One of my favorite cycling workouts is 20 minutes of Over/Under (1m @ top of Z4 / 3m @ bottom Z4 x 5).
But there are also Under/Overs too. (3/1 x 5- with the high Z4 coming after the 3rd minute, and the set finishes with 1m @ high Z4). Whenever I’m doing these, I start wondering which is better: over/unders or under/overs…
Curious to hear what people (and coaches) have to say,
GB
3 minutes under? That’s awfully generous. 3 minutes over and 1 minute under is brutal. For me, whether I start over or under doesn’t make much of a diff. Also another favorite, pyramids: under - at FTP - over - at FTP - under.
I tend to think of over-unders as basically, flood your legs with lactate, then learn to “recover” in the sweet spot. So, for example, 2 minutes @ 105% followed by 1 minute @ 95%, repeat. So you start with the “over” to get the lactate up. Those are hard sessions but really valuable mentally as they teach you that you can recover while still basically at threshold.
Typically I’d use a longer interval for my athletes and/or a shorter rest. 15-30 min interval 2-4 min rest. Probably increase the duration of the steps as well.
In a 1h workout I may have them just do a single ~ 25 minute block, which really shouldn’t be that hard to accomplish.
If it is overly taxing your FTP is set too high
I tend to think of over-unders as basically, flood your legs with lactate, then learn to “recover” in the sweet spot. So, for example, 2 minutes @ 105% followed by 1 minute @ 95%, repeat. So you start with the “over” to get the lactate up. Those are hard sessions but really valuable mentally as they teach you that you can recover while still basically at threshold.
Pretty much this, although it’s probably difficult to do more than 20 minutes (or seven sets) of what you proposed
Which you start on, either over or under, does not make much difference.
The work:rest is dependant on the % of threshold for each.
Often I do 2x20min for my over/under work outsOption 1: 5x 2 min over (105%) / 2 min under at 95% threshold. In other words, alternating between sub and super-threshold. Option 2: 5x 1 min over (130%) / 3 min under (95%). AKA Alternativing between VO2 and Sub Threshold.
I’ve done over/unders as a Xert HOP workout (Hour of Pain). It was on their Sprint Time Triallist workout list.
Xert had a few versions from 85% to 93% for the under and 130% to 150% for the over.
Timing was 30X1:45 under and :15 over
I also did them last winter at the Velodrome 6 laps under and 1 lap over (166 meter track) when I was working out by myself during open riding. Basically training for the Kilo.
Which you start on, either over or under, does not make much difference.
The work:rest is dependant on the % of threshold for each.
Often I do 2x20min for my over/under work outsOption 1: 5x 2 min over (105%) / 2 min under at 95% threshold. In other words, alternating between sub and super-threshold. Option 2: 5x 1 min over (130%) / 3 min under (95%). AKA Alternativing between VO2 and Sub Threshold.
Which of these you might prefer will depend on your objectives.
If you are just trying to drag up your threshold, or prepare for a gently rolling TT where you will go over threshold on a moderateclimb, and recover slightly on the descents, option 1 would be preferred.
If you are training for cycle racing and long climbs in particular, where much of the climbing will be just below threshold, but you may need to cover/make attacks, then the later could be better preparation.