Ready for some throwbacks? In here, you can find the most popular workouts of Zwift Academy, Zwift's premiere training program. These were designed by world class coaches and are meant to push your limits. Go try one. You got this!
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This is a variation of the classic "Over-Under" session where you alternate between riding just below your FTP and just above your FTP. Both of which will aid your ability to increase your threshold power and your bodies ability to process lactate. Start with a progressive warm up, then into the main intervals. Which are 1 minute above threshold, or your 'pulling' powers then straight into 3 minutes at just below FTP, or your 'pushing' powers. Repeated for the duration of the intervals. Recovery is 10 minutes between the two sets. Try not to spike the power too much on the 'pulling/over' elements, aim to hold a smooth power. This effort is similar to riding in a breakaway situation - you don't want to surge when coming through and the same applies on the way back down to the 'pushing/under' element - keep on top of the resistance as it drops off.
This TrainSharp test is designed to measure your 3 minute Critical Power. As with any test or race, ensure you are appropriately warmed up and motivated for this test. It is a short, but sharp, session today! The effort itself is 3 minutes in total duration. It is designed to be an un-paced effort, so ERG mode will automatically turn off for the interval. You're on your own for those 3 min. Hit the first 30 seconds as hard as you can, out of the saddle, trying to achieve your maximum power (we will be assessing your sprint power from the first 30 seconds of this test). As you fade through the effort, use your gears to reduce the resistance and maintain cadence. Aiming for 90-100 rpm for the duration of the test. Finish this effort completely spent, go all-out. This will feel like a very long 3 minutes, the key is to not bail on the effort regardless of how much your power fades or how hard it feels!
This is a very tough session, make sure you are fresh and suitably motivated before attempting this session. Try your best to complete the intervals, it is however, designed to take you to your VO2max (limit of your aerobic capacity) and may be tricky to complete. A good warm up is required, I would also recommend a gel and a strong coffee before-hand. The main interval, repeated twice, starts with 3 minutes at powers just below your FTP ("pushing"), this is the easiest part of the interval, do not go out too hard here, otherwise you will pay the price later on! After 3 minutes lift to powers just above your FTP ("pulling"), then back to pushing. Then the intensity increases to your maximal aerobic power (MAP) for 2 minutes, then back to pushing for 3 minutes; try and get your breath here and prepare for the final 2 minutes!
This session is designed to work your upper aerobic capacity, via 'pushing' up your FTP from below, 'pulling' it up from powers just above (around your 20 minute pace) and some short, sharp efforts at your maximal aerobic power (MAP) or the power you can sustain at your VO2max. Start with a good warm up, you will need to ensure you are suitably prepared for this session as it is a tough one and will require you to dig deep, to complete. The main intervals are as follows. 1 x 20 minute effort at a power Just below your FTP - Keep it controlled during this effort. You will be fresh for the first interval and might be the tempted to lift the power closer to/above your FTP. Refrain from doing so, as this will only fatigue you going into the final two thirds of the session. 3 x 4 minute efforts at powers just above your FTP, or your 10 mile Time Trial power - The recovery during the efforts are short, be strict on the recovery times, you will find the effort becomes progressively tougher around the mid-way point of the second interval. 5 x 1 minute efforts at your MAP (Maximal Aerobic Power) - This is the power that you can sustain at the limit of your aerobic capacity, or your VO2max. The effort should not be a sprint and you should aim to hold a smooth power throughout the minute. The 'recovery' intensities are designed to ensure that you keep on the power during the efforts, as with the Pulling intervals, this one will feel comfortable for the first one or two efforts but will start to bite! Finish with a good warm down and rest up!
