Back in 2007, I conducted a windtrainer class. I had a fleet of Minoura Mag-800’s and I hired a hall & had a great group of athletes that would join me once a week for a tough session (similar to Spinervals by Coach Troy Jacobson except I also rode with my athletes and sweated up a storm alongside them). I’ve recently been tidying up some old boxes in the garage and found my old lesson plans and the music to go alongside them. Although primarily designed for triathletes this session is great for anyone wanting to boost their FTP (yes, I was training with power back then with the old Polar WIND power meter temperamental as it was) and it involves riding a large portion of the workout at Threshold.
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.
QK WT Class V
- 3min WU Level II;
- 6x 30sec Cad 85-90; 90-95; 95-100; 100-105; 105-110; 110+;
- 8min Max effort;
- 10min Level II Cad 90+ RI;
- 8min Max effort;
- 3:15min Level II RI;
- 4:30min Level IV Cad 70-80rpm, 2min RI;
- 4:30min Level IV Cad 70-80rpm;
- 6x 30sec SLD;
- 6min Level II CD;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a six-minute Warm Up (WU) riding at Level II. For the first three minutes don’t worry about your cadence but for the next three minutes, start at a cadence of 85-90rpm for the first 30 seconds. Increase your cadence by 5 rpm every 30 seconds.
Next up are two eight-minute max efforts with a ten-minute spin at Level II. These are reps for the Carmichael Field test and are a great way to determine your Threshold Heart Rate (HR). Read more about it in the article below.
Next up is a Rest Interval (RI) for three minutes and fifteen seconds at Level II.
Following that are two hill reps at Level IV. Ride at a cadence of 70-80rpm for four and a half minutes. Take a two-minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level II with a cadence of 90+rpm between reps.
Next up is a set of six, 30-second Single Leg Drills (SLD). A Single Leg Drill (SLD) is where you unclip one leg and pedal with a single leg. Focus on pedalling complete circles. Alternate legs, use one leg for the even-numbered reps and the other leg for the odd-numbered reps.
Conclude the workout with six-minute riding at Level II for your Cool Down (CD).
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 – 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
Here is the playlist that I put together for the class. The intervals line up with changes in songs with slower, more gentle songs for the Warm Up and Cool Down, with more up-tempo songs for the higher intensity portions. For the class I had a CD of music, these are the closest in duration I could find on YouTube in 2021, and if you have ads play this will push things out a bit as well and it won’t perfectly line up. Due to YouTube issues the second song (for the Increasing cadence segment) can’t be included in the playlist – Skitz Rocks Megamix (by Nick Skitz).
I’ve recently launched a new cycle training plan that will improve your FTP. If your goal this year involves improving your cycling fitness with limited time to train. Complete the form below and get more information about this great plan.