Was just looking around at intervals for cross season and came across this

Sprints Galore” Workout:

Part 1, the “Tabata Protocol”:
8 x 20 second all-out sprints, with 10-second recovery. Ignore heart rate, power, and everything else, trust me on this.
Recover 10-15 minutes.

For the next 30 minutes: 15 x 10-second all-out sprints every 1:50 minutes. . Follow this pattern for the entire 30 minutes.
10-15 minutes of recovery
No, we’re still not done.

Here’s Part 2:

5-minutes at threshold power immediately followed by 5×30 second all-out sprints, with 30 seconds’ rest between all sprints. You can coast between sprints…but would you do that if it were the last lap and you were being chased?
This workout will teach you how to handle all the sprints in a cyclocross race, and then finish the last lap hard and sprint for the finish. Yes, your legs will be empty, but then again they will be even more empty at the end of the cyclocross race.

Now i’ve done the tabata protocol about 3 years ago and have never repeated it. I literally peeled myself off the bike. How anyone is supposed to follow it up with
30 minutes of 15×10 second sprints,
5 minutes at threshold then
5 x3 0 all out sprints

is beyond me?!!?

Part 2 and 3 seems quite good, not sure I want to start with a Tabata style session first.

Tabata, if one follows the protocol is 170% of FTP, so not strictly an all-out sprint, however its the complete lack of recovery that kills. Agree that you’re end up falling off the bike afterwards if done correctly.

tabata describes it at 170% of V02max so presumably harder

The exhaustive intermittent training consisted of seven to eight sets of 20-s exercise at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max with a 10-s rest between each bout

I always thought it was all out

I’ve done tabata running and could consistetly do 6 1/2 sprints (flat out) before suddenly losing the plot; tried it once on a spinning bike and couldn’t do the 2nd sprint 😯

Thought the best benefit from tabata was supposed to come if no other excercise was done in the next 24 hours?

how can anyone ride at 170% of their V02Max?

EDIT.. i get it now

You’re right its 170% of VO2Max, which is insane

EDIT:
OK quick a Google says Coggan thinks VO2Max is between 106% and 120% of Power, which I read as FTP, so that would be around 610 watts if your FTP was 300, I think

Guys over at bike radar recommend 15 on and 15 off( 3x10mins)

and also 40 mins of 20 sec Z5/6 then 40sec Z2/3

If you’re not peeling yourself off the bike after any interval like this you’re not doing it right. I saw this workout a couple of weeks ago and finally worked it into training today. It’s hard, but not that hard if you’ve been doing intervals. In fact I think the 10 minutes rest after the first set is too long so I’ll change that to 5 next time. I also added another 5 minute threshold effort at the end. The 15 seconds on 15 seconds off intervals are also good for cross. I do 15 minutes of those with 5 minutes rest for three sets, then some zone 3/4 riding for awhile.

Will try this with less rest this morning, wish I hadn’t had breakfast now!

That was brutal. Would do again.

I am going to have a bash at this session later, can someone clarify the following for me please (probably me being dim!):

For the next 30 minutes: 15 x 10-second all-out sprints every 1:50 minutes. . Follow this pattern for the entire 30 minutes.
10-15 minutes of recovery
No, we’re still not done.

Is that sprint for 10 seconds and recover for 1m30s (seems a bit soft) repeated 15 times or:
15 sprints in a row with (an undefined recovery, I guess 10 secs) followed by 1m30s recovery repeated for 30 mins?

Looks like sprint for 10s every 1m50s for the half hour, so you get 15 intervals.

Ah yes, that makes sense. It is 1m50s. I read it as 1.5 minutes.

Had a go at this …

The first bit looked the worst(and is) I struggle at start of cx races and this was no different !! Arms/legs filling with lactate it’s brutal(was fading before the 20secs)

After 10 mins recovery the second part was manageable and was surprised I could get into threshold easyish for 5 mins and maintain and last sprints were a bit of a grind !!!

Good session though and will do again..

Guessing after the tabata at start it primes the system for 2 and 3

I also managed to have a crack at this earlier. The first bit killed me but the second bit was fine, the ‘long’ recovery helps!

I did not make it onto the third bit, I convinced myself that the commute home negated the need to punish myself further!

EDIT: I had a 7 minute rest between 1 & 2