Preparing your body for the intensity that will be replicated and sustained during an event is an important part of training. This session is great for triathletes, and road cyclists. It can also be beneficial for mountain bikers, especially for events that are about an hour in duration such as a 40km Time Trial or the bike leg of an Olympic Distance Triathlon.
Each Sunday I’ll post a Smart-Trainer Session 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 a workout in an article by Marc Evan in the November 2007 issue of Triathlete Mag.
Tempo Session #1
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4 sets of:
- 3x 4min Level III, 1min Level II RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Sets #1 & #3:
- Rep #1: 4min BG (Seated) 70rpm;
- Rep #2: 4x 45sec BG (Standing) 60-70rpm, 15sec seated Level I;
- Rep #3: 2x 2min SLD
Sets #2 & #4:
- Rep #1: 75-85rpm;
- Rep #2: BG 50-60rpm;
- Rep #3: 90-100rpm;
Start the workout with a ten-minute Warm Up (WU) riding at Level II.
The main set is made up of four sets, with the first and third sets being the same and the second and fourth sets also being the same as each other. All sets are made up of three reps of four minutes duration, but within those sets each rep is different.
Starting with set one (and three) the first rep is four minutes at Level III in a Big Gear (BG), seated with a cadence of about 70rpm. The second rep is made up of four, sub-reps each of 45 seconds duration at Level III in a Big Gear (BG), standing with a cadence of between 60 & 70 rpm. Ride seated at Level I for fifteen seconds after each sub-rep. The third rep is made up of two, two-minute sub-reps of Single Leg Drills (SLD). A Single Leg Drill (SLD) is where you unclip one leg and pedal with that single leg whilst the other leg is stationary. Focus on pedalling in a complete circle. The unclipped leg can be resting on a chair beside your trainer, on the rear of the trainer or just hanging in mid-air away from your spinning crank/pedal. After each full rep ride for one minute at Level II for your Rest Interval (RI).
The second (and fourth) set commences with a rep at Level III for four minutes with a cadence of 75-85rpm. The second rep is also four-minutes duration at Level III and has a cadence of 50-60rpm whilst riding in a Big Gear (BG). The final rep is also four-minutes duration at Level III and has a cadence of 90-100rpm. As with the first (and third set), each rep is followed by one minute of riding at Level II for the Rest Interval (RI).
Complete a Cool Down (CD) for ten minutes at Level II.
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
Here is my data from doing the workout:
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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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.