Spending time at or near your VO2 Max will enhance it, spending your down time at your Threshold intensity will also enhance that. I’ll warn you, this session is tough, but with good recovery within the workout between sets, it’s doable and you’ll reap the benefit. This session is great for triathletes, road cyclists, and mountain bikers.
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.
The inspiration for this session comes from Watts On Zwift. I’ve modified it a little bit. You can read the full article here. The session itself was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching.
Zwift Academy 2021 VO2 Over Under Intervals
- 10min WU Level II;
- 1min Level IV;
- 3min Level II;
- 3x
- 2min Level V;
- 1min Level IV;
- 1min Level V;
- 2min Level IV;
- 6min Level II (after first 2 reps only);
- 5min 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.
Next ramp things up to Level IV for one minute, then have a three minute Rest Interval (RI) at Level II.
The main set is made up of three sets of VO2 Under Over Intervals. Start with two minutes riding at Level V, try to keep the cadence nice and high 100 RPM or above. Drop the intensity down to Level IV for a minute before ramping back up for another minute at Level V. Finish with two minutes at Level IV. This six minute set is tough but achievable. Between the sets ride for six minutes at Level II for your Rest Interval (RI).
Conclude the intervals with five minutes of riding at Level I for your Cool Down (CD).
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
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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Download the Garmin (.FIT) and Zwift (.ZWO) files for this workout for FREE
If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published previously.
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