I did my first Zwift ride tonight and to say I am out of shape is an understatement! I really struggled to complete 30 minutes so it looks like I will have to build up to the hour a session over time. For my first session I rode 30:12 minutes and 7.5 miles for a 114 watt average. I was blowing out of my arse after 20 minutes but managed to managed to hold on for 30 minutes but I wouldn’t of been able to do another 10 minutes. Although it was disappointing I still got my first session out of the way so it can only get better from here!
Next session I will set up my fan as well as its really hot riding indoors even though I wasn’t really going for it.
As I am struggling to do 30 minutes on Zwift I have decided to do Hitt interval training on Monday and Friday sessions and the standard low intensity training for as long as possible on the Wednesday session.
The Hitt sessions are more BMX specific for one but they also increase fitness faster and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. To start with I pan to do the following in each session:
| Activity | Time |
| Warmup | 10 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| recover | 2 minutes |
| Sprint | 10 seconds |
| Cool down | 5 Minutes |
| Total Time | 34 Minutes |
So the session will last 34 minutes total and will have 5 minute warmup followed by a 10 second sprint and a 2 minute rest. The sprint and rests will be repeated 12 times and then there will be a 5 minute cool down to end the session!
After the first month or when the session is getting too easy I will increase the sprint time and reduce the rest interval between sprints to make sure that the total workout time stays the same.
The Wednesday session will serve as an active rest day and a normal aerobic workout to make sure that I work out all of the energy systems!
Along Hitt being more BMX specific, is also better at fat burning and also increases fitness faster than normal aeroic exercise so its a win win.
Building the sprint time over time also means that I should be physically ready to hit the ground running doing full laps when I am finally able to ride the BMX again especially if I can get the sprint times to 40 seconds plus so that I can sprint for longer than a full lap time on a national track.