I needed a sequence of challenging hill sessions for an athlete wanting to improve their time up Alpe du Zwift. This is the first in the series and over the coming weeks following these sessions, you will boost your FTP and your ability to sustain your effort up a climb. These sessions are not just useful for Alpe du Zwift, but also hilly events like the Lake Taupo Cycle Classic or Five Passes Tour here in New Zealand.
Each Sunday I’ll post a Smart-Trainer Session 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.
Ray’s Sustained Hill Reps A
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4x
- 4:45min Level III/IV (8%),
- 1:15min Level IV (13%),
- 1min Level II (3%),
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the session with ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Warm Up (WU).
The main set is made up of four reps. Each rep has three sub-reps. Start by riding up an eight percentgrade at Level III/Level IV (84-98% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP)) for four minutes and 45 seconds. Your gradient will kick up to thirteen percent for the next minute and fifteen seconds, ride this at Level IV. Then back off to Level II for a minute as the gradient decreases to three percent. Repeating this a total of four times will mean the main set averages a gradient of eight and a half percent, the same as Alpe du Zwift, with the peak gradient of thirteen percent a little bit higher than Alpe du Zwift’s peak gradient. Aim to keep your cadence spinning above 90 rpms throughout.
Conclude the session with ten minutes of riding at Level II (on the flat) for your Cool Down (CD).
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
Here is my data from when I did the 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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