This session is designed to both test you and prepare you for the demands of a road race or criterium race. You'll work various energy systems and find it a challenging session on the body and mind. The session comprises of 3 main intervals: Over / Under Interval - This is to be ridden at a power just below your FTP, however for the first 30 seconds of the interval (and after every 2 minutes) you are required to spike the power closer to your 20-minute power. This interval is often referred to as a redline session, where you literally 'push' your FTP up from below, and 'pull' it up from above. 30 / 30 Interval These are 30 second on and 30 seconds off. The "on" element is to be ridden at your Maximal Aerobic Power (MAP) or the power at your VO2max. Whilst the "off" element isn't a full recovery, aiming for mid-zone 2. You will find that perhaps the hardest part of this interval is the "off" periods towards the end of the 12 minutes. Micro-Burst Interval To finish the session, this interval is 15-seconds all-out followed by 30-seconds of recovery. The sprints are seated and high cadence try and maintain a maximal effort from the first 10 seconds to the last 10 seconds of the interval. Note- Some smart-trainers in their ERG mode will be too slow to react to the changes in powers required for this session and you may find it easier to turn the erg. function off.
This session is designed to progressively stretch you as you tick-off each interval. The main sets are 4 x 5 minutes, starting just above your FTP and reducing the power after a set duration to just below your FTP. Start with a good warm up, followed by a Zone 3 low cadence block (60-70 rpm). This is a system priming section and should set you up nicely for the main intervals. Think of this block being comfortably hard, but hardly comfortable! The 5 minutes are as follows, with "pulling" referring to your power above FTP, and "pushing" referring to power below FTP. Recovery periods are 3 minutes between each interval. "Pulling"/"Pushing" : 1/4, 2/3, 3/2, 4/1.
This session is designed to increase your FTP from below, working predominantly on your aerobic metabolism. In time, your body will become more comfortable at these powers and your FTP will increase. Don't be tempted to over do it on these efforts - this is not a test. By the end of the final interval you should be tired and struggling to hold the power. As with the other sessions, you will need to be warmed up for this training session. Be strict on the recovery time, each effort will test the legs. Ensure you have enough fluids for this session and even a bite to eat (gel/bar etc.)
This Pulling Pyramid session is designed to lift your FTP from above, by riding at powers slightly above your 20 minute best. The reduced recovery times will force you to clear the lactate accumulated after each interval. Start with a good warm up, then straight into the main intervals. The intervals are as follows: 2 x 4 mins, 3 x 3 mins, 4 x 2 mins, 5 x 1 mins - the recovery periods are equal to the duration of the intervals (4/3/2/1 minute). This is another hard session so make sure you are fueled, motivated and well hydrated.
This VO2 session requires focus, a strong mindset and the ability to dig deep to complete the efforts. You may find this workout easier to complete out of ERG mode to ensure quick adjustment of the resistance. The main interval consists of 5 minutes at - or just below - your FTP, then straight into 5 minutes of seated sprints, repeated throughout the duration. Then to finish, 5 minutes of FTP again. Aim to hold the same power for this final 5 minutes as your first 5 minute effort. Aim to complete 3 of these 15 minute intervals, but we would rather you completed 2 really good ones than 3 intervals where you are barely hitting the power targets. Breathing during the efforts is strained and not rhythmic, you should feel as though you are on the brink of failure throughout the Intermittent intervals. Make sure you have enough fluids for this session, a good quality fan and even a gel to help you through it!
This session is designed to squeeze you, but not push you too hard. Working your ability to generate power through high torque efforts. A few Sprint efforts to finish, to test your sprint powers after the high torque efforts. The main intervals are 5 x 5 minutes in your Zone 3 with 5 minutes recovery between the efforts. Remain seated throughout the interval, engage your abdominal muscles and keep your upper body strong and stable, let your legs do all of the work. 10 minutes recovery after the final 5 minute effort, then straight into the sprints! These are 4 x 15 seconds ALL-OUT efforts, out of the saddle and sprinting as if you were on the Champs Elysees! Just 45 seconds of recovery between efforts.
This final session for the 2018 Zwift Academy was another favorite from 2017! This time with a little extra...
Last year we went up to the 4/1minute rep, this year we take it over the top and back down again! The main intervals are 7 x 5 minutes with 3 minutes easy spinning between efforts, starting just above threshold then settling into high Zone 3 (comfortably hard, but hardly comfortable).
