It’s that time of the year when we start to ramp up training in anticipation of the new racing season. With that in mind, I just developed my 15-week Intensity Phase training program. As you review this plan, please keep the following points in mind (you can apply these principles as you develop your training plans):
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My primary goal for this training phase is to enhance my muscular endurance (the ability to pedal a relatively large gear at a moderate cadence for an extended period of time) and functional threshold power (the highest power a cyclist can sustain for one-hour).
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The intensity phase consists of five, 21-day mesocycles and uses a 16/5 training pattern (16 days of relatively hard training followed by 5 days of recovery). The recovery is important because I will be doing a great deal of high-intensity training and my 50 year-old legs will need the rest.
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The program maintains a frequency of 5 days of training per week throughout all five mesocycles (4 days during recovery weeks). This also helps ensure that I get adequate rest.
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There are 5-6 high-intensity workouts or races during each mesocycle. There is also a long Steady Spinning ride and Hill Climb up a mountain pass.
Click here to download my 2012 Intensity Phase Training Plan.
NEXT POST – January 5, 2012
Five Reasons to Ride with a Power Meter #3
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