When riding at a low cadence the muscle needs to generate more force to turn the pedals due to the greater resistance. By training at a low cadence you can do specific strength training whilst on the bike. This is great for all cyclists including triathletes and 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.
Inspiration for today’s session comes from George Scott from Road Cycling UK, the original post can be found here.
Road Cycling UK’s Strength Session
- 10min WU Level II;
- 10min Level III Cad 60rpm;
- 5min Level II Cad 90+rpm;
- 10min Level III Cad 55rpm;
- 5min Level II Cad 90+rpm;
- 10min Level III Cad 50rpm;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) of ten minutes of easy riding at Level II.
The workout involves three reps, each made up of ten minutes of riding at a low cadence at Level III to develop strength. Between the reps ride for five minutes at Level II maintaining a cadence of at least 90 RPM.
The first rep is to be done at a cadence of 60 RPM. If you are a little above or below this that will be fine but aim to average 60 RPM over the ten minutes. For the second rep, the cadence is to be a bit lower down to 55 RPM for the duration and the final rep is to be 50 RPM.
The Cool Down (CD) is at low intensity (Level II) for a minimum of ten minutes.
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.
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.
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If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.
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