One-Hour Workout: Bike Short Hill Sprints
This article originally appeared on Triathlete
This week's bike workout comes from coach Dan Frost of MP Multisport in Fort Collins, Colo. Coach Frost is a USAT Level I and ASCA Masters Level II coach, and also serves as a technical official for ITU and USAT. The below workout should be done outside. "This workout is focused on building stamina needed to attack those short hills well enough to maintain the momentum necessary for a fast bike split on a rolling or hilly bike course," Frost says.
You’ll start by warming up with an easy 15 minutes to your hill – ideally, one that is between a 6 and 8 percent grade (meaning the road elevation changes between 6 and 8 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal distance). Then, you’ll get to work on the repeats, alternating 1 minute of hard pushes up the hill, followed by a descent and a 5-minute easy spin. Repeat this 6 times, then cruise on home.
The key to executing this workout is to stay in your seat, find the right gearing (more on that here) and focus on driving your rear end to the back of the seat as you push down on your pedals – this will help you engage the muscles needed for more power as you climb.
RELATED: How To Climb Every Hill
One-Hour Workout: Bike Short Hill Sprints
Warm-up
Ride 15 min easy to a hill that's about a 6-8% grade.
Main Set
6x(1 min working it up the hill, seated and going for it, spin down the hill for recovery.)
Spin 5 min easy between each set
Cooldown
Ride home easy effort capped at 70% of threshold
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