Workout of the month: January

Jan 18 | ( 0 ) Comments

With another year upon us it is important that we start thinking about a more structural training plan. Winter training is reaching its end and although we do not want to introduce intensity work, we want to start introducing structured work. This is why I believe that it is important to start introducing low intensity tempo intervals into your training, before you actually go into “full gas” mode. This will help the athlete build a better foundation for the hard work that will be coming shortly down the line.

In California our cross-country season start in March normally, so January is a great time to do this. This will give you opportunity to increase your intensity gradually, until reaching V02 target zone quality workouts before racing season. A good workout that I use for my athletes is completing blocks commonly varying in time from 10 to 20 minutes per block with a short recovery in between.

Session 1

Tempo Intervals 3x15min with 10 min R.I.

• Warm Up
  • 10 minutes
• 100+ RPM Warm Up Intervals
  • 3 x 1 minute at high cadence
    • 1 minute recovery
• Recovery Block
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 10 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 10 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Cool Down
  • 10 minutes

Session 2

Tempo Intervals 3x15min with 5 min R.I.

• Warm Up
  • 10 minutes
• 100+ RPM Warm Up Intervals
  • 3 x 1 minute at high cadence
    • 1 minute recovery
• Recovery Block
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 15 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Cool Down
  • 10 minutes

Session 3

Tempo Intervals 3x20min with 5 min R.I.

• Warm Up
  • 10 minutes
• 100+ RPM Warm Up Intervals
  • 3 x 1 minute at high cadence
    • 1 minute recovery
• Recovery Block
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 20 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 20 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Recovery
  • 5 minutes
• Tempo Interval
  • 20 minutes at zone 3 (around 70% of FTP)
• Cool Down
  • 10 minutes

Thank you for reading!

Gilberto Cortez - USA Cycling & TrainingPeaks Certified Coach