This week we begin to work on our intensive aerobic energy systems. This means the aerobic intensity will be stepping up into more Tempo work. In the last cycle, we focused on extending time in Zone 2 (extensive aerobic work), and moving forward we want to begin to increase time in our intensive aerobic zones, first in Zone 3 (this cycle) and then Zones 3 and 4 (next cycle). After the weekend's testing, it's important that we set our zones correctly. We want to target specific physiological systems…not too hard and not too easy! The focal points of the workouts this week are hard-start Tempo and over-under Tempo (hour of power style). We'll also introduce an anaerobic endurance workout on the weekend.
Learning
Our second focus this week is breathing. We teach a technique we call the three gears of breathing:
Gear 1 is all nose breathing
Gear 2 is inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth
Gear 3 is all mouth breathing
We'll practice breathing this week with the coaches on all group rides on Tuesday and Thursday, and I highly suggest you follow the discussions in the community and take our mini course on breathing.
Week Objectives
Complete all the workouts; consistency is king
Practice breathing and begin the process of making it automatic
In the Saturday workout, don't do the surges at max; do them just enough
Coach Tips
Make an effort to focus on the breathing work. This is a skill that can be developed and create significant gains. The more you do it, the less you'll have to think about doing it, but in the beginning, you'll need to put extra focus into the warmup to drill it in, then continue to work on it as you think about it throughout the workout.