ROUVY's top cycling workouts to start the year

Recommended workouts for avid cyclists

Workouts for building endurance:

Rolling hills (duration: 0:55, AVG: 66 % FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 75% FTP): A shorter session, this one’s designed to improve low- to mid-range power delivery. It’s optimized to turn the heat up on your fat burning and carbohydrate consumption. Keep your cadence in a comfortable range.

Variables Endurance (duration: 1:45, AVG: 65% FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 70% FTP): While designed to increase your endurance, the pace here does vary. You’ll still stay within your endurance zone, but during parts of the ride, you’ll go a bit faster or a bit slower, which minimizes the monotony.

Race Fitness simulation (duration: 1:15, AVG: 76% FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 96% FTP): Here, sweet spot/tempo intervals will help you develop power output at your race pace. This workout is optimized with muscle activation and lactate metabolism at your FTP in mind. You’ll want to vary your cadence within your suitable range.

Workouts for building performance:

Strength build up (duration: 1:05, AVG: 72% FTP, MIN: 45% FTP, MAX: 86% FTP): The focus here is on your cycling-specific strength through a variation in cadence. The neuro-muscular coordination in the muscle, and between different muscles, is an important part of your power output. Keep your cadence in a comfortable range, say, 80-90 rpm. For the interval bouts with higher intensity, lower your cadence to 60-70 rpm.

Cherry on Top (duration: 53:30, AVG: 67% FTP, MIN: 45% FTP, MAX: 95% FTP): Boost your performance with a workout that combines tempo and sweet spot intensity levels. Intervals at 80% and 90% FTP will help strengthen your endurance and pacing skills to excel on climbs and at the front of the peloton. This is all complemented by a short cherry at the end of the intervals.

Recommended workouts for hobby cyclists

Workouts for getting back into riding shape:

First Pyramid Workout (duration: 31:00, AVG: 65% FTP, MIN: 50% FTP, MAX: 90% FTP): This easy, fun-to-ride plan will have you working in four different zones. It’s designed to help you learn to tackle different slopes of the hills at the same cadence.

The Higher Intensity (duration: 30:00, AVG: 66% FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 100% FTP): The intensity here is higher – but not too high. This one’s a great way to prepare your body for structured intervals. And at just a half an hour, it makes a great way to finish your work week and get ready for the weekend.

Workouts for building endurance:

Rolling hills (duration: 55:00, AVG: 66 % FTP, MIN: 55 % FTP, MAX: 75 % FTP): This session is designed to improve low to midrange power delivery. The aerobic intensities vary in order to optimize aerobic fat and carbohydrate consumption. Keep your cadence in a comfortable range.

Tempo cruisin' (duration: 47:30, AVG: 75% FTP, MIN: 50% FTP, MAX: 89% FTP): If you’re a pacing enthusiast who likes to pull the group along and constantly pick up the pace, this workout is for you.

Workouts for building strength:

First Contrast Workout (duration: 29:50, AVG: 65% FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 105% FTP): This workout is focused on developing your strength and explosiveness. The idea here is to focus on efficient power transfer to the pedals. Pay attention to maintaining a stable position on your trainer. Minimize the movement of your head and core, and focus on the precise movement of your ankles as you pedal. This is a good one to come back to once a month, usually following a rest day.

Mountain strength (Duration: 1:05, AVG: 78 % FTP, MIN: 55% FTP, MAX: 108% FTP): The focus of this session is on your race-specific strength. The neuro-muscular activation is an important part of your power output. Therefore, to keep your cadence in a comfortable range, we recommend 80-90 rpm. For the interval bouts with higher intensity, it's important to lower your cadence to 55-65 rpm.

Workouts for losing weight and improving overall fitness:

Quick HIIT Fat Blast Fast (duration: 33:00, AVG: 73% FTP, MIN: 65% FTP, MAX: 105% FTP): This one’s ideal if you’re looking for a fast, effective way to improve your fitness level and blast fat. With its short FTP intervals, this demanding session involves intense effort alternated with short recovery periods to challenge cardiovascular endurance and muscular power. The goal is to maximize calorie burn, elevate heart rate, and create an afterburn effect that continues to burn calories even after the workout.

Fat burner 1 (duration: 35:00, AVG: 69% FTP, MIN: 65% FTP, MAX: 75% FTP): Maximum fat burn is the name of the game with this workout. Be sure to keep a sweat towel and water bottle handy.

Los Pistoleros (duration: 28:45, AVG: 77% FTP, MIN: 45% FTP, MAX: 95% FTP): Maximize your training time with these fun and effective intervals in just under 30 minutes. Los Pistoleros will get you fit fast! This allows you to increase post-exercise resting energy expenditure, allowing your body to burn calories at a high rate after the session.

Recommended workouts from the pro cyclists

Spanish mountain biker José Hermida, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, has a workout to help you boost your overall fitness with two sessions per week over a six-week period. Rated as “easy,” José’s workout plan is suitable for new riders and those looking to lose weight or simply improve their overall fitness. José’s plan begins with a 58-minute aerobic endurance ride to help your body become more efficient at moving oxygen into the blood, and to help you burn extra calories. It culminates with 33 minutes of high-intensity interval training in the final session.

The workout plan designed by road racer Andy Schleck, winner of the 2010 Tour de France and runner-up in 2009 and 2011, is designed to help you “build a bionic body and be ready for any physical challenge.” You’ll ride on various stages of the famous La Vuelta race in Spain. Put in enough blood, sweat and tears and you might find yourself wearing the vaunted green jersey. Andy’s plan culminates with a criterium in the center of Madrid. A 20- to 30-second sprint awaits you every three minutes, so stay hydrated.

Conclusion

Whether your goal is to lose a little weight, get into (or back into) shape, or start prepping for that epic cycling trip you've been planning, ROUVY has workouts to help. So fill up a water bottle, grab a sweat towel, and go!