Build Phase

Riders undertaking the Short Power approach will still face their fair share of muscle endurance work, but the reduction in sustainable power focus is directed into a further emphasis in VO2 Max - less muscle endurance, more max aerobic power.

The Short Power Build blocks were developed with a slightly different breed of rider in mind. Riders who need a more balanced mix of sustainable power, short/high power or really short/really high power. Criterium racers, cyclocross competitors and nearly all forms of mountain bike & track riders will be well served by the Short Power Build.

For riders who simply don’t want to label themselves as steady-state or short-power athletes, the General Build blocks blend all types of power with the aim of building higher forms of conditioning very evenly. This most-balanced combination of sought after training adaptations was created in order to prepare riders for the demands they’ll face on the road & the dirt.

These blocks target all-around riders competing in stage races - whether on the road or the dirt - road racers that face traditional rolling courses, and “combination riders” who like to dabble in a number of disciplines over the course of each year.

The Sustained Power Build blocks place more emphasis on developing greater sustained power through the use of strength endurance work, lactate tolerance workouts & a healthy dose of maximum aerobic power intervals.

These specific blocks were constructed with riders of a more steady-state nature in mind; riders who don’t necessarily face as many short-power demands. Multisport athletes, time trial specialists, century & gran fondo riders, and road racers (climbing) are all Sustained Power candidates.

Having recently covered the necessary sprint-specific yet triathlon-general training, these short-duration Build blocks take the next step in preparing triathletes for the short, intense nature of the triathlons quickest format.

In the pursuit of raising and then sustaining threshold power & pace in all 3 disciplines, these Build blocks shape the Olympic format training demands further by elevating all workout requirements and bringing them more in line with race-day intensities.

Furthering the ability to sustain race efforts that lean a little more toward speed than full-distance events, these training blocks push the strength-endurance requirements noticeably higher than the previous Base blocks.

Full-distance events first require base fitness, and a lot of it. With that in place, it's now time to start building your sustainable power on the bike as well as your fast but maintainable run & swim paces such that race-day speeds will be noticeably faster than they currently are.