Resolution time ...

So it is resolution time, or for many cyclists, it is time to start training again (unless you are professional, semi-pro or aspiring, then you've been on the bike quite a bit already) in earnest.

In my experience effective training needs a goal. Many people are motivated by races, some are motivated by arbitrary numbers (power[w/kg] etc...) but what is important is that you have a goal and time so you can set your schedule and work BACK from that goal.

For myself, indoor trainer time wasn't much of an issue up to about 1 1/2 hours provided I had an effective plan for my time on the bike. If I was to simply hop on and ride ... well, that usually came to a screeching halt w/in 30 minutes. Knowing that a simple workout can help drive results I'll give a few that I would often do over the next week or so.
The following workout is one of my absolute favourites.

The warmup is key, I'm a firm believer in the 'priming' of the different energy systems. 5 minutes of easy pedalling (perhaps mixing in some one legged drills) followed by a 5 minute ramp. During the 5 minute ramp I would work from an easy pace (50% of LT power, 6-9 on the RPE scale, 60/65% of  Max HR ... or so) and reach my LT power/HR/RPE for the last minute. Soft pedalling for a couple minutes would follow and then a 15 second max effort followed by a few minutes of soft pedalling. All said, about 15-20 minutes and I would be ready to workout.
Would I always do this warmup? No. If I was pressed for time I went straight into the 5 minute ramp, took a minute of easy pedalling, did a max effort, took 2 minutes of recovery and I was ready to work. Cut in half. Regardless, I usually did some type of cycling (har har) through different power/HR zones.

For pure awesomeness there is the microburst workout. The microburst workout is best done using power but can be done without. Don't bother with HR as your heart rate will not respond quick enough to be useful.
My typical microburst workout was 15 seconds on (at 150% of LT power or 19-20 on the RPE scale) followed by 15 seconds 'off' where 'off' means riding at about 60% of LT power or around 9 on the RPE scale. This would go on for 8 minutes. I would do 3 rounds of 8 minutes typically, with 4 minutes of rest in between each round.
A mistake I made early on was to go TOO easy in between the 'on' portion. This made it easier than it should have been and also dropped my average power.

After this workout I would typically do 10 minutes of riding going from moderate effort down to recovery pace (for the last 5 minutes) as a cool down. I'd hop off the bike, foam roll for a bit, do some other mobility pieces (specifically for the thoracic spine, hips and hamstrings) and then BAM. Done.

Would I suggest running over to your bike, jumping on a just givin'er ? No. I wouldn't. Typically, if detrained, I would go as follows:
1st workout: 4 minutes on, 2 minutes rest, repeat 4 times
2nd workout: 6 minutes on, 3 minutes rest, repeat 3 times
3rd workout: 6 minutes on, 3 minutes rest, repeat 4 times
4th workout: 8 minutes on, 4 minutes rest, repeat 3 times

Seem like fun? Give it a try, you'll see some definite benefits!

Have a great day!

Tim.