Workout preview: High-Cadence Ramps, Week 2, Tuesday

The screenshot below is from the workout details in the desktop version of TrainingPeaks; you can access the same view in your own TrainingPeaks calendar. The written notes below correspond to the numbered areas in the picture.

We'll be in ERG mode for the entire workout.

1. This is our regular warmup: an easy five minutes followed by three fast pedals. Don't force the leg speed with the fast pedals. Use the cadence targets as a guide, but let your body and legs spin "fast" relative to you. Focus on making each one progressively faster and the last one as fast as you can go. If you have some extra time, feel free to extend your warmup a few minutes. If you're jumping on the Zwift workout, use the extra 5-15 minutes of time in the paddock to extend your warmup!

2. Settle into Aerobic Endurance pace. This is a good time to feel your new or corrected endurance zone (Zone 2). Find the steady pressure and let your brain begin to calibrate the feel to this number. Use self-selected cadence (80-90 rpm is most common).

3. Today we have a series of four 4-minute high-cadence ramps. Each minute we will raise the power and cadence progressively, and between the 4-minute intervals, we'll ride aerobic endurance at a self-selected cadence (80-90 rpm is most common).

NOTE: The focus here is the high cadence. The increase in power will help us feel and control the cadence, but it is not a focal point of the workout. Don't force the leg speed here. Your brain is learning and patterning, so keep good form and relax into the speed. Spin a little faster each minute, and during the last minute of each interval, spin as fast as your legs want to go. You'll probably find the middle intervals feel easier; the first one will be learning, and the last one may have you feeling a little fatigued.

4. Short cool down.