I realized last night that I’ve haven’t really talked about cycling here. In fact, when I read over my fitness posts, it looks like all I do is run (with some occasional yoga)! Well, I’ve certainly been running A LOT more than cycling, but I’ve been back on my bike 2-3 times a week since last December (at least).
I never get tired of pictures from Ironman Austria
I really do love cycling – I just haven’t given it much focus recently, because I’m primarily a runner in the winter. I typically do my last multisport race in the August/September timeframe and switch to running until the following season begins in April/May. Since I started this blog last September, the timing led to the bike taking a back seat.
Well today that’s going to change! I’m going to share with you one of many cycling workouts that my wonderful hubby has written to help make riding your bike indoors – on a bike trainer or other stationary bike – more interesting and effective! You’ll hear me say “we” a lot about cycling, because Kirk is the better cycling coach around here. Maybe “we” should be “he” more often… 🙂
Let’s start with the basics! When “we” write workouts, we use terminology that you may not be familiar with (or you may just use different terms). In either case, the chart below shows the name and description of the zones I will use for cycling workouts. Be sure to save this for later!
I’ve given you HR ranges and RPE (rate of perceived exertion) in the description. I also train with power, but I’m assuming you know those ranges if you are training with a power meter.
Now that we’ve got that covered, it’s time for the workout. Now I know you might not like riding indoors, but unless you are braver than me (which is completely possible), it’s probably still to cold to ride outdoors. Or at least it’s dark too early to ride outdoors after work, right?
Unless I’m only riding for 30 minutes, I always use a workout for trainer rides. This helps to break up the ride and keep you from having time to get bored. Instead of thinking about 45 minutes, you’re thinking about the next block of time. This small mental trick really helps me!
Are you ready for the trainer workout now?
Hopefully the format of this workout makes sense to you, but here’s a more detailed description of the first part of the main set exercise:
2 x (2.5 min Tempo/2.5 min Endurance)
To complete this section, ride for 2.5 minutes at your Tempo pace (using heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, or power) followed by 2.5 minutes at your Endurance pace. Repeat that series twice.
If you have any other questions about the workout, just let me know in the comments and I’ll try to clarify a little more.
Whether you’re a new cyclist, roadie, or triathlete, I hope you enjoy this fun workout. I’ll tell you I was dripping with sweat by the end of this workout – it was great!!
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Questions:
- I know many of you are runners, or aspiring runners. How many cyclists do we have in the group?
- If you are a cyclist, how do you feel about indoor rides?
- Any cycling workout requests?
