Cycling Threshold Improvement Plan Weeks 9-16 - 250 watts Power Training by Hunter Allen
8 weeks - $99.95
Total Hours: 107
Total Hours: 107
This the next plan for you if you have just finished the first 8-week threshold improvement plan. If you chose the 250watts threshold improvement plan in the first 8 weeks, be sure to re-test your threshold, because now it is probably higher and this 250w plan will not be at the correct intensity for you. This plan is for a cyclist or triathlete that has a power meter and a threshold wattage of about 250 watts. The athlete can train from 9 to 13 hours a week, with a couple of weeks at 15+ hours(mainly from long rides on weekends) and has been cycling for at least a year, and is excited about going faster or getting into racing and/or improving their racing category. You can put in between 2-5 hours on one of your weekend days. Your goal is to increase your threshold wattage and also increase your endurance in the 8 week period. Before beginning you should be able to complete a 50 mile ride and you would like to be able to compete a 80 mile ride in the near future. You are currently riding your bike from 4-7x per week, but lack direction, and exactly how to best use your power meter. You would like to use your power meter to base your training on and also get a real focus to help you make it to the next level. To get the most out of this plan, it's important that you go through the testing protocols first, in order to make sure of your threshold wattage. Please read the accompanying documents in order to review the testing protocols.
After purchase, your plan will be available in your own private online training log account. You'll enjoy these benefits and more:
Sample workouts:
Workout #1 : Bike
Monthly Test!
Planned Time: 1:30:00
The monthly power test does not have to be done monthly as the name implies however, you should definitely test at the minimum of every 8 weeks. The testing protocol doesn’t just look at threshold power and see if that has changed, it’s important to go ahead and test our 4 ‘power profiling’ time periods and also update our power profiling chart. The testing protocol is a great workout in an of itself, so don’t think that you are losing anything by completeing it. Begin the testing protocol with a 20minute warm-up then do (3) fast pedaling efforts for 100rpm for one minute each with one minute between each. These are to help open up the legs and finish warming up the muscles. After the fast pedals, ride for 3 minutes easy at watts less 150. Then go for it – (1) 5minute all out. Punch it as hard as you can and hold the highest watts you can hold for the 5 minutes, don’t start too hard though! Then ride 10minutes easy at less than 150 watts. The next efforts are a test of your anaerobic capacity: Do (2) x 1 minute efforts with 5 minutes between each. Out of the saddle and accelerating hard up to speed and then really pushing until you explode at the end of a minute. After the 2nd effort, then again, do 5 minutes easy at watts less than 150. Finish off the short tests with a test of your neuromuscular power or sprinting ability and do (3) x 20 seconds “Super Jumps” . Jump as hard as you can out of the saddle and then sprint, like you are about to win a race(!), for 20 seconds. We are just going to take the Best 5 seconds and look at it, but I want 20 seconds of effort to make sure you give it your all. REST 3minutes between each with VERY EASY pedaling, watts less than 120 ! Ride easy for 10 minutes or so with watts from 150-190, and then time for a 20 minute Time Trial. Again, remember your goal: Produce the best average watts you can for the entire 20 minutes, so don’t start out too hard and blow up in the first 5 minutes. It’s important that you really give it your all. Focus and push hard! Cool-down for 15-30 minutes of easy pedaling watts less than 150
Planned Time: 1:30:00
The monthly power test does not have to be done monthly as the name implies however, you should definitely test at the minimum of every 8 weeks. The testing protocol doesn’t just look at threshold power and see if that has changed, it’s important to go ahead and test our 4 ‘power profiling’ time periods and also update our power profiling chart. The testing protocol is a great workout in an of itself, so don’t think that you are losing anything by completeing it. Begin the testing protocol with a 20minute warm-up then do (3) fast pedaling efforts for 100rpm for one minute each with one minute between each. These are to help open up the legs and finish warming up the muscles. After the fast pedals, ride for 3 minutes easy at watts less 150. Then go for it – (1) 5minute all out. Punch it as hard as you can and hold the highest watts you can hold for the 5 minutes, don’t start too hard though! Then ride 10minutes easy at less than 150 watts. The next efforts are a test of your anaerobic capacity: Do (2) x 1 minute efforts with 5 minutes between each. Out of the saddle and accelerating hard up to speed and then really pushing until you explode at the end of a minute. After the 2nd effort, then again, do 5 minutes easy at watts less than 150. Finish off the short tests with a test of your neuromuscular power or sprinting ability and do (3) x 20 seconds “Super Jumps” . Jump as hard as you can out of the saddle and then sprint, like you are about to win a race(!), for 20 seconds. We are just going to take the Best 5 seconds and look at it, but I want 20 seconds of effort to make sure you give it your all. REST 3minutes between each with VERY EASY pedaling, watts less than 120 ! Ride easy for 10 minutes or so with watts from 150-190, and then time for a 20 minute Time Trial. Again, remember your goal: Produce the best average watts you can for the entire 20 minutes, so don’t start out too hard and blow up in the first 5 minutes. It’s important that you really give it your all. Focus and push hard! Cool-down for 15-30 minutes of easy pedaling watts less than 150
Workout #2 : Bike
Anaerobic Capacity- 8x 2
Planned Time: 1:30:00
WU: Standard warm-up for 15 minutes and getting the legs moving. MS:, Set your power meter so you can see the average mode in ‘interval’ mode. Then do 8 x 2 minutes as hard as you can go, and using your average watts as a ‘carrot’ to push all the way to the end. The goal? Average over 130%(325w) of your threshold power. Reach for that. Stop when you can’t reach 118%(295w) in your average. Recover for at least 2 minutes, more if needed. Finish with 3 x 1 minute efforts and try to average over 140%(350w) here. Do all of them, unless you can’t even get over 120%(300w). CD: 15 minutes cool-down.
