Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Weekly Training Series: Building the Bike Part 1

Thought I'd do a little series of posts put out each Tuesday with a bike training session to get you super fit for any late season races, or you can use to kickstart your offseason training. The workouts are all to be done on the trainer. I should also mention if your interested in getting more workouts, or training advice on the bike and/or run you can just message me on Facebook or do DM on instagram (@frank.sorbara92), and I can set something up more specific to your needs. So this weeks workout is an FTP builder with a little race visualization set on the end of it. I'll warn you in advance it is tough, but boy is is super rewarding. Note that I'm intending these workouts for someone coming off a period of solid training in the main part of the season, so you already established a very solid base of training. Here it is:

1) Warmup: easy spinning @ 50% FTP for 5 minutes, into 3 minutes @ 60% FTP, into 2 minutes 70% FTP ---a ramp style warmup
2) Activation Set: 3x1minute Hard @ 100%, 105%, 110% FTP with 1 minute very easy recovery @ 50% FTP
3) Hopefully your ready and primed to go now because it's gametime. First spin out any heaviness that you may have built up during the warmup (hopefully not much) with a 2 minute easy spin @ 50% FTP.
4) Main set: 4x5 minutes @ 105, 110, 105, 110% FTP. This will be very hard expect by the final 5 minuter you are at VO2 max, pushing well into your aerobic ceiling. The first 5 minuter I consider a freebie. You are fresh still, and 5 minutes at 105% isn't deadly. It is probably around your normal climbing power. What does make this workout difficult is the fact the fatigue accumulates so rapidly since there is only 2 minutes recovery @ 40% FTP between each 5 minute interval. Its enough to get your heart rate out of the red zone but it will still be around zone 2 so when the next interval starts you are started from a higher level and will then reach an even higher level.
----FOR A EASIER MODIFICATION YOU CAN DO 105,105,105,105. THE WHOLE POINT THOUGH IS THAT THE INTENSITY IS HIGHER THAN YOUR CURRENT FTP SINCE THIS IS MEANT TO TRY TO INCREASE YOUR FTP.
5) Take 5 minutes to compose yourself @50% FTP. Wipe the tears off you bike computers screen. The hard work is done, mostly.
6) Visualization set: So most likely you did those 4 intervals in an upright position. 105-110% FTP is likely into your climbing wattage, so you probably were in upright climbing position. That's okay. That's recommended. As a side note I see way to many people even in IM 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga climbing lookout mountain in their aerobars. This is pointless, at this speed and on such a steep climb you are getting zero aerodynamic benefit from being in aero. In reality you are actually robbing your legs of sheer power since in the upright position you can use your glutes to a much greater degree to generate power, and also in upright position you are in a better position for maximum air intake. So I've added this part for a couple reasons. One to take advantage of the work you just did (I'll explain in a sec) and two to get some time spend aero from this workout.

So essentially because you just worked at 105-110% FTP, 90% FTP will feel pretty easy at this point. It is amazing how the body works like that. At other times 90% FTP can feel hard, but after doing 5 minuters at 105-110% it is going to feel like you'll need to hold back. So what I've added onto the main set it a sort of pyramid all to be done in the aero position, all feeling as relaxed and fluid as possible, all while visualizing yourself in your next race, or just out on the road.

So the mini set to finish the workout is the following:

  • 1 minute @ 90% FTP, 40 sec ez recovery @ 60%
  • 55 s @ 90%, 35 s @ 60%
  • 50 s @ 90%, 30 s @ 60% 
  • 45 s @ 90%, 25 s @ 60% 
  • 40 s @ 90%, 20 s @ 60%
  • 35 s @ 90%, 15 s @ 60%
  • 30 s @ 90%, 10 s @ 60% - then back up so..
  • 35 s @ 90%, 15 s @ 60%
  • 40 s @ 90%, 20 s @ 60%
  • 45 s @ 90%, 25 s @ 60%
  • 50 s @ 90%, 30 s @ 60% 
  • 55 s @ 90%, 35 s @ 60%
  • 1 minute @ 90% FTP, 40 sec ez recovery @ 60%
The intervals here are so short and at 90% FTP you'll barely feel the increase in intensity, so it is a perfect time to really practice feeling super powerful, stable on the saddle, and incredibly smooth while in aero and churning out the watts. And the beauty like I mentioned is after that main set, 90% FTP will feel easy.

7) Easy 5 min cooldown at 50% FTP 

So there you have it. A beauty FTP builder workout, with some work in the aero position to round off the set. If your thinking I'm pulling these workout out of nowhere and just trying to make it as difficult or crazy as possible, I'm not, I will be doing each one of the prescribed workouts every Monday, and then sharing here on the Tuesday. For a cleaner look without the descriptions and words below is the step by step of the workout with just the numbers.
  1. 5'' @ 50%, 3"@60%, 2"@ 70%
  2. 3x1"@100,105,110%, 1" Recovery @ 50%
  3. 2" 50% 
  4. 4x5" @105,110,105,110%, 2" Recovery @ 40% 
  5. 5"@ 50% 

  • 1 min @ 90%, 40 s @ 60%
  • 55 s @ 90%, 35 s @ 60%
  • 50 s @ 90%, 30 s @ 60% 
  • 45 s @ 90%, 25 s @ 60% 
  • 40 s @ 90%, 20 s @ 60%
  • 35 s @ 90%, 15 s @ 60%
  • 30 s @ 90%, 10 s @ 60% 
  • 35 s @ 90%, 15 s @ 60%
  • 40 s @ 90%, 20 s @ 60%
  • 45 s @ 90%, 25 s @ 60%
  • 50 s @ 90%, 30 s @ 60% 
  • 55 s @ 90%, 35 s @ 60%
  • 1 min @ 90%, 40 s @ 60%
Cooldown 5" @ 50% 

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