As winter approaches everyone knows that 2x20min trainer sessions are very beneficial. But other then that workout what is everyone else doing on their trainers?
Lets see what’s out there? I want to increase power this offseason!!!
I like over/unders. I do them as 3x 15’ with 5’ easy. The 15 minute intervals are broken up as 3x . They’re a good workout and time goes pretty quickly.
2x20, or 30min Sweet Spot
5x5min FTP+
Low cadence 50-60rpm hard gear intervals with high cadence rest
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With all the tri guys and gals out there I am sure there are more workouts what do you have?
2x20, or 30min Sweet Spot
5x5min FTP+
Low cadence 50-60rpm hard gear intervals with high cadence rest
I’m a big fan of these. I call them Big Gear intervals. I’ll do them in the middle of the winter during my long rides. Usually they’re 30+ minutes in 53x11 at 55rpm, which puts me at just over HIM effort on power. Great way to build strength if you really concentrate on pedaling the full stroke (or, you could always just buy PowerCranks)
Other times I’ll link together a couple Sufferfest videos and do the first one at 75% recommended effort and the next one as close to 100% as I can, then a long cool down gets you over 2hrs all with some decent tunes and race footage.
I have enough workouts listed on my website (www.anaerobiczone.com) to keep you occupied all winter.
2x20, or 30min Sweet Spot
5x5min FTP+
Low cadence 50-60rpm hard gear intervals with high cadence rest
Also a fan of these.
2x20 sweet spot. A classic workout, helps me keep progressing, and doesnt wreck me for the next day.
later in the winter i set the ergo up to do 30-30’s continuous for blocks of 10 minutes at a pretty good wattage to work v02 without the mind scalding of 5x5
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I typically have 2 high intensity days on weeks where I do not race.
My big interval day on the trainer is typically a variation of the following
Everything else is approximately 65-75% FTP with a few sprints every few minutes or skills work
2min @ 135% FTP
2min Recovery
10 min Over / Unders (1 min each, 95% and 105%)
1min rec
6x30/30s @ 120%
3min Rec
10 min Over / Unders (1 min each, 95% and 105%)
1min rec
6x30/30s @ 120%
3min Rec
10 min Over / Unders (1 min each, 95% and 105%)
1 min rec
6x30/30s @ 120%
2min Rec
2 min @135% FTP
Or
30/30s followed immediately by 5 min @ 95% FTP.
What is the rest period for 2x20?
5 mins
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2x20 sweet spot. A classic workout, helps me keep progressing, and doesnt wreck me for the next day.
+1. The shit that kills.
I tend to like shorter, supra-threshold intervals versus longer, sub-threshold intervals. ie. 5x5@105% vs 2x20@95%. I think it’s the mental aspect of seeing multiple breaks instead of two long blocks.
2x20 sweet spot. A classic workout, helps me keep progressing, and doesnt wreck me for the next day.I was told on here that sweet spot training doesn’t do jack unless the interval is between 60-90 min. If this is the case what good is 2x20? Just curious…I’ve worked up to 50 min at 90% but can’t seem to get to an hour. Am I wasting my time, per the cycling gurus?
Many trains of thought on that… I know our resident pro Cody Beals posted here:
http://codybeals.blogspot.ca/2014/04/the-polar-vortex-is-my-tailwind-how-i.html
However he’s also posted on this forum (and the bottom of the article) cautioning that he would do it differently next time (vary stimulus, more recovery), which makes perfect sense – but either way, just speaking of 2x20’s, you’ll see plenty of them in his log there
2x20 sweet spot. A classic workout, helps me keep progressing, and doesnt wreck me for the next day.I was told on here that sweet spot training doesn’t do jack unless the interval is between 60-90 min. If this is the case what good is 2x20? Just curious…I’ve worked up to 50 min at 90% but can’t seem to get to an hour. Am I wasting my time, per the cycling gurus?
Then you are not basing your workouts on your true FTP… the maximum average power a cyclist can maintain over a one-hour effort. 90% of your true FTP for 60 minutes should be a very hard but acheivable workout.
2x20 sweet spot. A classic workout, helps me keep progressing, and doesnt wreck me for the next day.I was told on here that sweet spot training doesn’t do jack unless the interval is between 60-90 min. If this is the case what good is 2x20? Just curious…I’ve worked up to 50 min at 90% but can’t seem to get to an hour. Am I wasting my time, per the cycling gurus?
Then you are not basing your workouts on your true FTP… the maximum average power a cyclist can maintain over a one-hour effort. 90% of your true FTP for 60 minutes should be a very hard but acheivable workout.That’s a great point and one I have thought about. Since last Nov I’ve done several ftp tests throughout the past 9 months (#1 - Normalized Power of 2x20 + 2 min recovery; #2 - 95% of 20 min) and my ftp is usually the same, give or take 2-3 watts (yes I hit a plateau this season). In both of these types of tests, I’m dying/nearly falling off the bike by the end. I have a hard time believing a mere 5% of effort differentiates between 20 and 60 minutes of work. The only answer I can come up with is that my body is so conditioned to doing 20’ ftp intervals that these seem “easier” than doing a 60’ stretch at a % of ftp. Sorry for the hijack!
If you’ve never heard the term: ISLAGIATT, then you should subscribe to TrainrRoad and Sufferfest and see what all the fuss is about. You want to increase your power? That’s it. It will introduce a whole new level of suffering on that bike.
Sufferfest workouts are intense. I would suggest once MAYBE twice per week depending on other training load and life stress.