4 Training Sessions to STRENGTHEN your BASE CYCLING FITNESS

Four cycling training sessions every cyclist can use to improve their base fitness, with WorldTour cycling coach, John Wakefield.
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A big thank you to John for his knowledge and openness in sharing this training information. If you're interested in being coached by Science To Sport (from anywhere in the world), head to www.sciencetosport.com or email [e-mail]
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Please note: the training sessions discussed in this video are designed to improve your cycling ability when followed correctly. They should not be attempted without sufficient warm up. Please always ride safely, on roads with minimal traffic and pedestrians, and never go beyond your limit. The best fitness gains will come from following each session properly, maximising your rest periods, eating properly before, during, and after your rides, and consulting your coach or dietician if you have questions. This video is a guide only and does not constitute an a training plan written specifically for you.
00:00 Intro
01:46 Why do base training?
03:55 Session One: Sprints
06:01 Session Two: Metabolic
07:17 Session Three: Low-cadence
08:55 Session Four: Fasted riding
11:11 Example training week
12:09 Outro
This interview was filmed at the Science 2 Sport lab in Girona, Catalunya, Spain; a cycling mecca that has been home to many professional cyclists including Ben O'Connor, Jack Haig, Esteban Chaves, Ryan Mullen, George Bennett, James Knox, Dorian Godon, Jay Vine, and at one point George Hincappie, Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton. Girona is used for training for races such as the Tour de France, Volta Catalunya, Vuelta Espana, Paris-Nice, Giro d'Italia and more. Teams such as Bora-Hansgrohe, INEOS-Grenadiers, Israel-Premier Tech Pro Cycling, Human Powered Health, Soudal-Quick-Step, UAE Team Emirates and others use Girona for team training camps and rider testing.

[@antonlasy7501]

I've been training with John's plan from the previous videos since January. Doing about 16h per week x 3 | 1 week 9h recovery sort of. Works like a charm, finally got to 5w/kg FTP and able to ride full gas with a local dominating sponsored team and even attack them! Amazing! Thanks both a lot!

[@RazvanPopMM]

Me too, getting close to 4 watts/kg :)

[@HTB6493]

What do you do on the 9hr recovery week

[@antonlasy7501]

​@@HTB6493 Mostly coffee rides with my mates and/or tinder girls haha) very very easy relaxed and most importantly not stressing about training or racing. Also physio work, with roller, stretching, some basic yoga. (altho trying to do it regularly regardles of recovery week) Making sure I keep geting in carbs for recovery, enjoying good healthy food. By the end of the week I could crank it up a little bit depending on feel, maybe more tempo with mates or some zwift event but still very playfull and not trying to hit any specific intensity, goal or anything. I have to add tho, that this is during non racing season. Now its a whole another game, you have to taper between races, and be very cautious in general, much harder to keep self relaxed I might say.

[@The_Normalised_Cyclist]

16h a week is a lot, I max out at 8-10h a week and sit at 4,5W/kg for 20min. Hopefully these extra hours will bump me to 5W

[@G3o_]

Can you do a podcast with training sessions about climbing faster? Thanks!

[@PCXMODSGR]

As a participant from the previous video to the 1-month training plan, this video basically is very familiar to me ! For us, I think a new plan is in order for spring/summer ! I have to say for its purpose as training plan with not someone in mind it worked very well !

[@tristantakevideo]

We have a Vo2 max training video coming next..something to accommodate the opposite end of the training scale.

[@flame_n]

Really like the vibes of those videos - putting emphasis on having fun riding your bike and then adding structure

[@GKSports112]

honestly best cycling related content in you tube

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks so much man!

[@dynty4207]

Amazing video! Could you please do some kind of guide to nutrition for cyclists? I appreciate your work

[@tristantakevideo]

I’ll do my best. 🫡

[@David-kf4pt]

These videos with John are incredible Tristan! The amount of knowledge and experience that he has, shared for free, it's pure gold for us, amateur cyclists! Thank you so much!

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks mate. So glad you’re enjoying them. 🙏🏼

[@matteo1214]

Love these series of videos

[@scugno]

Thanks for always sharing this information. John is a rock star too.

[@gregmorrison7320]

I've been around a long time and ride a lot but thanks to you Tristan and John these videos have given me more enjoyment by giving me different sessions to keep the training more focused and interesting, so thank you both.

[@DDai-qd8uk]

Legendary as usual

[@MinhLe-em8qm]

thank you for the good video. hope you will make a video about sprinting

[@John12358]

As I understand, adding intervals into a zone 2 ride moves you into a different metabolic pathway but returning to that endurance zone takes about 20 minutes. Is this correct because doing this means that the transition is just wasted time that could potentially be an hour's riding for 3 intervals?

[@dhldt1021]

My understanding is the same, My Z2 is strict, and stays at Z2 until I either finish riding, or then Add the intervals and intensity. But I’ll gladly change my thinking if need be?

[@seansixfive]

Every route where I live has hills and coastal winds. I guess Session 1 is for me.💪

[@winterjohannes]

Thanks for the ideas. Are ketones ok during fasted rides. Or Multimineraltablets for the taste? I drink more when I have some kind of taste in it.

[@Bluesman2509]

What is the benefit of low cadence for long climb efforts???

[@drkemankesh]

4:30 this! I screenshooted

[@dhldt1021]

Same. I will try them later this week. One or two more Vo2 sessions to finish first.

[@trevorallen9435]

I just race myself into shape. Probably dumb but fun

[@tristantakevideo]

Not dumb at all..unless you’re being paid to race a bike, fun should always be priority #1.

[@philipbai8574]

What does metabolic intervals mean? Which zone?

[@tristantakevideo]

In this case, low zone 3.

