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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Trainer Workout- The Ladder

Thursday night will be Date Night with my lovely Brandy. I'll be missing one of my primary workouts for this week (65 mile commute). Hence, I decided to add a workout this morning and tomorrow morning. Usually I take two rest days (Mon and Tues) when coming off of back to back climbing century days of Saturday and Sunday. But this past weekend I did two shorter more intense rides, Food Park and Como Street for 51 and 90 miles respectively, instead of going out to the mountains. I was achey most of Monday but this morning I felt fine.

I did a very simple workout. I call this workout "The Ladder". I increase the wattage in each interval until I reach the goal wattage for that day's session (today225 watts or 3.32 w/kg). Then I reduce the wattage with each interval using the same wattage goals as when I ramped up. If you do it right the last two intervals are quite substantial w/kg intervals but since your "top rung" interval was very difficult, the last two don't feel as hard. Also you know you are nearing the end of your workout so you push through the pain.

10 minute warm-up

5 minutes at 175 watts (2.58 w/kg)

3 minutes recovery

5 minutes at 200 watts (2.95 w/kg)

3 minutes recovery

5 minutes at 225 watts (3.32 w/kg)

3 minutes recovery

5 minutes at 200 watts (2.95 w/kg)

3 minutes recovery

5 minutes at 175 watts (2.58 w/kg)

10 minute Cool Down.




SCREEN SHOT OF MY POWER TAP DOWNLOAD ON TRAININGPEAKS SOFTWARE

Notice the long slow warm up? Yeah well when crawling out of bed and onto the trainer straight away--- I needed it ;)

2 comments:

  1. It's a good thing you haven't gone to the mountains east of you. It is VERY smokey out here. Since the beginning of the Hwy 39 fire and now with the La CaƱada fire, the sun is orange and ash is everywhere. The last thing you want to suck into your lungs is fine ash. You're better off on the trainer, esp if you have air conditioning in your home.

    I can't even get on the trainer b/c of the thick smoke. It smells like a BBQ gone awry.

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  2. Do you remember the Cedar fires in San Diego? They happened in October 2003. But get this, I did the Turkey Day ride on Thanksgiving morning and I came home looking like a raccoon. There was so much ash in the air that even a month later my face was covered with soot except for the outline of my sunglasses.

    Cedar fire info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire

    And I was actually riding during those infamous fires

    http://www.epictrain.com/files/San_Diego_Fires_Ride_Report.pdf

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