This is pushing your threshold up. Working up the pyramid isn't too difficult, it is the return-leg when it starts to bite! Hang in and try and keep the power where it needs to be.
After completing 6 x Capacity intervals that climb from 88-130% FTP over 2min, the session finishes with a 5min tempo effort. Generally 5min at tempo is quite comfortable, but how will it be after 6 x 2min capacity efforts?
This 5th workout from the Zwift Academy program focuses on efforts 1min in length. These are high-power anaerobic intervals that are similar to what is required for a Kilo on the track or a short climb at the end of a road race. Think of them as race winning efforts.
There is plenty of time to recover between each interval, to give you every chance of hitting the target power. The final 2 blocks don't have target wattages and ask you to give everything to see what you're capable of.
This 4th workout from the Zwift Academy program focuses on your ability to produce high power efforts above threshold, which is a significant factor in racing. This session focuses on intensive anaerobic efforts of 25sec.
Because we are looking for maximal efforts in this area, full recovery is provided between each interval. Whilst the session might look simple on paper, don't be fooled. This is a high intensity session that will push you to your limits.
To help you judge your effort for this duration, you will be guided through the opening intervals before being provided with the opportunity to produce your best efforts in the finale.
Lactate is a fuel source for your body. Using this knowledge we can add an additional trigger to your lactate shuttling system.
By first raising lactate levels to a high concentration in the opening effort, we can then maintain this level for an extended period with balanced interval training.
This is achieved by exercising at a level that represents a balance between lactate accumulation and lactate combustion.
As the name suggests, maximal aerobic intervals are high intensity efforts where the majority (not all) of the power produced comes from aerobic energy pathways.
Generally, athletes who excel in this area are able to climb and Time Trial well. On it's own, max aerobic interval training is an effective method to increase fitness. However, max aerobic power is also a good indication of an athletes potential.
In today's session we focus on 4min max aerobic efforts. You will be guided through the early intervals before completing a 4min 'best effort' to complete the set.
Welcome to the 2018 Zwift Academy. This first workout is a high intensity session looking at your ability to produce quality race efforts over 1 minute in duration.
There is ample recovery between the intervals, so you will be able to produce your best efforts for the target duration.
Being able to produce short, high power efforts during a race improves your chances of winning.
These efforts allow you to establish a break, or cross a gap to the breakaway. The riders that win races are the ones who can repeatedly produce these high power efforts.
Today we simulate attacking in racing and going to the line!
This session was a favorite from Zwift Academy 2017! This time with a little twist...
The first part is designed to squeeze you. Working your strength and ability to generate power through high-torque efforts.
Finishing the session with some 1 x 1 minute efforts, these simulate rolling through in a group, pushing hard on the front and having to maintain the power for the 'recovery' element.
This is a challenging HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session that focuses on repeated efforts under 1 minute. The workout consists of just 5 minutes of high intensity work. However, with short recovery periods, your lactate tolerance will be tested!
The session is divided into 3 blocks of work. 12 x 10sec sprints with 50secs recovery. 6 x 15sec sprints with 45secs recovery. And 3 x 30sec sprints with 30sec recovery.
If you use a smart trainer it's recommended that you disable ERG mode for this workout due to how short and explosive the sprint efforts are. You can toggle ERG mode on and off either within Zwift or by using the Zwift Companion mobile app.
To accurately assess the strengths of each Zwift Academy participant, some of the sessions are focused on allowing you to fill out your Power Duration curve. Today's session is all about producing your best 1 minute power.
Prior to completing this maximal effort, the session includes a range of intervals that will allow you to get a feel for your target 1 minute maximal power.
Although the intensity of a maximal 4-minute effort is far higher than ultra-distance power, it still has a direct relationship with performance. This is because the maximal power attained over 4 minutes is an excellent indicator of your maximal aerobic engine.
