List your favorite L6 workouts

Quadsweep said:

List your favorite L6 workouts.

Compiling a book are we?😄

Quadsweep said:

List your favorite L6 workouts. Ones you think target AWC the best.

Include interval length, rest periods between intervals, total volume, total days per week.

Also include, when, and for how long you incorporate these workouts in the year.

[img]cyclingforums.comrolleyes.gifOpen ↗[/img]

My answer to this question is a bit complex because I have two objectives with L6s. One objective is adaptation, which is everyone's objective. But, I have a 2nd objective of learning how much and how quickly my AWC recovers. So, I prefer to do L6s as max duration efforts at a power target that falls in the 30s-3m range. Usually, I'll pick something like 150%FTP and ride to max duration, ride for an equal recovery duration, then repeat until my max duration has dropped significantly (e.g., half of my original duration). But, I also do L6s on my road rides on all the short climbs. These are often perfect to target AWC. So, I'll charge the climb at ~130-150%FTP (depending on the length of the hill) and recover over the top.

Alex Simmons said:

Compiling a book are we?😄

Ya, so give me some input.[img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img][img]cyclingforums.comwink.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Quadsweep said:

Ya, so give me some input.[img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img][img]cyclingforums.comwink.gifOpen ↗[/img]

4 guys on a track, circulate around the top with 20-30m in between. 1st guys drops down at designated spot and leads out for 500-750 metres, others follow at same point and chase rider in front / trying not to get caught. Helps when you have two world track TT/sprint champions in the group. Pyramid the recoveries so they get shorter then longer (say start with 15min, work down to 5, then back out again), 6-8 efforts. Swap lead rider each time. Make sure the railing and/or a suitable throw up zone is handy.

What's yours?

Alex Simmons said:

4 guys on a track, circulate around the top with 20-30m in between. 1st guys drops down at designated spot and leads out for 500-750 metres, others follow at same point and chase rider in front / trying not to get caught. Helps when you have two world track TT/sprint champions in the group. Pyramid the recoveries so they get shorter then longer (say start with 15min, work down to 5, then back out again), 6-8 efforts. Swap lead rider each time. Make sure the railing and/or a suitable throw up zone is handy.

Where do you position the world champions in the 4 spots? C'mon, we need details!! 😄

Question to all what is your recovery pace L1, L2, L3, L4?

wiredued said:

Question to all what is your recovery pace L1, L2, L3, L4?

Neither. Presuming you don't need to throw up, then lie down. If you can't lie down, put your feet up. If you can't put feet up, sit down.😉

frenchyge said:

Where do you position the world champions in the 4 spots? C'mon, we need details!! 😄

It varies. Lead rider moves to back for next effort. But you will typically have one in front to chase and one behind chasing. Kind of like RDs Bengal tiger. Sometimes it's your turn to lead out. Fantastic for motivation.

Qualify: Masters World Champions.

Alex Simmons said:

Kind of like RDs Bengal tiger. Sometimes it's your turn to lead out. Fantastic for motivation.

Qualify: Masters World Champions.

Alex, what's your guess as to the percentage of your AWC that is non-recoverable in the short-term (e.g., on the same ride)? For example, if you could ride at 200%FTP for [censored] seconds when fresh, how long do you think you could sustain it after emptying the AWC tank repeatedly?

RapDaddyo said:

Alex, what's your guess as to the percentage of your AWC that is non-recoverable in the short-term (e.g., on the same ride)? For example, if you could ride at 200%FTP for [censored] seconds when fresh, how long do you think you could sustain it after emptying the AWC tank repeatedly?

No idea really. I haven't done isopower style AC work before. These are go hard and smash 'em efforts. While they have a "sprint" start, it is down the banking and not completely full gas like a 200m fly.

If I look at my last set back in March 06, interval #3 had both the highest peak and average power for the duration (41-43 seconds). Effort #6 peak power was 92% and average power was 88% of effort #3. Everyone else was dying by then so that was it for the day. I probably had 1-2 more in me. I had done 1:40 of L3 road ride before these though....

Then there's the State Crit race in Oct 06, wko pic attached. Each one of those spikes is about 30 seconds going hard up the rise every lap (a combination of NMP/AWC). I seem to have good repeatability but not necessarily with a high AWC.

I was mixing L6 out of the saddle efforts with L4 training it felt good to get the KK spinning fast before getting back in the saddle and my sprint got better but now it looks like I'm losing some L4 ability and relying on L5/L6 efforts to bring my average watts up. I'm going back to being a 91% purist even out of the saddle to stay on track with FTP improvement.

Quadsweep said:

List your favorite L6 workouts. Ones you think target AWC the best.

Include interval length, rest periods between intervals, total volume, total days per week.

Also include, when, and for how long you incorporate these workouts in the year.

[img]cyclingforums.comrolleyes.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Being in the land of mountains, my favorite L6 workouts involve going up hills. 1, 2, 3, 5 minutes... whatever. Just plain going up mountains. Repeats are good, but I also have some "hills" nearby that can keep me out of the saddle in L6 for 5+ minutes I'm not a big fan of "drop down the hammer" riding. For me, there's something mentally more painful riding 2, 3, or 5 minute efforts on flats at 95+rpms than climbing at the same wattage.

Oh.. and if I do a specific AC hills day it's 8 x 1-2 minute climbs with 3 minute rests. ( I usually alternate 1 min, 3 rest, 2 min, 3 rest, 1 min, 3 rest... etc... )

Looks like the last time was
1 min, 150%, 3 rest
2x2min 130% with 3 min rests
1 min, 150%, 3 rest
2x2min 130% with 3 min rests
1 min, 150%, 3 rest

So, total of 10 AC intervals

The last few 3 hour group rides I have acumulated 25 to 30 minutes of total L6 via short hard efforts and most all sustained for 30 second bursts of 400+ watts and then 280 to 350 watts the rest of the time in 1 to 10 minute segments. This is per ride. Does this sort of on and off and haphazared building of L6 help in any way? This is not sprinting from lighs L6 btw. Well-I know it helps, but is it the same as training specifcally say on hill repeats or on a trainer?

Quadsweep said:

List your favorite L6 workouts. Ones you think target AWC the best.

Include interval length, rest periods between intervals, total volume, total days per week.

Also include, when, and for how long you incorporate these workouts in the year.

[img]cyclingforums.comrolleyes.gifOpen ↗[/img]

'Favorite' and 'L6' workout is an oxymoron to this stage-racing TT'r.

Embarassed to say, I really don't do any formal L6 workouts at all.

However, as the race season approaches, I go from doing my Vo2 workouts in isopower fashion, to doing the last 30-45 seconds as hard as possible, about 1.3-1.5 FTP, with a little more rest between. Additionally, I do a weekday training race inseason that has a 40 second hill in it @ around 1.3-1.5 FTP, 1:15 'off', repeat 30-35 times. This workout is either pretty easy, or hard, depending on what you do during the 'off' period. This seems to be enough for me.

While I'm able to push myself hard in training doing L4/L5 stuff, it seems that I really need to have a number pinned on for the harder stuff.