After yesterday’s big bag of meh, we got back into the good stuff.
Today’s ride was Workout #4 of Zwift Academy 2021, and the start of the second half of the training series.
Essentially this was a variation of a Sweet Spot Session workout (as far as I can tell), albeit ever so slightly less intense. Even so, it was a good workout, and one I enjoyed.
The structure of this ride was two intervals with 6 repeats in each.
Each interval had a 1 minute under block, then a 1 minute over block, repeated 6 times for a total of 12 minutes effort per interval.
For those who prefer the stats, that’s 95% in the under block, and 102% in the over block.
The ride came in at a total of 60 TSS, whereas (I checked after), an SST (Short) ride comes in at 66 TSS. So really not much in it. And both felt approximately the same in terms of the leg burn, at least by the end of it.
Here’s what the Zwift blurb had to say about the ride:
High efforts. Long durations. Together, these can wipe out some of the most skilled cyclists. But today’s workout ensures that you’ll be ready for whatever climb, hilly ride, or terrain-shifting road comes next.
Starting today, we’ll start to build sustained power into your repertoire after increasing your VO2 Max. How? By performing longer efforts around your FTP, with a cadence element addition designed to enhance your muscular responsiveness to gradient changes–which you’ll likely encounter on longer segments.
Coach’s Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
Zwift Academy Road: Workout 4 | Threshold Under/Overs
What I liked about this one was that it felt like a variation on the SST theme, and I like the SST sessions. They are short, not at all very sweet, but they give a good deal of bang for my buck. So this one felt like it was a good workout in the time available.
For various reasons I opted to do this one solo today. I’m not sure of what course the true ZA ride runs this one over, but it seemed to fit fairly nicely in the Innsbruckring route.
What I’d definitely say is I was feeling it by the fifth and sixth repeats, and on the second interval I was already hurting by the end of the second ‘on’ block. Aiming for a cadence rather than power helped – and I quite liked that the on screen advice suggested this also.
It’s also evident from the heart rate graph that I found the second interval more strenuous than the first.
Anyway, a decent effort today. Not going to do Workout #5 just yet, and I’m not sure what I will do tomorrow just now. I’m thinking if the weather holds I might try for an outdoor lighter ride on my lunch break. That’s always nice to break up the day.
The final two workouts look more inline with this one, so whilst I wouldn’t say I’m looking forwards to them, I would say they seem to play more to my strengths than the first three.