This session comes with a twist! We're also interested in your best 4-minute power under fatigue. This gives us an idea of both aerobic capacity and your overall endurance. Both critical for ultra-distance triathlon of course!
To accurately assess the strengths of each Zwift Academy participant, some of the sessions are focused on allowing you to fill out your Power Duration curve. Today's session is all about producing your best 20 second power.
Prior to completing this maximal effort, the session includes a range of intervals that will allow you to get a feel for your target 20 second maximal power.
Developing your anaerobic power doesn't always come from sprinting. Increasing your anaerobic power capacity can be done in a number of ways. This session explores some options. They all require maximum effort and maximum suffering!
On a smart trainer, this workout is best done with ERG mode off for the hard efforts. This enables you to give 100% without the trainer interfering. You can toggle ERG mode on and off throughout the workout via the options bar at bottom of your screen or within the workout screen of the Zwift Companion app.
Racing at the top level can be unpredictable. Often the start of the race is the hardest part of the whole day. This workout will highlight the impact of a hard start on the body.
This session is designed to get you accustomed to holding your ultra-distance (112mi / 180km) power under fatigue and to build basic endurance. The last quarter of the bike section in an ultra is critical to overall success. That means holding good form, staying efficient and not dropping power. Easier said than done right? As we only have 75 min to play with, the aim of this session will be to quickly build up fatigue in the legs before settling back down to your ultra-distance race power.
We know how critical it is to have a high FTP power for cycling performance. This is a session I like to call "FTP+", this is because the intensity of the intervals sits somewhere between FTP power and VO2max power. Yes, this is a challenging session! :)
The intervals in this session are all classified as "long intervals" ranging from 3 to 5 minutes but, as the duration comes down, the intensity goes up! By hanging out for prolonged periods at just above your FTP, you will increase your FTP value, and also have a great workout.
This session is designed to develop your half-distance triathlon power. For most people half-distance triathlon power is at around 83% of FTP, and we will aim to improve this power by working slightly above and slightly below this power target for extended periods.
This is a pyramid set, 1 x 8 mins, 1 x 6 mins, 2 x 4 mins, 1 x 6 mins and 1 x 8 mins, with 36 minutes of total work.
Sport specific strength is a critical component of long-distance triathlon. This session aims to produce large amounts of muscular force with limited disturbance to the cardiovascular systems.
Many professional long-distance triathletes include regular strength endurance work as part of their micro-cycle routines. And for good reason. Research has shown that training at a lower cadence produced more significant power benefits at threshold than training at a higher cadence.
These types of sessions are great if you've got tired legs but still want some quality. This session in particular is made up of 5 x 8 minute reps where the cadence is kept low (60-75 rpm), with moderate intensity (78-84% of FTP).
Training to develop our VO2max requires high intensity intervals where the majority (but not all) of the power produced comes from aerobic energy pathways.
Athletes who excel in this area are generally able to climb and Time Trial well. On its own, VO2max interval training is an effective method to increase fitness. It also serves as a good indication of an athlete's potential.
Welcome to Zwift Academy 2020! Training begins by building your endurance, an essential skill for every level rider–from the recreational to the elite pro. Plan on hard efforts for durations lasting 5-8min. These are considered long intervals, so pacing is critical to complete it to the best of your ability. Longer intervals help develop your threshold power.
We want to push your FTP (Functional Threshold Power) to its limit today, bringing you to a level just above your Threshold effort and ask you to ride at this power for a total of 18min. This session will take the focus and effort of a Time Trial to push your aerobic power to a sustained limit.
To make sure we use as much of the aerobic pathways as possible for your energy production, depletion efforts at the start will reduce the reliance on any anaerobic contribution.
We then move into 2x5min efforts just above your FTP with minimal recovery. This is followed by an 8min all-out effort, which will require adequate pacing if you are to reach your potential. Anyone with a solid aerobic engine will be aiming for 100% FTP. Those with excellent lactate clearance capabilities will be close to 105% of FTP, and elite riders are expected to be riding between 105-110%. The priority is pacing your last 8min to a sustained effort, where you'll want to give it EVERYTHING you have.
