Even if time crunched you don’t need to have super short breaks on intervals. Depending on the workout you are probably better off being more recovered than trying to have super short recovery intervals just so the ride is 1hr long rather than 1:15.
1 Like
I have a drafting table for my tv, and another one to the right to hold water bottles. I took the cage off of the Neo Smart and just stack things up on the table. I already know that I’m not getting ‘the experience’ because the Neo Smart is rock solid, so why do the water bottle too. But if I had a rocker plate that did two dimensions, I would consider it. (I did have rollers for a short time, and got to the point I could do 10 minutes without hitting the wall, so I threw in water bottles and instantly hit the wall and nearly dislocated my shoulder. There comes a time when faking reality just isn’t worth it. I actually had a bruise, and the wall seemed fine which means I hit a stud.
But don’t stop riding! Keep moving the meat!
Personally I see the ‘breaks’ as just going to zero and catching my breath. It gets really humid in the pain cave and with people talking about CO2 buildup, even though it sounds outlandish, I guess it’s possible. So there are times when the temp spikes 3 or 4 degrees and it just starts getting oppressive. But there are times that I just power through too. I think I pick harder rides and then realize that I will have a hard time doing it, and pausing to compose myself and stop trying to drain the room of all nitrogen/oxygen just works.
Ride on!!
1 Like
Depends on the workout.
Pausing mid interval for 1-2m during a 6x5m vo2 max session is going to greatly affect that intervals impact.
Pausing mid interval on a 3x30m SST is going to have a much lesser impact.
1 Like
Personally, When I have paused, it’s almost always on a ‘recovery’ interval, and I just need to catch my breath and stop my life passing before my eyes. If I can’t handle the on intervals, the off intervals aren’t going to do much.
1 Like
Yeah that is (imo) completely fine. Taking an extra breather during recovery and hitting the work intervals with more power than you could otherwise is great.
1 Like
Others have given good advice regarding the workout, but is there a reason you stop for water besides wanting a break? You should learn to fuel on the go…
First of all, I calculate that you increased FTP about 7% after only 10 TR workouts. So it looks like you & TR got something goin’ on, there. Good job.
Second, I think it was Coach Jonathan that said…if you do a workout & take a minute break between intervals, that’s still a lot of good work & you will get some adaptive response. BUT, if you can do that same workout without any breaks…then you feel like you have a little edge over an identical cyclist that did take that little break. Not a huge edge, just a little something.
I’ve adopted that little cognitive trick from @Jonathan & always strive to avoid breaks or backspinning during a workout.
Just a comment to say you should absolutely learn to drink while pedaling. It’s a pretty critical skill, and there’s nowhere better to practice than on the trainer. You’ll get it down quickly.
6 Likes
I think it is ok to start with short breaks, but try to make fewer and fewer of them. You can play games with yourself, giving e. g. 2 break vouchers that you can use, but no more. You can also try and figure out whether the need to take a break is just mental exhaustion or physical. If it is mental, you can try to push through on occasion. Learn that you can push through these boundaries. Just don’t expect something unrealistic from yourself.
2 Likes
Hey! Welcome to TrainerRoad, and congrats on the progress you’ve already made! 
So excited to see the improvements you’ll continue to see 
There have been a lot of great insights shared here, so I’ll just hop in to reinforce some key takeaways.
Your workouts—and the balance of work and recovery—are intentionally designed to give you the optimal training stimulus. TrainerRoad reccommmends specific workouts based on it’s analysis of your training history and what it has learned works for you.
These workouts aren’t about pushing you to the absolute limit every time. They’re structured to drive the best FTP gains and performance improvements in a sustainable way.
Since your goal is to be your very best in the long run, I’d encourage you to stick to the prescribed structure as much as possible.
That said, if you’re struggling to complete a workout, don’t sweat it—that’s useful info for us. Let us know why in the post-workout survey, and we’ll make sure your training adapts to keep you progressing at the right rate.
And remember—you’re human! If you need a quick pause now and then, it won’t derail your progress. Just aim to keep breaks minimal so you don’t miss out on the intended benefits.
Keep up the awesome work, and let us know how things are going!
1 Like