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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Intensive aerobic efforts are generally performed just above threshold power. They are hard intervals that are completed with less than 5min recovery.



Being a long aerobic effort, they also require good pacing.



Today's session aims to see you produce your best 10min power. But first, we perform intervals that help you better judge your power over 10min.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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This session consists of alternating work periods of 30 seconds at high intensity and recovery periods of 15 seconds where low intensity work is performed. This session will challenge your ability to spend a large amount of time above 90% of VO2 max. After warming up, you will complete 3 sets of 10 x 30 sec on / 15 sec off. However, each set opens with a 3 min threshold effort.

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Quite often, racing involves periods of short, high intensity efforts followed by a period of tempo riding. Today we look to replicate what it takes to breakaway from the group and then maintain that advantage. After a good warmup, the session consists of 4 sets of 2 x 1 min capacity efforts leading into a 5 min tempo effort.

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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?

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This will be the final test effort of the 2018 Zwift Academy! You can use this test to gauge any improvements you may have made; take the average power of the two intervals, this correlates well to a traditional 20 minute effort. Use the average power from the first 12 minutes as a target to push your 20 minute power to within the next 2 - 4 months of training.



Treat each 12 minute interval as if it were the only effort. We generally expect the first interval to be ~20 Watts higher than the second. Give it FULL-GAS!

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