This session is designed to improve your aerobic threshold, which, for most people, is around long course pace. As such, the intensity is kept lower, but the duration of each rep is longer (15–16min in length). We call these sessions up-and-unders, going up above and then under your long course power threshold. This session is just 1 hour 15 min in length, but can be much longer in total duration due to the relatively low intensity. Sometimes, these sessions can build up to nearly 3 hours of total work for the big timers!
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. These up-and-under intervals have great training impacts with a lower level of strain, which is ideal for days that you haven’t had decent recovery.
If we plan to "attack," either by dropping friends on a hill during a group ride or going for victory in a road race, your anaerobic power needs to be strong. This session helps build your attacking power level for a solid punch. Short efforts all under 1min will make you feel the burn.
Attacking a group in a race or holding onto a fast peloton in Watopia calls for high anaerobic power. Today we hit some high peak efforts at the start–by the end, you will be fighting to keep the power high.
This session is broken up into two sections. After the warm-up, we complete 4x 30sec high powered maximal anaerobic efforts aiming for 170% of your FTP. To allow you to hit each effort with optimal anaerobic power, we have 5min full recovery between each.
At the end of the workout, we move into 1min build efforts. These are high power and high force efforts that will also be heart pumping. The recovery time gradually shortens– by the end, we'll have maxed out all energy pathways, forcing us to rely on our aerobic system.
Anaerobic power is what you need for short explosive efforts up a hill or when attacking a group. In this workout, we find out how strong your system is, and whether you can repeat these high-intensity efforts.
Some riders have naturally good short-term power capabilities, and some need to focus on it if they want to improve that EXPLOSIVE power. If you want to attack on the Innsbruckring' Leg-Snapper' climb with the style of Philippe Gilbert, then we need to work on these high power sessions.
We are stressing your maximal glycolytic system today with some BIG anaerobic power efforts. We start with a solid warm-up, incorporating high-force efforts that require lots of muscular strength. These short efforts will have you primed and ready for action.
The session starts with a maximal 1min FULL GAS effort to allow you to set a peak power effort and set a benchmark to guide you for the rest of the Academy. In this effort, start close to maximal capacity, which is just about sustainable for 30sec and then hold your power as high as possible during the last 10-20sec.
The last three anaerobic efforts are aimed at stressing your anaerobic endurance. We do this by starting at a high power output in the first rep and gradually increasing the duration of efforts while decreasing the wattage target. All these efforts will max out your anaerobic energy pathways with high lactate concentrations.
We finish the ride with a 6min aerobic effort. This will not be as easy! You may have depleted all of your anaerobic energy, plus the high power efforts will have impacted your muscular strength by now. Both components combined will leave this sub-threshold effort feeling harder than normal.
Welcome to the first bike workout in your Zwift Academy Tri journey! Specific strength is a critical component for long course triathlon. This session aims to produce large amounts of muscular force with limited disturbance to the cardiovascular systems.
Many professional and top long course triathletes include regular endurance strength work in their training routines, and for good reason. Research has shown that training at a lower cadence produces significant power benefits compared to training at a higher cadence.
These types of sessions are great if you’ve got tired legs but still want a quality workout. This session in particular is made up of 9x4 minute reps where the cadence is kept low (65–55 rpm) and at a moderate intensity (between 70.3 and long course effort). If you’ve ever done "drop-sets" in the gym, this is the cycling-specific equivalent.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Due to its lower training demands, expect a lower level of strain from this session, which is ideal for days where you aren’t fully recovered.
Improving your Threshold capabilities is essential for every aspect of cycling and endurance sports. Improving your threshold will increase endurance, develop a higher cruising speed, and reduce fatigue. In this workout, we prioritize building this key area of performance.
Improving your FTP is not always about doing long intervals that are mentally and physically draining. In this workout, we cheat the system by doing shorter efforts to make big gains.
