5x 5 Threshold

Riding at or around your Threshold will bring up both your ability to sustain high-intensity effort (as well as your suffering). This session is great for triathletes and road cyclists. It can also be beneficial for mountain bikers, especially for events that are about an hour in duration, such as a 40km Time Trial or the bike leg of an Olympic Distance Triathlon.

See a previous post about training intensity (Levels) to know how hard to work. If you are working directly with Coach Ray, he will, in most cases, prescribe either a Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone to work within if you are training with these tools.

The inspiration for this session comes from a workout in an article by Marc Evan in the January 2008 issue of Triathlete Mag.

5x 5 Threshold

• 5min WU Level II Cad 100;
• 5min Level II Cad 70;
• 5min Level II Cad 100;
• 5x 5min Level IV, 90sec Level II RI;
• 10min CD Level II;
• 10min Stretching

Start the workout with a fifteen-minute Warm Up (WU) riding at Level II. Start with five minutes at a cadence of 100 rpm, then five minutes at a cadence of 70, and then finish the Warm Up (WU) with a cadence of 100 rpm for the final five minutes.

The main set comprises five five-minute reps riding at Level IV. Take a 90-second Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level II after each rep.

Complete a Cool Down (CD) for ten minutes at Level II.

Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.

If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.

I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes in achieving their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.

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Originally Published: https://www.coachray.nz/2023/05/07/sunday-smart-trainer-session-5x-5-threshold/