Waking up to see zone 6 efforts in your planned workout is always a bit intimidating. Those type of efforts have never come easy to me before 7:00 AM. But nonetheless I steeled myself for what about the wakeup call I was about to get this morning. On the bright side, the winter is a really great time to build in some intensity. They don’t take super long and using the erg mode on modern smart trainers is a ruthlessly effecient way to build your high end power.
On the docket was something that resembled a Tabata workout, but with alternating zone 6 and rest intervals of equal length. The intervals ranged from 200% of FTP to 130% of FTP for 15 seconds with 15 seconds of rest between each on the intervals. The workout called for 20 reps and 3 sets of those efforts.
WU: 15 minutes
1 x 15 sec @ 200% FTP
1 x 15 sec @ 50% FTP
18 X 15 sec @ 150% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP between each rep
1 x 15 sec @ 200% FTP
1 x 15 sec @ 50% FTP
5 Min @ 50% FTP
4 x 15 sec @180% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
6 x 15 sec @ 160% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
6 x 15 sec @ 140% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
4 x 15 sec @ 120% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
5 min @ 50% FTP
2 x 15 sec @ 200% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
2 X 15 sec @ 120% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
2 x 15 sec @ 150% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
2 X 15 sec @ 120% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
2 x 15 sec @ 200% FTP
6 x 15 sec @ 150% FTP
15 sec @ 50% FTP bewtween each rep
5 min cool down
I was coming off a block of about 4 weeks with mostly sweet spot efforts so this was a great way to kick start my return back to serious intensity. The near constant sprints and with what felt like ever decreasing recovery periods gave me traumatic flashbacks to early season criterium racing. But it’s all for the best and with my focus turning to really nailing sprint Tris this season it really knocked the rust off.
One thing I’ve changed this off season is I’ve moved to the H2. I’ve used other smart trainers before but this is my first experience using a direct drive. On these zone 5 efforts I really appreciated not having any tire slippage. Is there anything more frustrating than not seeing the real numbers your putting out because your tire is slipping? But of course in this case all that power is read through at the hub and the numbers are accurate to within +/- 2%. I’m also a big fan of erg mode and one of the advantages of using the H2 is that on the big swings between intervals you’re able to hit those power numbers right away without the contact patch between tire and roller being an issue.
The wide base and legs on the H2 were particularly appreciated during this workout as well. The wide stance meant that even as I was flailing about during the final intervals the trainer and bike stayed stable underneath me. The adjustable foot help with this too as they ensure that warps in your floor won’t lead to a wobbly trainer.
The next few weeks should continue with some more high intensity sessions coupled with exploring time in Watopia and the other Zwift courses. The move over to the direct drive of the H2 has made the a really great option to keep things fresh as we power through the Canadian winter.
