 4 minutes >90% with 2 - 4 minutes of recovery between intervals.

10 x 30 seconds maximal sprints with 4.5 minutes of recovery between intervals.

A gauge of effort is not necessarily required as completing intervals in zone 5 is pretty much as hard as you can possibly go for the allocated time.

It is very important to allow for sufficient recovery time between intervals. Longer intervals can be utilised with a work to rest ratio of 1:1 (e.g. 4’ hard, 4’ easy) while shorter intervals should be utilised with work to rest ratios of 1:3-5 (e.g. 15” hard, 45” easy)

Maximize your training time:

Take your training indoors to maximize your training time. As mentioned in one of our earlier articles, the single biggest benefit of training indoors is time efficiency. An indoor trainer or wattbike allows us to fit more quality work into a shorter time, which is a major positive for the time constrained individual. When indoors, every second of your training session is spent placing the exact desired force and workload through your pedals. Compare this to a ride outdoors where as much as 30 to 40% of the time can be spent without producing any power.

Consistency is King:

The most important element of training is without a doubt consistency. Being consistent in terms of your frequency of workouts as well as adherence to the workout format will lead to greater improvements in performance. Following a well-structured training plan that is designed accordingly to your specific lifestyle will allow you to be consistent and improve your performance.

How to get fit fast