The Power Meter Handbook: A User’s Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

that power the bike include increasing these factors:
    • The muscles’ ability to process lactate
    • Blood plasma volume
    • Aerobic enzymes
    • Muscle glycogen storage
    • The size of slow-twitch muscle fibers
    • Muscle capillary density
    • The conversion of muscle fibers from type 2x to type 2a
    How should you train to accomplish all of this in order to improve your aerobically active muscle? This brings us to the topic of workouts—the most basic element of training.
    For the sake of simplicity, I divide all workouts into six categories called “abilities.” All of the workouts in a given ability have similar intensities, meaning their power requirements are about the same. Here are the six abilities with workout examples for each. (You can find more in-depth descriptions for these abilities in some of my other books: The Cyclist’s Training Bible, The Triathlete’s Training Bible, and The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible.) Chapters 7 through 10 will explain the sport-specific nuances of each ability and how they are arranged, or “periodized,” throughout the season. Here I only want to introduce the concept of abilities and show their relationships to the above power zones. You will see more detailed examples of these workouts in Appendix A .
    Aerobic endurance. For the cyclist and triathlete, this is the most basic of the six abilities. It is critical for success in all endurance sports. Aerobic endurance workouts are quite effective for initiating most of the muscles’ physiological adaptations listed above. These workouts employ extended, steady rides in zone 2 and in the lower range of zone 3.
    Muscular force. This is also a basic ability. The purpose here is to improve the muscles’ ability to apply force to the pedals. Recall from Chapter 2 that power is the result of force times velocity (P = F × v). Muscular force can be increased with very brief, maximal-effort repeats in zone 7 using a high gear (F) and a very low cadence (v). A common workout is 8 to 12 revolutions of the pedals from a standing start while staying seated using a high gear such as 53×14. These are commonly done on a hill to increase the force required.
    Muscular force intervals are quite stressful not only for the muscles but also for the joints, especially the knees. You must pay attention to unusual leg sensations and be prepared to stop this workout if something simplydoesn’t feel right. Long recoveries in zone 1, on the order of 3 to 5 minutes, are common between these intense repetitions as full recovery of the muscle is needed to produce high intensity and the desired results. Short recoveries and fatigue will diminish the benefits.
    Speed skills. This is the last of the basic abilities and is closely related to the v in P = F × v, and also to your efficiency. A common difference between novice and advanced athletes is how smoothly the latter pedal. Applying force to the pedals at high cadence in a rhythmic and effortless manner is critical for success over long distances and takes years of training to master. I’ve never known a high-level cyclist who mashes with a low cadence or who pedals sloppily. The ability to spin smoothly is a common characteristic of the best riders.
    Speed skills workouts typically involve pedaling drills such as isolated leg training and high-cadence spinning. These drills may be included within workouts that have a primary focus on any of the other abilities, such as during the warm-up or cooldown.
    Power output is not a good measure of speed skills improvement. Over the course of several weeks early in the season, if you have been a masher, you should gradually be able to increase your cadence in higher gears. This is the result of combining muscular force and speed skills training (again, P = F × v). A higher cadence in any given gear, of course, means greater power.
    Muscular endurance. This is an advanced ability as it is closely tied to race performance in all endurance events. The purpose of such training is to improve most of the physiological adaptations listed above but especially the first: the muscles’ ability to process lactate.
    Contrary to what you may be thinking, lactate—usually referred to as “lactic acid”—is not a cause of fatigue, nor does it cause muscle soreness. Those are myths that refuse to go away. Lactate is produced by the muscle cells during exercise, and it is actually reused by the muscles to produce energy so that you can keep on