Son of Wild Boy Challenge!
About a month ago, I posted a bike trainer workout I call “
the Wild Boy Challenge“. We got a lot email and positive response from those of you out there training in the dregs of winter, basically stuck indoors for all of your cycling. It seems there are a lot of athletes out there looking to get super fit on the bike this winter in need of a few bike trainer workouts. So, by popular demand, I give you “Son of Wild Boy Challenge!”
This workout is an extension of the original Wild Boy Challenge, incorporating similar ideas in varying ways. To me it is a couple of steps more advanced in that you are asked to ride 2 time trials (a 15 minute and a 10 minute), and there are two sprint sets. These are really tough, max-efforts for their durations. The time trials teach you to manage effort for longer durations. Sprints provide a method for turning movement specific strength, power, balance and technique into pure cycling speed. The rest intervals are again slightly long for the sprints in order to ensure that you can maintain high power output on all of the efforts. I think just getting through these intervals without fading is a huge achievement. There is also a 30 minute interval, which although a bit long, focuses more on build or maintain your steady-state aerobic fitness as well as building your ability to maintain a high cadence for longer duration. Cadence is essential for triathletes, and I work a lot with the athletes I coach on mastering efficiency at both higher and lower cadences. Grinding big gears can produce increased wattage (a measurement of power output), but as triathletes, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we have to run immediately after the bike portion of our races. A higher cadence will help you save your leg strength while still producing a relatively high power output.
All in all, this another very tough bike trainer workout. I would encourage you to do this a group, and really go for it! Indoor riding is what you make of it, and this workout has potential to help you lift your cycling to the next level. So, without further ado, I present: Son of Wild Boy Challenge!
Warm up (:10):
Begin with 10 minutes of easy, high cadence spinning. Build gradually into HR Zones 1-3. Throw in 3-4 short bursts of out-of-the-saddle, high energy ridding to prime your legs in preparation for the next step.
.
Single leg drill ladder (:12):
For single leg drills, you pedal with one leg at a time, while the other leg unclips and rests on a chair or similar (basically not pedaling). The ladder:
*30 seconds left/30 seconds both (recovery)/30 seconds right/30 seconds both (recovery)
*60 seconds left/30 seconds both (recovery)/60 seconds right/30 seconds both (recovery)
*2 minutes left/30 seconds both (recovery)/2 minutes right/30 seconds both (recovery)
.
Main set:
1×15 minutes Zone 4 TT. Keep cadence high (above 85rpm), and in aero postiion. Keep effort steady. You want to focus on a steady, high power output at about your Lactic Threshhold Heart Rate (LTHR).
.
5 min receovery, zone 1, 90+ rpm.
.
5 x 5min @ 70-75RPM @ 75-80% effort (Zone 3) with 2 min recovery, 90+ rpm, zone 1. If the 5min sets feel too easy lower the cadence rate by 5-10rpm to use your leg strength more and cardio less, remember this is a strength focused interval set. (in aero if you have aerobars)
.
1×30 minutes Zone 3 effort, as 90+rpm for 10 min, 95+rpm for 10 min, 100+rpm for 10 min. This is a focus on cadence while producing a moderate-hard effort. Intervals like this will help you build your endurance.
.
5 min RI, Z1.
.
1x Sprint set #1 (:09):
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 2:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 2:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 30 seconds all-out effort, 2:30 easy Zone 1 spinning.
.
1 min RI, Z1, 90+rpm.
.
1×10 minutes Zone 4 TT. Keep cadence high (above 85rpm), and in aero postiion. Keep effort steady. Although this is a shorter TT than the first 15 min TT, you should be able to compare how you fare on this one to the first. If your power output drops less than 3-5%, it indicates that you are in very solid aerobic condition.
.
1x Sprint set #2 (:25):
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 4:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 4:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 30 seconds all-out effort, 4:30 easy Zone 1 spinning.
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 4:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 4:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
.
Warm down (:10)
1×10 minutes easy effort. Start the warm down in a moderate gear with a high cadence. Reduce effort (by using lesser gearing) about every 2 minutes. Maintain cadence until the final few minutes.
