Average recreational cyclists would be about 2.5-3.0 Watts/Kg for FTP. People who race regularly may be 3.0-3.75. You get above 3.75-4.25 and those are local elite racers. Anything over 4.25 is domestic pro and it goes up from there.
There is nothing inherently wrong about training in zone 3 so long as it is beneficial for your race goals. If you are racing in events that are longer than about 2 or 3 hours and shorter than about 6 or 7 hours you will spend a lot of time in zone 3.
Sweet spot is supposed to feel manageably hard. 12 minutes certainly shouldn't feel like a huge mission. It's not “easy” but with a modicum of focus it's easy enough to keep going without having to play mental HTFU games. You also shouldn't have knackered legs afterwards.
In many cases, I recommend adding 2-3 recovery weeks spaced throughout this time. So for most athletes coming off a period of reduced or less focused training, it takes around 10 weeks to begin to see FTP gains.
Once you've built up a base level of fitness, both Bottrill and Rowe recommend including one or two sweetspot sessions per week in a training plan. If you are new to structured training, Bottrill and Rowe advise starting with five or ten-minute sweetspot intervals, before working up to 20 minutes.
In essence, they're doing Sweet Spot training at threshold power. The other reason that athletes find these workouts hard is simply because they ride too hard. Even if the FTP reference point is current and correct, the mentality of many athletes is that more is better.
If you can sustain 40 minutes at FTP with minimal rest and don't feel thoroughly challenged, at least eager for recovery during the final minute or two of each effort, then chances are your FTP is too low.
If we refer back to the last article I wrote on training zones, then 'sweetspot' intensity is between the upper end of zone three and lower end of zone four – or 88-93 per cent of FTP power or threshold heart rate, and between 75-85 per cent of maximum heart rate.
Sometimes having the duration and wattage to target is reassuring for athletes. For example: “Sweet Spot: 4 x 15 min On 10 min Off between 84 – 97% threshold power”. “Sweet Spot: 2 x 20 min On 5 min Off between 84-97% threshold power”.
Base on actual CTL you can come up with a total TSS number per week if your CTL is around 40 we would recommend to start with around 300-350 TSS per week. Don't forget about periodization, you should be increasing your training load every week by about 3-7 TSS per day, which means 21-49 TSS per week.
Zone 1 (60-65% of maximum heart rate): For long, easy rides, to improve the combustion of fats. Zone 2 (65-75% of MHR): The basic base training zone. Longish rides of medium stress. Zone 3 (75-82% of MHR): For development of aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume at very controlled intensity.
1 sports : the area around the center of mass of a bat, a racket, or the head of a club that is the most effective part with which to hit a ball If the bat connects near its sweet spot … it vibrates very little, much as a tennis racket feels solid if you hit the ball on the racket's sweet spot.—
Each zone is a range of output (or work) that's appropriate for you to achieve given the desired intensity of each zone. So, the rider's focus is on maintaining the desired cadence while adding enough resistance to achieve the desired output specific to your zone.
Simply put, Sweet Spot training is completing workouts that contain intervals at 88-94% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP). Sweet Spot training is one of the most effective and efficient ways for cyclists to improve.
Boost your VO2 max“Warm up for 15 minutes at a steady pace, then ride for a further 15 minutes slightly harder (but at a pace where you can still have a conversation). Next, do five intervals of three to five minutes with recovery periods of three to five minutes. Finish with a 10-minute cool-down.”
How can you measure FTP?
- Warm-up: 10 minutes spin then 3 x 1 minute fast cadence, 1 minute easy, 5 minute spin.
- 5 minute all-out effort – go as hard as you can (press 'Lap' at start and finish)
- 10 minute recovery.
- 20 minute all-out effort (use that 'Lap' button again)
- Cool down.
Tips to improve
- Exercise at a high intensity. You can train your Vo2 max most efficiently by working at a high intensity.
- Train in intervals.
- Combine interval and continuous training.
- Keep challenging yourself.
- Find Your 5K and 10K times.
- Learn how to find your functional threshold power (FTP)
Tempo rides“We can ride at tempo [sometimes called sweetspot] – which is 76 to 90 per cent of your threshold power, or 75 to 85 per cent of threshold heart rate. Riding there will also improve endurance. “There is still a time component but we can reduce it.
Tempo (76% - 87% FTP)Riding in the tempo range pushes you near the height of your aerobic endurance. While rather uncomfortable, working here isn't terribly stressful and it allows you to spend long durations at a constant and productive work level with little recovery.
This can be done in two different places, both only available from within the Zwift game. The first place you can adjust your FTP is under your profile. To get there, click “Menu” while in game, then click the edit icon next to your profile info at the top-right. Adjust your FTP, then click to save.
FTP – your "Functional Threshold Power" – is the wattage you can stay below and sustain for longer durations, while going above it causes fatigue to occur very quickly. The number is an indicator of your fitness, and also helps shape your training zones, racing, and group ride category in Zwift.
Tempo level rides are considered Zone 3 in the 7-zone scale I use. As a reminder, Zone 1 is “Recovery” and Zone 2 is “Endurance.” Zone3/Tempo Characteristics: 76% – 90% of threshold average power (30 minute time trial)
Strength TrainingWhen most cyclists think about getting stronger they immediately think about riding more and harder. However, one of the best ways to get stronger, and consequently increasing W/kg, is time spent off of the bike in the gym.
Most pro cyclists produce about 200 to 300 watts on average during a four-hour tour stage. “That's what's great about wattage. It takes out of all the variables,” Pennino says. “If you're training off your heart rate,” he explains, “when you're stressed, tired, dehydrated or sick, your numbers are always different.
The key is performing a variety of workouts that build your fat-burning engine, rev your metabolism and the production of fat-burning hormones, suppress your appetite, and help you burn more fat and calories all day long. Yep, your bike can do all that. Here's exactly how to burn belly fat on the bike.
Although both groups showed significant improvements in aerobic fitness and strength, the cycling group realized greater improvements in aerobic capacity while gaining about the same amount of strength as subjects in the resistance HIIT group.
Tamir suggests interval training two to three days per week, plus two long duration cardio sessions for heart health; or two to three strength training sessions for weight loss. And if you want to make an interval training session more difficult, simply decrease the amount of rest time.
Running interval sessions will make you fasterInterval running is the single best form of running activity you can do. The key to improving your speed is to run at speeds faster than you would race at. The key to improving your speed is to run at speeds faster than you would race at.
If you're not racing or doing big events on the weekends, you can do up to three HIIT workouts a week to stay fit, so long as you allow ample recovery, ideally a day or two of easier activity, between sessions to allow your body to bounce back.
5 Simple Ways to Increase Bike Power
- Ride in bigger gears. Riding in bigger gears at the same cadence in a particular set of conditions makes for a consistently higher power output.
- Ride uphill.
- Ride into headwinds.
- Use block training.
- Follow the 75-percent rule.
Here's How Long Your HIIT Intervals Should Be, According to New Research
- 60HIIT: 6 to 10 rounds of 60-second intervals with 60 seconds of rest in between.
- 30HIIT: 4 to 8 rounds of 30-second intervals with 120 seconds of rest in between.
Adequate exercise is determined by your fitness goals. While riding a bike four time per week for 20 minutes is a good start, you will likely need to increase your time and intensity if you're looking to shed pounds or improve your health.
