Ok so in previous blogs I told you ‘All About FTP’ and ‘How to maximise your FTP test’ Now I’m giving you three killer sessions to increase your FTP and I’m also giving you the Ride Harder workout files to load them straight into Zwift and Training Peaks so you can do them straight away, or do them on the road. The choice is yours. Just email me james@rideharder.co.uk and put “Session please” in the title and I will e-mail them over to you.
The Sessions
Below I’ve listed 3 of my favorite sessions to help increase your threshold and ultimately make you faster on the bike. I have included a description of what they are and what they develop. Some of the sessions may sound familiar if you’re on one of my winter base or build plans and if not don’t worry, I think I have explained everything but if you’ve got any questions just Contact Me or Message me on Facebook
Ride Harder – W1 2 x 20 Sweet Spot Efforts
The bread and butter session for FTP development a solid 2 × 20 session. Sweet Spot is a term used for the zone just below your threshold @ 88-93% of FTP. This zone has been proven to give you the same gains as training at threshold but with less fatigue meaning you can train for longer periods and recover faster so make sure you include this in any structured training plan.
The warm-up is for 10 minutes and will see you build up the intensity to the desired power target which you will complete twice with a 5 minute recovery period. If you are new to training you can reduce this length and build up to the full 20 minutes. Generally, aim for around the quarter of the time as the active rest period.
Session Summary
5mins Warm-up
5mins Building intensity
2 x 20min at 90% of FTP with 5 minutes recovery between
5mins Cooldown
Ride Harder – W2 Threshold Over/Under’s
The ‘Over Under’s session involves riding above your FTP and dipping just below in the same block often multiple times. It is about getting used to the buildup of lactate and teaching your body to deal with it. This is one of the fastest ways to increase your threshold power however it is very demanding on the body so the number of sessions that you can complete will be limited.
Warm up for a good 10 minutes with some intensity prior to the intervals.
You will then complete 3 blocks with a variety of durations at the under figure of 95% riding anything from 2-4 minutes before stepping it up to 105% for the 1 minute over and repeating. This is a great session for anybody racing up to an hour on the bike and will really simulate a race as the terrain goes up and down. The beauty of this session is you will be shocking the muscles so they don’t know what’s coming next.
Session Summary
5mins Warm up
4mins Building intensity to close to threshold
2mins Easy
3mins @ 95%, 1min @ 105% x3
5mins Recovery
2mins @ 95%, 1min @ 105% x4
5mins Recovery
4mins @ 95%, 1min @ 105% x2
5mins Cooldown
Ride Harder W3 VO2 Pyramid
There are 2 ways to increase your threshold generally either riding at that intensity and pushing it up or training above it at your VO2 max, which is basically your fitness ceiling, and pulling it up. This is also a great session for anybody racing a shorter 10 mile Time Trial where you will need to target this intensity.
A good warm-up will be required for this session due to the high intensity so I have included some high cadence efforts just to get the blood in the muscles and a short tempo block before the intervals.
The intervals will range from 105-120% of FTP and for between 2-5 minutes so basically the shorter the interval the tougher the intensity with plenty of recovery!
Session Summary
5mins Warm up
2 x 1min High Cadence efforts, 1 min recovery between
3mins @ 80% FTP (tempo)
5mins @ 105%, 5mins easy recovery
4mins @ 110%, 4mins easy recovery
3mins @ 115%, 4mins easy recovery
2mins @ 120%, 3mins easy recovery
3mins @ 115%, 4mins easy recovery
4mins @ 110%, 5mins easy recovery
5mins @ 105%, 5mins easy recovery
2mins Cool down
Final Words
These three sessions are a great start to adding some structure to your workout plan. It doesn’t matter if you’re already on a structured plan, only ride outside or are exclusive to Zwift during the winter it’s always a good idea to have some solid workouts in your arsenal.
As always if you’ve got any questions or want a copy of the session then just let me know.
Oh, I almost forgot. . . if you’re not sure how to take these workouts and put them in Zwift I show you here. It’s really easy.
#Trainsmarter #RideHarder
James.