Cycling workouts? Haven’t you heard them all before?
Maybe- but are you doing them?
To “know them” but not to do them is not to know them (if that makes sense!)
You must be ready for the pain locker! (or as Chris McCormack famously calls it “the hurt locker”)
If you are a beginner, of course, you must do your steady state endurance work first! Focus on increasing your time on the bike, getting used to the road and improving your technique ascending and descending hills and cornering.
If you are an intermediate to advanced level cyclist, the more time you can spend at your peak, the faster progress you will make.
You are training your legs to do more work before fatigue. But a big component that many neglect, is that these cycling workouts are also training your mind to feel the pain and keep going anyway.
For more inspiration and to keep sharp, I like to read a mind training book at least once a quarter to remind myself how to think like champions, even in the midst of a lung busting hill workout or a leg sapping squat session.
Here’s a good one I read recently:
Here are the most effective cycling workouts (read: dreaded) to thrust you out of your cycling plateau and into cycling glory ☺
Only problem is you actually have to DO the workouts. Ouch!
Many cyclists do their routine “moderate to hard sessions” 3 times a week.
It is important to change up your cycling workout every 4 weeks or so your body does not get used to it.
Here is another one of my recent reading discoveries that truly help me strengthen my mind against the pain:
Another great policy is to do the workouts you hate most! (These are the ones you need most!)
The “I’d Rather Die” Cycling Workout
Brutal, hard, “on the edge” intervals provide HUGE return for a small amount of time spent.
Improvements inVO2max, fat burning and endurance can be seen in just 2 weeks.
Always warm up- easy steady state for 15 minutes first to get the blood flow going, knees lubricated and your body (and mind) prepared for the upcoming work.
This can be done on road bike, rollers or turbo bike
As many of you know, I am a fan of short, intense workouts on the rollers for super efficiency. Tacx is my favorite right now.
Workout
In a high resistance gear, push as hard as you can, go flat out for 40 seconds.
Recover for 20 seconds.
Repeat for 8 reps.
Recover for 5 minutes.
Do 3-5 sets of this depending in fitness (not depending if you feel like it!).
The key with intervals is to go flat out. If you just go moderately hard- you will not see the gains you desire.
It is only short but it must be very hard.
Prepare your mind before you start so you are focused and committed or you will ease up 15 seconds into the work when it becomes hard.
Practice seeing it through. This is part of the training. To push through even though it is hard.
Standing Interval CyclingWorkouts
On a moderate-hard incline, stand up out of the saddle and push up the hill as fast as possible for 30 seconds. Descend back to start.
If you are on a turbo bike, spin easy for 30 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.
Then repeat the same 10 reps ( attack the same hill) while seated on the bike.
Do NOT stop or give up until it is done.
Attack Pyramid Intervals Cycling Workouts
There will be times you need to pedal fast to catch a group in front or to drop a cyclist as you want to make a make a get away. Or simply a sprint for the line.
You need to ability to cycle hard for 2-3 minutes without collapsing in a heap.
Workout
15 minute easy warm up
2 minutes hard at 85% of maximum.
Recover easy for 2 minutes
3 minutes hard at 85% of maximum.
Recover easy for 2 minutes
4 minutes hard at 85% of maximum.
Recover easy for 2 minutes
3 minutes hard at 85% of maximum.
Recover easy for 2 minutes
2 minutes hard at 85% of maximum.
Recover easy for 2 minutes
1 minute hard at 90% of maximum.
Recover easy for 10 minutes
Here is a workout you can set up in your “pain cave” at home :
Speed Pyramid Intervals Cycling Workouts
Doing speed workouts are fantastic to help you develop a smooth cadence and activate more of your fast twitch fibers. This one is actually best done on an exercise bike or turbo.
Workout
15-minute easy warm up
20 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
30 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
40 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
50 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
60 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
50 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
40 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
30 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
20 seconds at 90rpm
Recover at 50-60 rpm for 30 seconds
Threshold Cycling Workouts
This workout involves 15-minute easy warm up
Then 20 minutes at your 25K pace.
Recover for 5 mins
Then another 20 minutes at your 25K pace.
This will increase your ability to sustain hard workouts and help your overall fitness in triathlon
If you cannot complete or sustain the workout, do what you can and very quickly build up.
Power Cycling Workouts
Your maximum pedalling power is the greatest number of watts you can produce during a very short, all-out effort. Even if you are a Ironman and need to cycle steady state for 112 miles, the better power you have, the better athlete you will be.
The best endurance cyclists typically have much greater maximum pedalling power than average endurance cyclists. The best endurance cyclists also spend a lot of time doing explosive strength training.
If you look at Tour de France cyclists they average power 450W for a day. The Tour de France sprinters generate around 1500W for their sprint finish (That’s after cycling 200km)
The average cyclist stays around 200W(for 2 hours- they could not last a day!) and has a maximum sprinting power of around 600W
Do power bursts to increase your leg strength and muscular endurance. Increase your ability to pedal a relatively large gear at a moderate cadence.
Workout
15-minute easy warm up
Begin each power burst by spinning in a low gear.
Then shift to your big gear while seated and pedal as hard as you can until you reach 80 rpm. This should take about 15 seconds. Shift to a small gear and spin easy for three minutes at 90 rpm. Repeat 10 times and build up to 15 power bursts per session.
Weekly schedule
I am not saying to switch all your weekly cycling to short hard sessions. You definitely still need the longer sessions and time in the saddle. Schedule at least one long day in the saddle where you do not have to focus on much else besides time in the saddle. You do not need to incorporate ALL of these every week to be successful.
I suggest picking the one that you most dread and make that your focus. Pick one that you are NOT already doing. Remember, you are aiming to shock your body, keep it adapting. Do not allow it to get lazy and comfortable.
When you are doing your short hard intervals, make sure you are totally focused on the workout.
The mistake most athletes make is they do not do their easy workouts easy and they do not do their hard workouts hard!
Happy Training
Sam
Looks like intensive training – but it’s going to come in handy when cycling uphill!
HI Ryan,
After these workouts, you will be passing your mates when going uphill- guaranteed!