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Bike Trainer Workout: Son of Wild Boy Challenge!
Son of Wild Boy Challenge!
This workout is an extension of the original Wild Boy Challenge, incorporating similar ideas in varying ways. To me it is a couple of steps more advanced in that you are asked to ride 2 time trials (a 15 minute and a 10 minute), and there are two sprint sets. These are really tough, max-efforts for their durations. The time trials teach you to manage effort for longer durations. Sprints provide a method for turning movement specific strength, power, balance and technique into pure cycling speed. The rest intervals are again slightly long for the sprints in order to ensure that you can maintain high power output on all of the efforts. I think just getting through these intervals without fading is a huge achievement. There is also a 30 minute interval, which although a bit long, focuses more on build or maintain your steady-state aerobic fitness as well as building your ability to maintain a high cadence for longer duration. Cadence is essential for triathletes, and I work a lot with the athletes I coach on mastering efficiency at both higher and lower cadences. Grinding big gears can produce increased wattage (a measurement of power output), but as triathletes, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we have to run immediately after the bike portion of our races. A higher cadence will help you save your leg strength while still producing a relatively high power output.
All in all, this another very tough bike trainer workout. I would encourage you to do this a group, and really go for it! Indoor riding is what you make of it, and this workout has potential to help you lift your cycling to the next level. So, without further ado, I present: Son of Wild Boy Challenge!
Warm up (:10):
Begin with 10 minutes of easy, high cadence spinning. Build gradually into HR Zones 1-3. Throw in 3-4 short bursts of out-of-the-saddle, high energy ridding to prime your legs in preparation for the next step.
.
Single leg drill ladder (:12):
For single leg drills, you pedal with one leg at a time, while the other leg unclips and rests on a chair or similar (basically not pedaling). The ladder:
*30 seconds left/30 seconds both (recovery)/30 seconds right/30 seconds both (recovery)
*60 seconds left/30 seconds both (recovery)/60 seconds right/30 seconds both (recovery)
*2 minutes left/30 seconds both (recovery)/2 minutes right/30 seconds both (recovery)
.
Main set:
1×15 minutes Zone 4 TT. Keep cadence high (above 85rpm), and in aero postiion. Keep effort steady. You want to focus on a steady, high power output at about your Lactic Threshhold Heart Rate (LTHR).
.
5 min receovery, zone 1, 90+ rpm.
.
5 x 5min @ 70-75RPM @ 75-80% effort (Zone 3) with 2 min recovery, 90+ rpm, zone 1. If the 5min sets feel too easy lower the cadence rate by 5-10rpm to use your leg strength more and cardio less, remember this is a strength focused interval set. (in aero if you have aerobars)
.
1×30 minutes Zone 3 effort, as 90+rpm for 10 min, 95+rpm for 10 min, 100+rpm for 10 min. This is a focus on cadence while producing a moderate-hard effort. Intervals like this will help you build your endurance.
.
5 min RI, Z1.
.
1x Sprint set #1 (:09):
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 2:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 2:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 30 seconds all-out effort, 2:30 easy Zone 1 spinning.
.
1 min RI, Z1, 90+rpm.
.
1×10 minutes Zone 4 TT. Keep cadence high (above 85rpm), and in aero postiion. Keep effort steady. Although this is a shorter TT than the first 15 min TT, you should be able to compare how you fare on this one to the first. If your power output drops less than 3-5%, it indicates that you are in very solid aerobic condition.
.
1x Sprint set #2 (:25):
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 4:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 4:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 30 seconds all-out effort, 4:30 easy Zone 1 spinning.
* 20 seconds all-out effort, 4:40 easy Zone 1 spinning
* 10 seconds all-out effort, 4:50 easy Zone 1 spinning
.
Warm down (:10)
1×10 minutes easy effort. Start the warm down in a moderate gear with a high cadence. Reduce effort (by using lesser gearing) about every 2 minutes. Maintain cadence until the final few minutes.