Stomps – High Intensity, High Endurance Intervals for Indoor Cycling (very cool)

If you do bike training and have ever done stomps, you might think I’m crazy when I say this, but I’ve always liked them. They are extremely tough, but they appeal to that twisted part of me that enjoys training hard.

If you’re an outdoor cyclist or indoor cycling instructor, you probably have that part too.

Stomps are designed to increase power in the saddle. Chris Carmichael usually gets credit for them; their guidelines involve 20-second stomp intervals outdoors. The indoor program that I taught followed the following format.

Because stomps are hard and can stress your knees and lower back, a solid warm-up is essential. Roll your legs for several minutes, then run through this pattern several times: 2:00 sitting at 110-120rpm; 1:00 of 80rpm foot racing; 1:00 seated with resistance at 80 rpm; 1:00 recovery at 90 rpm.

A stomp interval is 60 seconds; recovery is 60 seconds. Allow 25 minutes or more for a set of 5, a 5 minute rest, and another set. The break can be longer. The resistance during stomps is very high and drops during recovery. Recovery cadence is individual, but I suggest 90 to 100 rpm.

Stomp at a strict 80rpm. Fatigue will tend to slow down your legs, so it helps a LOT to have an 80rpm song to go along with. We often use Hallogallo de Neu! It has a precise speed of 80 rpm and a duration of 10 minutes, which helps maintain the energy of the training. Repeat or change the music for the second set.

Maintain the center line of the body on the bike. Don’t move from side to side, like you would when climbing. Keep your hands in position 1.

The rules for a beautiful circular pedaling do not apply during stomps. Exaggerate the run down and punch against the resistance, without moving your body from side to side. I mark it as “hitting the pedals”.

The heart rate is not the point; however, there are no heart rate limits in this exercise. If you or your riders stomp without changing the resistance, your heart rate can go up quite a bit. (Intervals shorter than 60 seconds may result in lower rates.)

Avoid “soft” signals. An instructor would tell his class, “Okay, guys, do another stomp now.” There is no way for your riders to trigger a rigorous stomp interval.

Instead, start giving directions about 5-6 seconds before the interval. In a firm voice, say, “And load the bike… AND… STOMP!” Light pauses and delivery should time the word “stomping” to the first second of the interval. Cue time about 30 seconds with 10 seconds to go.

Find some feature on the resistance knob to dial in the resistance used on the last stomp. It’s much easier than trying to redeterminate the resistance for each interval. Cue that reminder for your passengers.

Resistance can be fierce during stomps. Every time I do them, about 8 times a year, I find that I am still able to increase the resistance for each interval, even though the leg fatigue increases as the workout progresses. Don’t ask me to explain that, but it’s too consistent to be a fluke. It happens even when I do the training on my own. You can instruct your riders to keep increasing the resistance so they get the added benefit of strength and power.

If you use high-intensity intervals in your workouts or classes, this workout might be a perfect fit for that approach. With the emphasis on strength and stamina, stomps offer a change of, say, speed intervals.

Stomps are a killer workout.