The Cyclocross Workout Of The Day for Tuesday, 11.18.14. “Putin in the work”
Howdy folks,
Well, it’s Tuesday again, are you ready to put in some work ?
No?
Hey… cool!
I can totally respect that.
Tuesday – and in particular this Tuesday are definitely rest days for some of my clients.
If you’re feeling gassed, or still haven’t recovered from this weekend’s racing?
You should probably think about following that path yourself.
No shame in resting!
Far from it. With motivated, ambitious clients, the hardest part of my job is usually getting them to back the f**k off!
So, listen to what your body – and all the data you’ve been collecting* – is telling you, and be smart, OK?
If the smart ting for you today is some hard efforts, we’ve got you covered.
We’re going to replay last week’s Tuesday workout and hurt ourselves (but in a good way!) with…
The 2×20, Get-Up Style –
Here’s how this goes…
– Warm up.
– Go as hard as you can for 20 minutes.
– Recover for 2 minutes.
– Go again for another 20 minutes.
That’s the basic version (and if you’re new to all this, it’s probably the version you should do. In fact, you should do this workout today, instead of what you’re currently reading.) This here is the get-up version, though, so…
Start the first interval out of the saddle, and stand for the first 30 seconds.
Don’t surge, don’t go harder when you get out of the saddle.
After those 30 seconds are up, sit down. Keep the effort going, and keep your level of output consistent.
Stay seated for the next 1:30, then stand for 30 seconds.
Repeat to the end of the interval, and follow this format for the successive interval.
The idea here is to go as hard as you can for the duration of both intervals without being forced to go easier at the end of the second interval. If you run out of gas before you finish the second interval, you went too hard. If your vision isn’t blurry at the end of the second interval, you went too easy.
If you’re doing this with a powermeter, you want your wattage output to be as close to constant as possible. Keep it steady.
These take practice to do well, and the better you get, the harder they get, as your output level gets closer and closer to the absolute max you’re capable of doing for an interval of this duration.
Add in the constant standing and sitting component, and you’re going to know you did some work when you’re through.
I know I’m repeating myself, but do try to avoid the temptation to up the output level when you get out of the saddle, OK?
This is a workout that’s great to do on the turbo trainer, and that’s how I do ‘em, which is a good thing… because I always wind up flat on my back on the floor trying not to puke after the 2nd interval.
I’m really not kidding about the blurry vision thing.
Hit these hard enough that you’re seeing spots at the end of the intervals, and you’ll be nudging right up to the limits of what you can do on the bike.
If you can learn to push through those limits?
You will get better and well… you will get better.
That’s the goal in all this, right?
Tips:
– I do these on the trainer, with a stopwatch on the bars and an Ipod blaring in my ears. Start the stopwatch at the beginning of the interval, and the format is really easy to follow; you stand up for :30 at the 2:oo, 4:00, 6:00, etc. mark(s). Get it? It’s easy!
– A power meter will help you to keep the level of intensity constant. You want the power output to be as steady as possible with these. If you don’t have a PM, do these on the trainer, choose a gear ratio and a cadence, and stick to that for the duration of the exercise – instant home made ergometer.
– No reason you can’t do these normal-style. Honestly, for many/most of you, that might be a better bet.
Have fun,
M
* You have been collecting data on your performances over this season, haven’t you?
Wattage numbers on workouts, HR data, subjective impressions on how workouts and races went?
No?
You should. Start now. Never too late!
**Don’t have a credit for the shopped photo. Someone sent it to me on FB, will gladly credit if/when possible.
*********
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