Not completing a workout due to intensity is treated differently than not completing a workout because of a mechanical issue. Adaptive Training wouldn’t adjust my levels based on a mechanical but it would if I said that workout was too intense for me right now.We want to help identify some general guidelines to help athletes evaluate what to do when an interruption occurs during an interval. It scales differently based upon the work, and this should help differentiate short interruptions versus repeated ones.
- Endurance/Tempo: If the interruptions you are experiencing are frequent, either restart the interval when circumstances allow you to be consistent, or keep track of time lost from interruptions and add them on to the end of the interval, as accumulation in these zones are key.
- Sweet Spot and Threshold: A brief interruption of a few seconds doesn’t result in a need to restart the interval, but if the interruptions begin to grow in frequency, then you should get to an area where you can adhere to the intended structure of the workout, and restart the interval.
- VO2max: Any interruption in VO2max intervals should signal you to restart the interval. This also applies to rest to some degree, where VO2max work limits your rest to keep you at peak aerobic uptake (ie: 30/30s), so extending that rest could detract from the intended effect of the workout.
- Anaerobic and Sprint: These intervals are very short and specific, and as such should not be interrupted in any way. If they are, restart the effort that was interrupted.