Planned Time: 1:30:00
WU: Standard warm-up for 15 minutes and getting the legs moving. MS:, Set your power meter so you can see the average mode in ‘interval’ mode. Then do 8 x 2 minutes as hard as you can go, and using your average watts as a ‘carrot’ to push all the way to the end. The goal? Average over 130%(325w) of your threshold power. Reach for that. Stop when you can’t reach 118%(295w) in your average. Recover for at least 2 minutes, more if needed. Finish with 3 x 1 minute efforts and try to average over 140%(350w) here. Do all of them, unless you can’t even get over 120%(300w). CD: 15 minutes cool-down.
Workout #3 : Bike
Big gear efforts
Planned Time: 1:30:00
WU: 15 minutes of pedaling at 90-100rpm. Keep watts in level 2. MS: Get those legs ready for some work, do (1) 5minute effort at level 4 watts, pushing to level 5 watts in the last 30seconds... Recover for 5minutes easy pedaling. Then EVERY 5 minutes for the next 60 minutes, do a 53:13 effort for 20 seconds... PUSH THIS big gear.. Staying seated the entire effort, try to jump HARD into it and try to get it going as fast as you can in 20seconds. Don't worry about wattage goals for this. The effort is more about developing leg strength and force and your cadence will be low in the beginning, and getting faster with each second. Between each effort, ride for 5minutes easy, with cadence in 90-100rpm range, using an easy gear, then go again.... CD: Cool-down for 10-20minutes with small ring spinning -cadence 95-100rpm, but watts in level 2.
Planned Time: 1:30:00
WU: 15 minutes of pedaling at 90-100rpm. Keep watts in level 2. MS: Get those legs ready for some work, do (1) 5minute effort at level 4 watts, pushing to level 5 watts in the last 30seconds... Recover for 5minutes easy pedaling. Then EVERY 5 minutes for the next 60 minutes, do a 53:13 effort for 20 seconds... PUSH THIS big gear.. Staying seated the entire effort, try to jump HARD into it and try to get it going as fast as you can in 20seconds. Don't worry about wattage goals for this. The effort is more about developing leg strength and force and your cadence will be low in the beginning, and getting faster with each second. Between each effort, ride for 5minutes easy, with cadence in 90-100rpm range, using an easy gear, then go again.... CD: Cool-down for 10-20minutes with small ring spinning -cadence 95-100rpm, but watts in level 2.
Workout #4 : Bike
EASY Ride!
Planned Time: 1:00:00
1 hours- Just easy and cruising. Try to keep the HR below 68% of your threshold HR, and the total average watts for the ride should be below 55% of your Threshold watts.
Planned Time: 1:00:00
1 hours- Just easy and cruising. Try to keep the HR below 68% of your threshold HR, and the total average watts for the ride should be below 55% of your Threshold watts.
Workout #5 : Bike
PCG classic Tune-up
Planned Time: 1:30:00
1.5hours with 3 x 1 minutes hard, with at least 5 minutes of easy riding between each. Also do 3 x 30 seconds hard sprints, with 5 minutes between. Rest is just easy and cruising.
Planned Time: 1:30:00
1.5hours with 3 x 1 minutes hard, with at least 5 minutes of easy riding between each. Also do 3 x 30 seconds hard sprints, with 5 minutes between. Rest is just easy and cruising.
Workout #6 : Bike
5 hours- Mts.
Planned Time: 5:00:00
5 hours on Sat. – Over 2 mountain Passes or 2x 30 minute efforts,, both done at your threshold- 250-260. Also getting in at least 10 solid hill jams(hills can be 30 seconds to 2 minutes) with watts at 300 and greater. Rest of ride is just getting in the miles and having fun.
Planned Time: 5:00:00
5 hours on Sat. – Over 2 mountain Passes or 2x 30 minute efforts,, both done at your threshold- 250-260. Also getting in at least 10 solid hill jams(hills can be 30 seconds to 2 minutes) with watts at 300 and greater. Rest of ride is just getting in the miles and having fun.
Workout #7 : Race
Race
Planned Time: 2:00:00
Race-- Have fun and Race Smart!!
Planned Time: 2:00:00
Race-- Have fun and Race Smart!!
Workout #8 : Race
Planned Time: 2:00:00
Race-- Have fun and Race Smart!!
Workout #9 : Bike
Sunday Endurance ride
Planned Time: 3:00:00
WU: 15 minutes solid and steady. MS: 2hours of good riding today, keeping it steady and smooth. Make sure to keep your watts in the 180-220 range today and just getting in a nice tempo ride today! Please do 10 little 8 second bursts today, throughout your ride, each getting cadence to 120rpm. CD: 15minutes spinning down.
Planned Time: 3:00:00
WU: 15 minutes solid and steady. MS: 2hours of good riding today, keeping it steady and smooth. Make sure to keep your watts in the 180-220 range today and just getting in a nice tempo ride today! Please do 10 little 8 second bursts today, throughout your ride, each getting cadence to 120rpm. CD: 15minutes spinning down.