Endurance bike workout you can do on your lunch hour – triathlon

Sometimes it can be difficult to do meaningful exercise during your lunch break, but this session – designed to build muscular endurance – will help you become a stronger, more efficient cyclist, all in less than an hour. Use them at the beginning of the year to help you develop your base, and return to them throughout the season to maintain what you’ve built.

Why does high tension, low cadence riding belong in your training?

Before embarking on the exercise itself, it is helpful to clarify a common misconception. High-tension, low-cadence riding — also known as high-torque work — is often referred to as power work. Coach Alison Freeman backs down. “Strength work in the gym is, for example, 12 to 15 repetitions in 45 to 60 seconds,” she explains. “Even at very low cadences, you’re hitting four times as many reps in the same time. The force production varies dramatically.”

The high-torque work involved in this exercise provides a lot of benefits, the first of which is neuromuscular recruitment: “High-torque work forces greater neuromuscular recruitment, and these improved recruitment patterns continue after you finish the workout, allowing you to reach more muscle fibers when cycling,” Freeman says.

It also helps with training Full pedal engagementwhich forces you to use the full 360-degree rotation to produce power, rather than just pressing the pedals.

Probably the most practical for triathletes Mountain races On the calendar, it can be great course preparation. “High-torque action is required on mountain courses and those requiring long climbs, so doing this in training specifically prepares you for the demands you’ll face on race day,” says Freeman.

If your season includes races such as Ironman Canada, Quiet lakeOr Chattanooga, Wisconsin — or 70.3 seconds like Mont Tremblant, Coeur d’Alene, Maine — this workout is perfect preparation for the terrain you’ll be riding on race day. Freeman’s rule of thumb: Anything over 4,000 foot-pounds of gain for full, or 2,000 foot-pounds for half, high-torque work should be a staple of your plan.

Why start with single leg exercises?

The warm-up here is not arbitrary. the Single leg exercises The one that opens the session is specifically designed to prepare the 360 ​​degree pedal spin before entering the main set. “The benefit of starting with single-leg exercises is enhanced 360-degree engagement,” Freeman says. “This will help during high-torque work – enhancing movement patterns and making work more productive.”

Does it beat just going out for a ride?

“Real hills are always best, but this drill will help you get the job done if you can’t get to them,” Freeman says. There’s also a practical case for the regulated indoor version: a 60-minute outdoor ride takes 90 minutes once you take into account a change of clothes, bike setup and stop lights. For a lunch break session, a trainer or accessible local climb on a good slope keeps it tight and purposeful.

Muscular endurance bike exercise

heating

• 15 minutes of easy pedaling
• 5 x 30 sec single leg exercises (30 sec right leg, 30 sec left leg)
• 2 x 1-Minute: Build up your effort every 20 seconds – easier in the first 20 seconds, moderate in the second 20, and strong in the last 20, with 1 easy minute in between

Main group

1-5 x 4.5 minutes of muscular endurance; 90 seconds rolls easily between efforts

Maintain high tension, lower cadence (60-70 rpm), and a comfortable tempo. Do it on a hill or with good resistance on the trainer. Hold your hips against the saddle, brace your torso so it’s tight and stable, and hold the handlebars firmly. Keep your body stable and pedal smoothly. Muscle tension will be high, and the wattage reading (if you’re using a power meter) will be high, but your heart rate will be a little lower than you might expect.

Take as many tours as you like (or have time for).

wetting

Easy rotation for total time, including rapid rotation at 5 x 15 seconds per minute in light gear.

How to fit this into your training week

Layer this on the day after a good, long day of aerobic swimming just so you have more active legs to ride with purpose.