Cycling Workout Guide 2.0

Communicating the “what” (prescribing workouts) of training is the simplest part of coaching. The challenging part is teaching why a workout is important and how to consistently execute workouts over a full season.

I created this workout guide to explain a few basics of the why and how of workouts, in hopes of helping you become more consistent on the bike.

Let’s begin with an explanation of the three primary training languages or zones used in cycling. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), power, and the energy systems of the body.

Training Languages

Training zones serve two primary functions:

1. To help describe what you’ve done on the bike. Example: On today’s ride, you spent 20m riding in Zone 2.
2. To standardize the language used to prescribe training intensity. Example: Spend 20 minutes riding in Zone 4.

In short, we use training zones as constructs to help us better understand the riding we’ve done while enabling us to be more intentional about the riding we plan to do.

The most helpful way to describe and prescribe training is to utilize multiple training languages that encompass both the subjective and objective nature of training.

We’ll begin with the subjective language of RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

RPE captures how difficult an interval or training session felt by taking into account all variables of life. Sleep, nutrition, family, and work stress; all impact how hard training feels.

RPE’s greatest strength is condensing our perception of physical and psychological stress into one number.

Naturally, our perceptions of training are subjective, and that’s precisely why RPE is so valuable.

Our RPE scale uses a one through ten system. One is extremely easy, and ten is extremely hard.

For a deeper dive into how you might utilize RPE in your training, check out our RPE for Cycling Guide.

Power (Wattage)

Our second training language is based on an objective measure of cycling intensity known as power. 

Our power-based system uses zones constructed around a rider’s “threshold”. 

The term “threshold” is generally synonymous with other common exercise physiology terms like lactate threshold (LT), anaerobic threshold (AT), and Maximal Lactate Steady State (MLSS) [1].

The graph shown is from a typical blood lactate test in a laboratory setting. 

Our Y axis (vertical) shows blood lactate concentration while our X axis (horizontal) shows intensity in watts.

In this example, a sample of blood is collected every minute at the completion of each stage (on each stage, the intensity is bumped up by 5w).

On average, riders see an exponential increase in blood lactate in a wide ballpark of 4 mmol/L. In this example, the rider’s power at lactate threshold would be approximately 285w. 

In general, lactate threshold testing attempts to pinpoint the deflection point where your body is no longer able to balance the production and clearance of lactate in the blood, leading to an exponential rise in blood lactate [2].

In an effort to more conveniently utilize lactate threshold concepts from the laboratory, Dr. Andrew Coggan and others came up with the concept of Functional Threshold Power (FTP) [3].

FTP translates to the mean max (average maximal) power a cyclist can produce for about one hour. This “functional” application of the lactate threshold concept makes “FTP” a convenient and practical method for describing and prescribing cycling training [4].

Of course, the FTP framework isn’t perfect, but no training system is. When choosing a language of power to guide our training, we aren’t after perfection, we’re after usefulness.

In this context, FTP’s convenience and reasonable accuracy at quantifying cycling fitness make it the preferred anchor for most power-based training systems.

Here are two examples of using the FTP concept (assuming an FTP of 300w) to construct two training zones:

1. Zone 4/Threshold would range from approximately 273 (.91*300) to 312 (1.04*300) watts. 
2. Zone 2/Endurance would range from approximately 180 (.60*300) to 237 (.79*300) watts.

Viewed together, you can see how using power and RPE zones help to form a fuller picture of training intensity.

References

1. Klitzke Borszcz, F., A. Ferreira Tramontin, and V. Pereira Costa, Is the Functional Threshold Power Interchangeable With the Maximal Lactate Steady State in Trained Cyclists? Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2019. 14(8): p. 1029-1035.
2. Kenney, W.L., J.H. Wilmore, and D.L. Costill, Physiology of sport and exercise. 2020, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Allen, H.C.A.R.M.S., TRAINING AND RACING WITH A POWER METER. 2019, [Place of publication not identified]: VELOPRESS.
4. McGrath, E., et al., Is the FTP Test a Reliable, Reproducible and Functional Assessment Tool in Highly-Trained Athletes? International journal of exercise science, 2019. 12(4): p. 1334-1345.

Exercise Physiology

Our third language uses the science of exercise physiology. When it comes to better understanding training zones, the most important concept from exercise physiology is the integrated nature of our energy systems.

There are three energy systems that power exercise. The ATP-PCr, glycolytic, and oxidative.

The ATP-PCr and glycolytic are referred to as “anaerobic” because they are able to produce energy without oxygen. The oxidative energy system is considered “aerobic” since oxygen is a requirement to produce energy.

In this comparison image, you can see how the contribution of the energy systems varies based on the intensity and duration of the effort.

The shorter and more intense an effort, the greater the contribution from the ATP-PCr and glycolytic systems. The longer or less intense, the greater the contribution from the oxidative system.

Understanding a few basics of exercise physiology certainly isn’t a requirement to train effectively. Still, it can be helpful in generating a more broad understanding of why workouts are programmed and designed in a specific fashion.

If you put all three languages together, this is how they may look in graphical form.

Before we introduce each training zone in detail, a quick detour to highlight the value of being more intentional about the data displayed on your bike computer.

Customizing Ride Screens

Why go to the trouble of customizing the data you see on your computer based on different workouts? Simply put, I think it’s helpful to narrow your focus on the bike to the information most relevant to your current workout.

While some cyclists prefer loading their screen with every data field imaginable, research suggests you might be better off limiting the quantity of data you interact with while riding.

Tiers of Data

I find it helpful to think about cycling data in three tiers:

One – Immediate: This data is most helpful in real-time on our bike computer to help pace an effort. Examples would be speed, cadence, or power.

Two – Cumulative: This data guides or corrects the overall direction of a workout. This includes cumulative ride metrics like average power, distance, or kilojoules.

Three – Post-ride: This data is best left for post-ride analysis in TrainingPeaks. Any ride data that isn’t contributing positively to pacing an effort could be placed in this tier.

In general, the stronger your understanding of the training languages of power and RPE, the more of your ride data can be outsourced to post-ride analysis.

Practice displaying less on your computer screen so that you can invest more of your attention into your effort.

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Training Zone Guide