Improving your ability to perform prolonged intensities around your FTP can be done in several ways. One of the best ways to enhance this is to perform sustained Threshold efforts with an elevated lactate level.
In this session, we prime your lactate system at the start of each interval by doing a short anaerobic effort, followed by 5min at your FTP.
We start the workout with a 6min effort below your threshold, which helps you engage the larger muscle groups needed for higher Threshold efforts later in the workout.
This workout is a gradual burner. You will build fatigue over the duration of the session, which will raise your heart rate and require a higher breathing rate as you progress into the ride. Developing your VO2 max requires working at a high level–so be prepared for a hard session!
Being able to ride at a percentage of your VO2 max is crucial in competitive events, especially in the virtual racing world as the 45min to 1hr races require lots of accumulated time spent close to your maximal aerobic limit. This session stresses this system and helps you develop stronger as we push your heart rate and oxygen consumption rates to a high level.
VO2 max is not a single power number but a physiological state that equates to the amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise. There are several ways to enhance your max.
In this session, we focus on an incremental rise of VO2 uptake. This progression allows us to sustain prolonged levels closer to our VO2 max, versus shorter/higher-powered efforts.
We do 3x 8min ON/OFF blocks, increasing from 20, 30, to 40sec 'On' while reducing the 'Off' durations. The 'Off' intensity is not a full recovery, so oxygen uptake is always being stimulated throughout the 8min blocks.
We finish the session with a 4min build. For most athletes, you'll find yourself near your VO2 max within the last minute of this interval. Get ready for a solid workout!
For the final bike workout of Zwift Academy Tri, we’re getting into long VO2 intervals. Typically, long VO2 intervals include anything where the reps are over 1 minute in duration. They’re not usually as intense as short VO2 intervals, although they should still be higher than your FTP. With these, there is more of a focus on both the anaerobic and aerobic systems. For triathletes, these are the sessions you should be including in your main training block before a competition.
This session comes with a bit of a twist. The first minute is over FTP at 110% before settling a little lower, but still above FTP for 2 minutes. Recent studies have shown that intervals with variable intensity have a greater training effect than maintaining just one level of intensity all the way through.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. VO2max sessions are aimed to push you, and this workout is no different. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and tackle this workout on another day.
This session can be classified as short, high-intensity interval (HIIT) reps. Basically, all repetitions are under 1 minute in duration. Short HIIT sessions are easy to manipulate, allowing you to target different areas of your physiology. And of course, with the recovery being short, the aerobic system plays a pivotal role as well. If you’re looking for a workout to tick all the boxes, this is it! But hold on tight, because it’s not going to be easy.
This workout consists of 4x6 minute reps, broken into two rounds of 50 seconds at above FTP and only allows for 10 seconds of recovery. Then you’ll hit it hard for 40 seconds above FTP again with just 20 seconds recovery. And finally, you’ll crush 30 seconds above FTP with 30 seconds recovery to close it out.
For WHOOP users — This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. The short, sharp intervals will help you rack up a solid strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and complete this workout on another day.
Looking for some brick work? You can pair today's session with run workout 3. Progressive Tempo, or run workout 2. Full-Distance Specific VO2 Max.
This session is typically known as an up-and-under session, where you perform periods of time slightly over and then slightly under 70.3 race pace power. This is a great way to get more comfortable at your 70.3 pace, while also improving that number. Here, you will be doing 8-minute reps — two rounds of 2 minutes above (around 90% FTP) and two rounds of 2 minutes below (around 80% FTP) 70.3 race pace. From a physiological perspective, these sessions help promote fat oxidation and structural changes at a muscular level.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. These up-and-under intervals have great training impacts with a lower level of strain, which is ideal for days that you haven’t had decent recovery.
When you attack in a race or surge over a short hill, an intense burn always follows. This workout ensures you'll hit these types of efforts stronger, pushing through the burn and helping maintain a high pace without fading after each effort.
