3 threshold workouts to maintain your FTP

Many cyclists go out to pedal with the desire to improve performance. The well-known FTP is one of the subjects that arouse the most interest and at the same time it is often difficult to think of a training focused on it. In this article we present three options to work at threshold and help us maintain the FTP.

FTP Objective: how to tackle one of the cyclist's great desires

Cycling is a sport that is often practiced just for fun, to move a bit and achieve a good physical and mental state; however, it is undeniable that there are those who go out with the intention of improving, maintaining their level, and achieving goals. And for this type of cyclists it is necessary to control a series of metrics that lead them to train in a more appropriate way and that this has a positive impact on their numbers on the bike.

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One of these metrics is power. It is a precise data to analyze effort and uses watts as a unit of measurement. To know power, the FTP is often used; that is, it measures the average watts that we are capable of producing during a certain time.

Lactate is another protagonist of cycling effort. In this case, it is an organic compound that muscles generate as waste and that when it exceeds a certain concentration level in the blood, it forces to lower the intensity of physical exercise.

The lactate threshold is closely related to the FTP -the power that the cyclist is able to maintain-, so increasing the threshold helps to pedal with greater sustained intensity for longer.

Before starting and beyond power, it is advisable to know that it is interesting and productive to know heart rate. Workouts can have a variable power target; that is, an objective that is reduced when the cyclist reaches around 75% of heart rate, to always maintain this parameter the same.

With this on the table, it is time to analyze three threshold workouts -working hard without reaching maximum- to maintain the FTP.

1. Up and down

In short, it consists of alternating moments of pedaling just below and just above our threshold for a certain time. The idea is to allow the body to increase its ability to deal with the accumulation of lactic acid; the greater the capacity, the easier it will be to recover from a great effort -sprint, steep climb, or acceleration- without stopping pedaling hard. An intense exercise both physically and mentally.

As a guide -and always adapting this information to our particular case- it could be divided as follows: 15-minute warm-up, 4 sets of 12 minutes combining 2 minutes at 90% of FTP and 2 minutes at 105% of FTP. Finally, cool down for 15 minutes.

2. FTP and cadence on flat terrain

Here you will need to find a flat route to get your body used to working when the road is flat. In this case, it will be necessary to maintain a high cadence during the workout.

As a guide -and always adapting this information to our particular case- it could be divided as follows: after a 20-minute warm-up, you will need to be at 80% of FTP for 5 minutes, recover for 2 minutes, and then do 4 sets of 3 minutes -at 95% of FTP or 80% of maximum heart rate- with 2 minutes of easy recovery between each set.

Next, 8 minutes at 90% of FTP, 5 minutes of easy recovery, 4 sets like the previous ones with a cadence of around 80-90 rpm and a gentle recovery of 2 minutes between sets. Finally, cool down for 20 minutes.

3. Succession of series

It is a workout with constant power changes. As a guide -and always adapting this information to our particular case- it could start with an 8-minute warm-up and recover for 1 minute at 55% of FTP. From there, we will increase to 60%-70%-80%-90%-100% of FTP every minute and finish with 2 minutes at 55% of FTP.

From there, several series will follow:

• 4 sets: 10 seconds at 80% of FTP with a cadence of 100-110 rpm and 30 seconds at 60% of FTP with a lower cadence.
• 4 sets: 10 seconds at 90% of FTP and at 100-110 rpm and 30 seconds at 55% of FTP with a lower cadence.
• Recovery of 3 minutes at 55% of FTP.
• 2 sets: 6 minutes at 90% and 2 minutes at 55% of FTP
• Recovery of 5 minutes in zone 2.
• 2 sets: 2 minutes at 90% and 1 minute at 60% of FTP
• Recovery of 5 minutes in zone 2.
• 2 sets: 2 and a half minutes at 94% and 1 minute at 60% of FTP.
• Recovery of 5 minutes in zone 2.
• 2 sets: 1 minute at 98% and 1 minute at 55% of FTP.
• Recovery of 5 minutes in zone 2.
• 3 sets: 3 minutes at 90% at 90 rpm and 1 minute at 60% of FTP with the most comfortable cadence

Finally, you will need to cool down for 10 minutes gently.

FTP tends to be easier to train uphill. As a guide -and always adapting this information to our particular case- it could start -before a 20-30 minute warm-up-, with 3-4 sets of: ascent -not too steep- of about 10 minutes at 100% of FTP and recovery pedaling downhill. Finally, you can cool down with another 20-30 minutes of gentle pedaling.