I would wager a lot of money that a very large number of you have got to that stage in the season where any gains in performance have stopped and no matter how hard you try you just don't increase that FTP or speed from what it was back in June/July. Frustrated, you keep riding more a more miles, doing more and more of the same rides and training until the inevitable late season fatigue and burn out occurs. Sounds familiar?
The great news is that for the vast majority of you this lid on performance is just a glass ceiling and glass, as you know, can be smashed. The thing is your body has become totally adapted to the riding you have been doing all season so to reach new heights you have to introduce a new and challenging stimulus.
So how do we smash the glass celling on performance to reach new performance highs in time for the closing events of the season?
Sounds painful? Well I am not going to lie to you VO2Max training is painful and uncomfortable. You need these workouts to be challenging if you want to make gains on top of the foundation of threshold work you have already built. This discomfort is one of the key ingredients to breaking free of your training stagnation as it means you are stressing your body's physiological systems, and because of this you're pushing hard against the performance glass ceiling.
You should aim to train at VO2Max twice per week either as specific workouts or by introducing hard 3-5 minute intervals to your road riding. For those of you with power meters you should be aiming to work at between 115-120% of FTP. If you have never worked at such intensity before start with 3 minute intervals and build up to 5 minutes over the four weeks. For those without power, working in the VO2max Zone 5 means that you should be breathing as hard as you can, you wont be able to talk and your legs will be screaming at you to stop. These workouts should only be undertaken by fit athletes who have a solid season of training behind them.
I have a series of workouts that will help you break through the performance glass ceiling. As I said you can do these on the road but be careful and choose a very quiet road. I ended up in a hedge after completing one of these sessions a few years ago as I was seeing stars! Turbo or wattbike is ideal if you can bear it while the sun is shining. A guide to the training zones can be found HERE
Key - WU: = Warm up. Drills: = Effort intervals. RI:= Rest intervals. CD: = Cool down
Week 1
Workout 1
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
5x3min 120% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (3ri)
CD:10min
Workout 2
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
4x5min 115% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (5ri)
CD: 10min
Week 2
Workout 1
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
6x3min 120% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (3ri)
CD:10min
Workout 2
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
5x5min 115% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (5ri)
CD: 10min
Week 3
Workout 1
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
7x3min 120% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (3ri)
CD:10min
Workout 2
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
6x5min 115% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (5ri)
CD: 10min
Week 4 (adaption week)
Workout 1
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
3x3min 120% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (3ri)
CD:10min
Workout 2
WU:10min
Drills: 5min FTP Zone 4 95rpm (5ri)
2x5min 115% FTP Zone 5 100rpm (5ri)
CD: 10min
Aim to also ride one solid ride per week and do some more VO2Max work up small hills and along flat straights. Have an easy week in week 4 just doing the planned sessions and one endurance Zone 2 ride.
This four week block of training is hard and you probably wont like it! If you are looking to improve performance at the tail end of the season then I can tell you that this programme has worked for me and many other athletes that I coach. Good luck and suffer well!
As ever if you have any questions then please contact me at [email protected]
Rob Wakefield is a fully qualified Level 3 Cycling Coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches and founder of Propello, a cycling focused health and fitness business delivering Performance Training Programmes and Bespoke Coaching to cyclists anywhere in the world.
All cyclists who are looking to improve their speed, endurance or strength will benefit from a structured training programme. Propello Training will improve how your muscles, lungs and heart work and will enable your body to transport and utilise fuel effectively - making you faster and stronger for longer.
Click here to learn more about Propello.
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