The anaerobic capacity (AC) effort at the start of this workout helps build up high lactate concentrations, essential for building FTP. The 1min rest that follows is enough to help recover adequately so you can complete the workout strong, but it doesn't leave so much time that lactate concentrations will decrease. The workout is key when it comes to boosting your FTP and tackling longer segments with a higher level of fitness.
Coach's Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
Looking for some brick work? You can pair today's session with run workout 3. Progressive Tempo, or run workout 2. Full-Distance Specific VO2 Max.
This session is designed to improve the aerobic threshold, which for most people is around full-distance pace. However, to make this session as specific to long-distance triathlon as possible, there are some specific 30-second bursts to induce extra fatigue before settling back into full-distance pace. Moreover, this variable intensity has been proven to be effective at pushing thresholds up. This session also allows you to become more proficient at removing lactate and using it as a fuel during the the lower intensity efforts.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Due to its lower training demands, expect a lower level of strain from this session, which is ideal for days where you aren’t fully recovered.
When you need to constantly perform small surges of power—and keep pushing hard between these surges like in a Time Trial or when in fast paceline in a group ride—you're going to need excellent lactate tolerance. The better you are at metabolizing lactate, the better your endurance.
This session has two goals: enhance lactate tolerance, which allows you to perform at intensities above your FTP for longer, and boost your VO2 Max. This session will hold you at a high VO2 max over the majority of each set and raise your maximal aerobic capacity.
Coach's Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
By now you should have already been through several short intervals, so now we're getting into long intervals. Typically, long intervals include anything where the reps are greater than 1 minute in duration. Compared to short intervals, the intensity typically isn't as high as short intervals — though it's still higher than FTP. In such intervals, the neuromuscular system is targeted to a lesser extent, with more focus being on anaerobic and particularly aerobic systems. For triathletes, these are the sessions you should be including in your main preparatory block before a competition. Make sure you have fresh legs and are ready to go for this one.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These FTP intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.
If you've ever seen a rider attack hard in the last leg of a race or explode over short steep climbs, they're using the efforts learned in this workout. Let's get after it.
This session is focused on stressing your peak VO2 early in each interval, then maintaining that level of oxygen consumption before continuing at a level that really works your aerobic system. Performing six reps will stress your aerobic capacity along with your lactate clearance abilities, something that's crucial for recovering between segments.
Coach's Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
Short intervals are great for adapting the anaerobic and aerobic systems as well as having a high neuromuscular component. Moreover, by specifically manipulating the work-to-rest ratios, we are able to specifically target each of these three factors to a greater extent. This session includes all the classic short intervals, from 30/30 to 30/15 to 40/20. We'll then be gradually shifting toward a more aerobic component. These sessions are great for improving your VO2 max and anaerobic capacity, and should be included early in your training season.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These FTP intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day
The combination of both strength/endurance and threshold riding makes this session very challenging. With the change in specific cadence between the sets giving this workout a unique context. This session is great to work on specific strength, and threshold power, with the changes in torque throughout really helping to push up your FTP. This session is great when done in Erg mode.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although the middle part of this session is at 100% of FTP, the duration of each rep is short. This means you can likely still manage this session, even on days when you’re not fully recovered.
High efforts. Long durations. Together, these can wipe out some of the most skilled cyclists. But today's workout ensures that you'll be ready for whatever climb, hilly ride, or terrain-shifting road comes next.
Starting today, we'll start to build sustained power into your repertoire after increasing your VO2 Max. How? By performing longer efforts around your FTP, with a cadence element addition designed to enhance your muscular responsiveness to gradient changes–which you'll likely encounter on longer segments.
Coach's Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
If you've been struggling to stay with your local group ride during climbs, this is the perfect session to develop the fitness needed to keep up. This session is all about building the duration of time spent riding at an effort level close to your VO2 Max, which we'll explain.
When exercising, your heart and lungs work hard to pump oxygenated red blood cells in your body to your muscle tissue. The more oxygen your body can use, the more your muscles can work. VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use. Improving it enables you to increase the time spent at moderate or high intensity.
