Three Awesome Sessions To Boost Your FTP

In previous posts I covered what FTP actually is and how to calculate it, and how to maximise your FTP test. Now here are three of my favourite sessions for lifting your threshold.

You can download all three, free, ready to load straight into Zwift or TrainingPeaks. No email needed, no form to fill in.

Download the three workout files here — that page also shows you exactly how to get a workout into Zwift and into TrainingPeaks, step by step.

Before you start, one thing worth checking. Every session below is written as a percentage of your FTP, so they are only as good as the number you have got loaded. If yours is a guess, or more than a couple of months old, work it out from your recent rides here. It takes about two minutes and you do not need to do a test.

1. Ride Harder W1 – 2 x 20 Sweet Spot

The bread and butter session for FTP development. Sweet spot is the zone just below your threshold, at 88 to 93% of FTP. It has been shown to deliver much of the same benefit as training at threshold but with noticeably less fatigue, which means you can do more of it and recover faster. It belongs in almost any structured plan.

The warm up builds gradually into the first effort. You then complete two 20 minute blocks with 5 minutes easy between them. If you are new to structured training, cut the efforts to 10 or 12 minutes and build up. As a rule, aim for a recovery of roughly a quarter of the effort length.

Session summary

• 5 min warm up
• 5 min building intensity
• 20 min at 90% of FTP
• 5 min easy
• 20 min at 90% of FTP
• 5 min cool down

Total: 1 hour

2. Ride Harder W2 – Threshold Over/Unders

Over/unders involve riding just above your FTP and then dipping just below it, repeatedly, within the same block. It is about getting used to the build up of lactate and teaching your body to deal with it rather than drown in it. This is one of the fastest ways to lift your threshold, and also one of the most demanding, so do not stack too many into one week.

Warm up properly for a good 10 minutes with some intensity before the intervals start. You then work through three blocks, riding 2 to 4 minutes at 95% before stepping up to 105% for a minute, and repeating. It is excellent preparation for anything up to an hour of racing, because the intensity moves around exactly the way real terrain does. Your legs never quite know what is coming next, which is the point.

Session summary

• 5 min warm up
• 4 min building towards threshold
• 2 min easy
• 3 min at 95%, 1 min at 105% × 3
• 5 min recovery
• 2 min at 95%, 1 min at 105% × 4
• 5 min recovery
• 4 min at 95%, 1 min at 105% × 2
• 5 min cool down

Total: 1 hour

3. Ride Harder W3 – VO2 Pyramid

There are two ways to lift your threshold. Ride at that intensity and push it up from below, or train above it at your VO2 max, which is effectively your fitness ceiling, and pull it up from above. This session does the second. It is also the right choice if you are targeting a 10 mile time trial, because that is roughly the intensity you will be riding on the day.

A thorough warm up matters here because of the intensity, so I have included some high cadence efforts to get blood into the muscles and a short tempo block before the work starts. The intervals run from 105 to 120% of FTP over 2 to 5 minutes. The shorter the interval, the harder the intensity, and there is plenty of recovery built in.

Session summary

• 5 min warm up
• 2 × 1 min high cadence, 1 min easy between
• 3 min at 80% of FTP
• 5 min at 105%, 5 min easy
• 4 min at 110%, 4 min easy
• 3 min at 115%, 4 min easy
• 2 min at 120%, 3 min easy
• 3 min at 115%, 4 min easy
• 4 min at 110%, 5 min easy
• 5 min at 105%, 5 min easy
• 2 min cool down

Total: 1 hour 10 min

How often should I do these?

For most riders, one or two quality sessions a week is plenty, with the rest of the riding kept genuinely easy. The sweet spot session is the one you can repeat most often. Over/unders and the VO2 pyramid are far more demanding, so treat those as the hard days and give yourself proper recovery either side of them. Doing all three in the same week, on top of your normal riding, is a good way to dig a hole.

Can I ride these outside?

Yes, and for the sweet spot session I would encourage it. Work out your target watts from the percentages and find a road where nothing forces you to stop. A long steady climb or a flat drag is ideal. Junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights will ruin the efforts, so pick your ground before you set off. The over/unders and the pyramid are easier to execute indoors simply because the changes come thick and fast.

Final words

These three are a great start to adding some structure. It does not matter whether you are already on a plan, ride only outside, or live on Zwift over the winter. It is always worth having some solid workouts in your arsenal.

Three sessions are a start, though, not a plan. If you want them ordered properly around your event and your life, that is what I do. Have a look at 1:1 coaching or the Ride Harder training plans.

Download the three workouts · Find your FTP without a test

Coach James