![]() Tempo rides are great for teaching your body to sustain “race pace” efforts for events like cyclocross, road racing, and longer criterium races. Spending too much time in zone 3 can lead to burnout or stagnation the effort isn’t easy enough to ensure you have the energy you need to go hard on your more challenging days but isn’t quite hard enough to elicit the adaptations you’re looking for, says Sohn. While these rides can be a great way to build fitness without beating your body up, Sohn cautions riders not to spend too much time in what many consider a “gray zone.” Tempo rides increase your lactate threshold, aerobic capacity, and your ability to store carbohydrates. A typical session might be two to three 10-minute efforts with five minutes of rest in between, or as many as three 30-minute efforts broken up with ten minutes of rest, flanked by a warmup and a cooldown. These rides target zone 3, or an RPE of about 6 out of 10. Tempo rides are long intervals that feel “hard but sustainable,” as you begin to breathe harder and fatigue starts to accumulate in your muscles, says cycling coach and physical therapist Kur Sohn of Velo Fit Physical Therapy. Ride for 90 minutes to 3 hours, maintaining a steady effort in zone 2. Best for…Īthletes preparing for longer events like century rides, long-course triathlons, and multi-day events, though everyone can benefit from this type of cycling workout. They also promote the production of mitochondria responsible for giving your cells energy, and they teach you to use fat as a fuel source. For one thing, they boost your vascularity, or the number of capillaries that can deliver oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. Benefits of Endurance RidesĮndurance rides build your aerobic capacity in a few important ways. While a track cyclist may not need more than a three-hour ride, the athlete preparing for a 200-mile (or more) gravel event will probably benefit from a few eight-hour days in the saddle. “It’s an effort you can sustain day after day,” says four-time Olympian, coach, and Zwift workout builder Kristin Armstrong.Ī typical endurance ride will be one to five hours, or potentially even more, depending on your goals. If you train with power, you’re targeting zone 2, which translates to an RPE of 4 to 5 out of 10. 7 Strategies for Conquering Recovery RidesĮndurance rides are longer rides at a consistent, relatively low-intensity pace where you could stay relatively comfortable for hours. ![]() Best for…Īfter an intense effort (a race, leg day at the gym, or an interval session) so you can hit your training hard again the next day. Because you don’t need to worry about your watts, heart rate, pace, or distance, you’re free to enjoy the scenery if you’re outdoors, or your favorite Netflix series if you’re on the trainer. Riding here is also great for your mental health, says Pulford. As the name suggests, these easy days help you recover from your hard days. Benefits of Active Recovery RidesĪctive recovery rides increase blood flow to your legs to help reduce the inflammation (and the soreness that comes along with it) from an intense workout without putting extra strain on your muscles, says Pulford. “You should feel better coming off the bike than when you jumped on,” says Pulford. Whether you’re riding to the park with your kiddo or to the coffee shop with friends, the goal is just to move your legs and have fun with zero pressure to perform. You’d be in zone 1, or at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 2 to 4 out of 10. You can also use your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to gauge how hard to go in any given workout.Ī recovery ride is an easy 30- to 60-minute spin where you can easily hold a conversation and you’re barely breaking a sweat. But if you don’t have a power meter, or numbers stress you out, don’t sweat it. Once you have that number, you can use it to calculate all your power zones. Not sure exactly how to mix things up? Here, we break down the different types of cycling workouts you’re likely to see on a training plan, including how they’re structured, why you’d do them, and a sample workout for each one.īefore you dive in, it’s a good idea to determine your functional threshold power (FTP), the average power you can sustain for a one-hour effort.
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