Here's how we'll do just that. First we spike the effort at the start of each interval, then balance that intensity to maintain high oxygen consumption without getting you exhausted too early. This is a solid workout that you can rely on any time.
Coach's Tip: Zwift Academy Road was developed with structure in mind. For best results, complete the workouts in order.
This training program was designed by Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman from Dig Deep Coaching. Their complete coaching approach ensures every Zwift Academy athlete learns the building blocks for successful training.
This workout is focused on aerobic conditioning, getting your aerobic system revved up for some harder training session ahead. In this workout we accumulate a total of 30min 'work' with the majority of that below your FTP. We split this workout into x3 10min segments but within each segment we have x2 1 min bursts above FTP. These 1min bursts rise from 102% up to 107% over the 3 blocks. The perfect session to start your ZA.
This workout is the first to include some higher intensity as we introduce some short efforts of 20 - 40sec to 'prime' your aerobic system before a 10 min block just below your FTP. These priming efforts prior to your 10 min interval means that we will have depleted your anaerobic system slightly before you do the 10min efforts which are done below your FTP. The 10 min blocks will feel slightly harder than normal because of the short depleting intervals prior. You will have just a total of 3 min above your FTP in this session but 20min just below.
This session is focused on helping to build comfort at and around our FTP. This workout consists of periods at a high intensity - 110% FTP, with recovery at a moderate intensity - 78% FTP. Working around threshold values in this way is very effective to push up FTP values, as well as teaching your physiology to produce and use lactate as a fuel source.
In this workout our goal is to accumulate as much time around FTP as possible, without going to failure. We do this by having short blocks of 90 sec to 2 1/2min of intensity. This allows you to maintain good rhythm in each rep but also have small rest periods of 30sec between so we have enough stimulus which sees positive adaptations. We do this by having 3 sets of interval blocks lasting from 8 min, 10 min and 12min, this is a perfect session to push up the aerobic adaptations which will help with FTP developments and endurance capacities.
This session is designed to improve the aerobic threshold, which for most people is around full-distance pace. However, to make this session as specific to long-distance triathlon as possible, there are some specific higher intensity efforts meant to induce extra fatigue before settling back into full-distance pace. This session also aims to make you more proficient at removing lactate and using it as a fuel during lower intensity efforts, as well as improving your gross efficiency.
Specific strength is a critical component of long-distance triathlon. This session aims to produce large amounts of muscular force with limited disturbance to the cardiovascular systems. What does that mean? We want to build strength without overly taxing your breathing and heart rate. Many professional and top long-distance triathletes include regular strength endurance work as part of their micro-cycle routines. And for a good reason. Research has shown that training at a lower cadence produced more significant power benefits at four mmol blood lactate than training at a higher cadence. These types of sessions are great if you've got tired legs but still want some quality.
The last workout will see you push the pain barrier to that last level as we do some higher aerobic intervals all above FTP. In the opening part of the workout we do some short 30 sec 'bursts' which will see you have 2 1/2min total in each block at 125% FTP, we will have two of these high intensity blocks in the first part of the workout. In the last part of the workout we continue to work at an effort above FTP but at a lesser level to previous, but we extend the duration of each effort with x3 2min intervals at 115%. A great way to push your limits and see your progress from the ZA workouts.
This is focused on a high aerobic power with a 'VO2 Pyramid' which lasts a total of 7min but includes some short rest periods within each pyramid. This will see you have a high Vo2 by the end of each pyramid set as we try to raise your maximal aerobic 'roof'. The twist is that we have a short 7min block of sub threshold effort between each pyramid, an excellent session to push your limits.
This workout will see us push up your max aerobic ability with some focused work in your VO2 power. The goal is to accumulate around 8-10min at an intensity which is similar to that which you will ride the Volcano KOM at during your Baseline Ride. This workout will help push up that ability to maintain a high aerobic power, the goal is to spend some time at a good VO2 stimulus but having some micro rest periods which allows us to maintain the intensity.