This is a great workout for developing threshold fitness and making you faster. This is ideal for roadies for a breakaway or in the chase. It is also great for triathletes right up to Ironman distance and also for mountain bikers.
Each Wednesday I’ll post a Windtrainer Workout that you can do in about 60 minutes to enhance your cycling. See a previous post about training intensity (Levels) to know how hard to work. If you are working directly with Coach Ray he will in most cases prescribe either a Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone to work within if you are training with these tools.
Like last week’s post, it comes from Chris Carmichael, but this time from his website trainright.com.
Over Under’s
- 10min WU Level II;
- 3x 9min (3x 2min Level IV, 1min Level V), 4min RI Level II;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a warm-up (WU) of ten minutes of easy riding at Level II.
The main set includes three reps of nine minutes.
These nine-minute intervals are broken up into three lots of three minutes each with no rest between them.
The first two minutes are done at Level IV, with the third minute done at Level V, before dropping back to Level IV for the start of the next three-minute block. Once you have done three of them, you complete the first nine-minute rep and get a four-minute Rest Interval (RI) at Level II. Spin your legs out keeping the cadence above 90 Rpm. Repeat this twice more to conclude the three reps of nine minutes.
Finish the ride with a minimum of ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Cool Down (CD).
To assist with your recovery, do ten minutes of stretching.
Chris Carmichael has worked with some of the world’s most well-known (as well as infamous) cyclists and has authored a number of books. One of my favorites he has written is The Time Crunched Cyclist.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach and Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.
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Download the Garmin (.FIT) and Zwift (.ZWO) files for this workout for FREE
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Prior to using this plan, you should be able to ride non-stop for 60 minutes.
Purchase of this plan gives you access to my fortnightly coaching calls where you can ask me any training or racing related questions.
When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.
The Time-Crunched Cyclist reveals the fastest way to get fit for road racing, century rides, cyclocross, Gran Fondos, mountain bike events, and multi-day cycling tours. With elite cycling coach Chris Carmichael’s innovative, time-saving approach, busy cyclists will develop fitness, speed, and power in just 6 hours a week.
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New programs for this second edition bring cyclists up to speed for cyclocross racing, mountain bike endurance rides, and show bicycle commuters how to turn their twice-a-day rides into effective time-crunched workouts.
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