Spending time at your VO2 Max will develop your top-end speed and power. This session will help you develop that and 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.
The inspiration for this session comes from Matt Bottrill, in an article published on Triathlon.com. To read the original article click here. Matt is a cycling coach who has worked with pro triathletes like Tim Don and Tim O’Donnell.
Matt Bottrill’s Tabata Intervals
- 15min Warm Up Level II;
- 8x 20sec Level V, 10sec Level II RI;
- 20min Level II;
- 8x 20sec Level V, 10sec Level II RI;
- 10min Cool Down Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a 15-minute Warm Up (WU) at Level II.
The main set is done twice through with 20 minutes of easy riding at Level II.
The intervals are eight reps of 20 seconds at max effort at Level V, with only ten seconds of Rest Interval (RI) at Level II after each effort.
Conclude the intervals with ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Cool Down.
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
I’ve written some similar articles previously about Tabata-style workouts so here are a couple of other variations:
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & 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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If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.
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