If there was one TR “Threshold” workout that would help improve your 5 minute climbs where the climb varies from 4% to 10% which would it be? I was thinking that something with say 5min intervals at 105% of FTP would be ideal but I’m no coach so not sure if that’s good or bad.
Thanks
There won’t be a single workout which will improve your 5min is power in isolation. Key is to select VO2Max workouts that are progressive in nature, increasing Time in Zone session by session.
Do you have any other goals which need to be factored onto this plan?
Find your maximum 5min power. Then do 5 minute intervals at 90% of that with rests of 3-5 minutes.
20min easy spinning
3min at medium effort
6min easy spinning
Start the 5min at a hard sustainable pace (not too hard).
After about 2-2.5min, try and accelerate.
Last minute should be all out.
Great thanks
Would your max 5 min power from a ramp test work? I think that’s also your pVO2max(?).
If you look at the first 3 weeks of the LV crit plan there’s a progression of 4-5-6 min intervals.
So each week you ramp up slowly get used to that power at a longer duration.
This alone will possibly help you, but if you’re not following a specific plan you gotta think about the other intensity workout that’s specific toward your goal. 5 min all out climb vs 5 min effort in crits are different, so more threshold workout or more shorter vo2 and anaerobic to supplement your 5 min power.
My best ever 5 minute effort is slightly higher than my best ever 5min effort in a hill climb, but there’s not much in it.
I have a race coming up with a handful of these short climbs. I’m doing a lot of 5-7 minute efforts at 108-112%. I plan to ride these climbs at 105-110% of FTP. Hard, but not all out. I think it’s important to do workouts no less than 105% of FTP
Some workouts that I think would be good are:
Mount Foraker +1
Raymond +6
Wilhelm -2
Denali +3
I agree with this!
I threw up a little just looking at that workout.
I’m probably making the boring, obvious comment here, but your base aerobic fitness is also super important. This will help with recovery between each of the hilly 5 min efforts and also allow you keep riding hard between hills (presuming it isn’t all just straight downhill between hills) and not let up completely.
A good base will help to make each 5 minute effort a lot more consistent too.
Elephants stands out to me as a repeated 5min interval set
I have to imagine that the 3 minute VO2 sessions like kaiser and the supra threshold workouts like red lake will all help. Look at the Tuesday and Saturday workouts in the sustained power build plans.