I needed to develop a short, intense session for an athlete due to the position they have found themselves in due to changes in COVID-19 restrictions where they live. This session targets VO2 max intensity with very limited Rest Intervals (RI). This session is great to build your top-end intensity but also your ability to turn on the intensity with limited recovery It is great for both road cyclists and triathletes, as well as mountain biking.
Each Wednesday I’ll post a Windtrainer Workout 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.
With the recent change to the COVID-19 Lockdown levels in New Zealand, I received several messages from my athletes, particularly around access to swimming pools. Gareth who is based in Auckland, all of a sudden found himself having to juggle training, family commitments, and working from home. He no longer had the freedom to fit his training in as he liked and asked me if I could limit his training to about 30 minutes. This is the session I put together for him today. Hopefully, the COVID outbreak in Auckland has been caught by going hard early and this lockdown gets lifted later this afternoon.
Gareth’s 30min Lockdown Power Workout
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4x 2min Level V, 45sec Level II RI;
- 10min CD Level I;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a ten-minute warm-up (WU) riding at Level II. Keep your cadence above 90Rpm for the warm-up.
The main set is made up of four reps, two minutes long at Level V. Between reps you only get 45 seconds of Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level II. This is less than is normally recommended physiologically, but there are only four reps to get through.
Conclude the intervals with ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Cool Down (CD).
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
Here is my data from doing this 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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Do this workout today with the Squad.
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- Select “Full Access Membership” and search for & click on “Gareth’s 30min Lockdown Power Workout” in the workout section, then “Start this Workout.“
- Connect your trainer, power meter, and/or heart rate monitor (make sure they are disconnected from your trainer app, Zwift, Rouvey, etc… first), then come ride with us.
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