Workout 2: The second workout is aimed at maintaining your high-end power with repeated maximal efforts. High-intensity efforts bring up your overall aerobic capacity—which makes you better at all intensities—and they provide the biggest payoff for your time.
After a similar warm-up to the one in Workout 1, jump right into the intervals. Alternate between three-minute and two-minute maximum efforts (recovery is equal to the work-interval duration).
Round out the session by doing a few shorter efforts (as shown in the table) to finish on a high note. If your pace or power output falls dramatically as this workout progresses, stop doing the maximum-effort intervals and ride easy instead.
|
Time
|
Description
|
RPE
|
RPM
|
|
0 to 10 min.
|
Warm up with 3 x 1-minute fast pedals with 1-minute recovery
|
5 or 6
|
90 to 110
|
|
10 to 13 min.
|
3-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
13 to 16 min.
|
3-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
16 to 18 min.
|
2-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
18 to 20 min.
|
2-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
20 to 23 min.
|
3-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
23 to 26 min.
|
3-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
26 to 28 min.
|
2-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
28 to 30 min.
|
2-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
30 to 33 min.
|
3-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
33 to 36 min.
|
3-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
36 to 38 min.
|
2-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
38 to 39 min.
|
1-minute recovery
|
4
|
80 to 100
|
|
39 to 40 min.
|
1-minute VO2 max interval
|
10
|
95 to 110
|
|
40 to 50 min.
|
10-minute recovery
|
4
|
90 to 100
|
Here are a few options for fitting these power workouts into your normal training schedule.
|
|
Tuesday
|
Thursday
|
Saturday
|
|
Option 1
|
Workout 1
|
Workout 1
|
Workout 2
|
|
Option 2
|
Workout 1
|
Workout 2
|
Workout 1
|
|
Option 3
|
Workout 2
|
Workout 1
|
Workout 2
|
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