Dan Pfaff bike workouts:
4x5x10s with moderate-high resistance and good recovery for 0-20m work,
3x5x20-25s low-moderate resistance and good recovery for 40-60m work,
2x3x40s with low-moderate resistance and good recovery for lactate work.
We’ve used it during injury periods, and it helped to at least maintain the level for 2 or 3 weeks. However, 4x5 for 10sec or 3x5 for 20sec was a too high volume and we did a good job with 8 to 12 reps for 7sec to 20sec, but the intensity was max, those workouts were very hard and they could barely walk right after, but they recover very quickly (no shocks form ground contact obviously).
Well, when I was in HS I use to BMX and street ride when I was sprinting as a 400m runner. Thinking back, riding my bike served a good propose in flushing out my body after hard meets (the coach put me in every event!) and staying in shape over the various breaks (e.g; summer break) that the HS schedule has.
The length-tension relationships are all wrong if you expect direct transfer to running.
Thanks guru.
When I talk about cycling, I’m talking about real cycling that gets the lactic moving, I’m talking about rides lasting 3-6 Hours long not 20 second workouts.
I know from experience performing the Dan Pfaff workout below I wouldn’t see any benefit whatsover, maybe apart from a recovery session.
Dan Pfaff bike workouts:
4x5x10s with moderate-high resistance and good recovery for 0-20m work,
3x5x20-25s low-moderate resistance and good recovery for 40-60m work,
2x3x40s with low-moderate resistance and good recovery for lactate work.
If you guys don’t ride bicycles into the hour sessions, how do you know you haven’t gained any benefit from it???..
I do the bike tempo circuit that I got off the site, and I find it really good especially for a third tempo day during the week. Of course, you need to have a bike trainer or do it at the gym with a stationary bike (outside of peak hours, or someone will steal your bike when you get off to do the calisthenics!).
I bike about 35 km to work and back two to three times per week, and I noticed it helps keep me lean. I have a douchebaggy single speed fixed-gear bike, and though continuous pedaling is probably not ideal, it’s pretty flat until the last 2 km. I am more of a functional cyclist and have no interest in doing century’s or multi-hour rides, but I find it is a helpful way to maintain a good base of fitness.
Mountain biking rides ranging from 1-2 hours, with with good hills, are a regular part of my training for conditioning but but I suck and am injury prone 
For a ‘decent’ serious sprinter I wouldn’t suggest much more than the Pfaff or CF sessions as a temporary filler.
I will admit I thought about using bikes for speedwork but after having worked with a couple of triathletes and the problems they have in the first 5 minutes off the bike trying to get into the running stride. The last athlete I worked with hammered the bike leg to test if a change of focus in running would work.
From where I sit, they use shoes that clip to the pedals to enable them to use both a push/pull pattern giving a more efficient/faster bike leg. I am assuming the hamstring is primilary a stabilising force and not a power force in the running mechanics.
like John I would go with one of the CF sessions and forget bikework for speed.
Sprinters typically use the bike to recover from speed work as an alternative to reducing wear and tear they might get due to slow recovery, poor surface availability or lack of facilities. ( winter climates)
How do cyclist build speed within their training? I am pretty sure they do intervals of short distances.
We have typically used the bike with almost no tension ( unlike Pfaff) to get rpms as high as 160 or 170 to replace up to 2200 meters of tempo. I suppose you could stay on the bike for an hour but why? the benefits have a deminishing return.
I am wondering if you are trying to be a faster bike rider? Or if you are wanting to get fast off the bike for a multi event?
Pfaff’s bike workouts are to simulate the different speed sessions of a sprinter who is injured in case someone didn’t realize that.
For how long a period? (That makes a big difference.)
I’m sure as little as possible but I believe Oba and Donovan had to do this and were able to hit some good runs not long afterward. If I remember the seminar correctly he would have them do jumps, throws, weights, etc. if possible.
I think it was typically 2-3 weeks at most, in Oba’s case due to a foot impingement I believe. If I recall correctly, Dan greatly increased the GS volume as well during this period.
I spoke with a past forum member who used bike workouts for his 200m runners. I believe in one of the first few meets many opened with PRs
Most times the reason why they pr is because the athlete is over-trained.
Or maybe is was the fact they improved lactate threshold, anaerobic threshold, speed endurance, stride frequency/turnover, general fitness, VO2 uptake, lower bodyweight/fat %'s. etc etc.
Maybe not. If you are set on doing bike workouts as your primary workouts then blow yourself up. I hope you will be one of my competitors come May or August.
But you don’t blow yourself up. As with everything, you adapt. A set of deadlifts have “blown me up” more than a 6 hour ride.
PR’s are more likely to come from the qualities I stated than being over-trained.
In two weeks?? Doubtful. The point here is to do something that you can when you’re laid up with injury, often lower leg/achilles in Pfaff’s group.