3 Killer Indoor Cycling Workouts

Whether you’re a seasoned Zwifter or a relatively new the party, indoor training has some great advantages. While I‘m a big believer in getting outside and taking in the scenery, indoor training is great for time efficient, structured workouts. Meaning that when you do get outside, all the hard work is already in the bag!

Splitting your sessions to focus on particular areas of cycling will see a more rapid improvement across the board. All these sessions are 45 minutes, giving you a great bang for your buck! 

Threshold 

Woking at, or slightly below your FTP should be able to stay at this level for reasonable amounts of time as your body can clear the lactic acid produced. Structured threshold intervals will help your body to become more efficient at clearing that lactic acid and/or be able to tolerate a higher level. All this means you can put out more power for the same effort.

After a warm up, we start with a 21 minute pyramid set 

1 Minute @80-85%

2 Minutes @ 95-105%

1 Minute @ 110-115%

2 Minutes @ 95-105%

1 Minute @80-85%

Repeat x3

Finishing with some classic intervals with short rest.

Looking to hold a power slightly above your FTP to give that extra stimulus!

2 Minutes @ 100-105%

1 Minute @ 65-70%

Repeat x3

Hill Climbs 

Despite being indoors, we can still simulate hill climbing. Lowering the RPM, using a heavier gear (or resistance) will simulate gradient and develop leg strength. These intervals also mix in some out the saddle work.

Green Zone = 75 RPM or lower

Yellow Zone = 75 RPM or lower (optional out the saddle)

Red Zone = Out the saddle 

After the warm up, we start with some steady low cadence work, then attack the bottom of the first climb. After the initial burst, we settle into a hard, but steady rhythm with:

2 Minutes @100%

30 Seconds @140%

Repeat x4

After brief recovery, we are back to the grind, but the hill has eased slightly:

2 Minutes @80-85%

4 Minutes @ 95-105%

Onto the final section, some reverse builds,

30 Seconds @140%

1 Minute @95-105%

1 Minute @80-85@

Repeat x4

Speed and Power 

My final workout is all about increasing your ceiling. Improving your capacity to hold higher power will have a trickle-down effect to you endurance riding as well as giving you the edge over your friends on the sprint to the Café!

With a slightly longer warm up for this one, making sure we are good to go, we go hard right out the gait!

1 Minute @120%

1:30 Minutes @50-60%

Repeat 4 times 

30 Seconds @150%

1 Minute @50-60%

Repeat x3

15 Seconds @ Max 

45 Seconds @50-60%

With a short recovery, we are back to the top for another full round!

You don’t have to have a smart trainer to follow these workouts, you can go by feel! Feel free to get in touch and I can send you these workout directly so you can load them up into Zwift. Email me at dave@hunter-movement.com