[@boomshine7]

isn't 70% ftp way to low for low cadance training? my trainer recommends them at like 100% but only 3-4 mins intervals, for 10 mins 70% would make sense

[@drkemankesh]

What does RPE mean? Hey! Please can you explain these shorts in the discription 😊

[@tristantakevideo]

Rate of perceived exertion. Basically how hard it 'feels' like you are going.

[@drkemankesh]

@@tristantakevideo wow sooo much fast answer! Thank you very much! 🌹

[@javiermartindiez9857]

Great video again! How often should we do a FTP in order to adjust our training values (power values/zones)?

[@tristantakevideo]

Once at the start of the season (after a few weeks of warming up if you’ve had any time off) and once in the middle of the year. Once you’ve done a couple you should be able to “feel” where you’re at during your regular training, without having to do a test to find out specifically. Doing a 20 minute test at 100% takes a lot from your body, so I don’t recommend doing them too often.

[@javiermartindiez9857]

Thanks you so much!!!!@@tristantakevideo

[@tristantakevideo]

No problem man 🤜🏼🤛🏼

[@Maxibsa]

For me its really hard to train with a plan. I dont have much time to Ride and when there is time, I have to decide between riding my 🏍️ or my 🚴. So I dont think it makes Sense to really do Intervalls when you Ride once a week. What is your opinion on this ?

[@tristantakevideo]

If you’re only riding once a week, just go ride and have fun. No need to do intervals. If you do decide you’d like to train for an event or improve a specific part of your cycling, training with more structure is beneficial. But yeah, for a single ride per week, fun should always be the top priority.

[@oskarlill]

Please explain session three once again. Start ride in Z1, and do 4 x 4 minutes in low cadence, with a 4 minute rest in Z1 between sets. But finish the training off in Z1?

[@tristantakevideo]

Yeah, finish with a 20' warm down in z1 after the last interval.

[@oskarlill]

@@tristantakevideo Just to be clear (: Start ride in Z1, let's say 30 minute warm up. Then continue with the 4x4 cycle, what should the heart rate be when doing the low cadence stint? What should the hr be when I'm recoverying (the other 4 minutes) from the low cadence stint? Appreaciate it!

[@JJuarezMAgsMx]

the video is very interesting. I just returned from a broken collarbone. Well, use that training to regain physical fitness? I have been a follower of your channel and your Instagram for a long time, very good videos and spectacular photos Greetings from Aguascalientes, Mexico

[@chrlsgonzyyy]

If I were to add a gym session where would I put it? Or what session would I replace?

[@tristantakevideo]

You can add gym the day after a “key” session (hard intervals) - as long as it’s not on a rest day. Keep rest days for full recovery. If you’d like to do gym + ride on the same day, do the gym session after your ride rather than before. Does that help? Let me know if you have any more questions.

[@chrlsgonzyyy]

If there is no upcoming event on my calendar can i replace the key sessions with the gym session ? Thank you @@tristantakevideo

[@tristantakevideo]

Yeah for sure, no problem at all with that.

[@goodytyler9645]

I'm not comprehending something for some reason. Is a session just 1 ride? So after 4 different rides and doing each of these sessions...then what? Or it is you mix these in? When do you do these sessions, how often, and when do you move on to the next?

[@tristantakevideo]

A session is one ride. If you watch from 10:45 you’ll see the answer to your questions.

[@goodytyler9645]

@@tristantakevideoWow, no idea how I missed that! lol Must have closed video too soon or got distracted by something shiny. Sorry mate! :)

[@tristantakevideo]

No worries man, hopefully that helps! 👌🏼

[@stinkyron9172]

That BMC you’re riding is a one sexy looking bike

[@tristantakevideo]

Agreed 🤝🏼

[@keepingtherubberdown5715]

So, my question comes to fasted riding as there is science that proves this is really not true any longer. Thoughts?

[@pierrex3226]

A lot of the suggestions here are "debunked" by research, as shown by Dylan Johnson. But I guess it's also a way to mix up the sessions beyond just "ride your bike at base intensity". Wouldn't make the best video :) Fasted riding doesn't seem to help, low cadence work doesn't seem to help)

[@archieman123]

Really not a fan of the ‘Fasted ride’ for amateurs with undeveloped abilities of using fat as a fuel, maybe first hour max with no breakfast/ Water only but after that Carb Up

[@jfreck]

If you’re concerned, a recent study came out that said having a 30-40g protein dose had the supposed benefits of training fasted

[@KujasminStavros]

​@pierrex3226 I watched Dylan's videos. I don't think he is debunking anything. His science is dated or simply area he comments on is not researched well i.e. low cadence training. Guys like Wakefield don't need scientific article to prove them right because their work itself is research. They can follow data of the pros they coach and see how they improve and get their feedback. If their methods don't work they wouldn't be hired as coaches by pro teams. Cheers

[@iancarson8614]

i do have to question the fasted riding concept. if you eat well, normally, and skip breakfast to go riding, your muscles are not depleted. your liver may be depleted slightly from sleep, but it is trying to control blood sugar for the brain, and not the muscle. so skipping breakfast before a ride, isn't really fasted. when it comes to adaptations, there is no reason why riding for even a short while with reduced muscle/ liver glycogen is going to improve adaptation. you may increase fat oxidation, but that's only because the body has to use what's available, and you wont get fitter because of it. more mitochondria, increased blood volume, heart stroke volume, are improved by training volume and intensity balance, not substrate choice.

[@user-kt9ob8wt7o]

Nonsense. Metabolic substrate selection is always intensity dependant.

[@ASGundogs]

'Not a lot of people talk about'... 🤣 Behave- if nobody talked about it, nobody would bother to make videos about it. Friel first published his training bible in 1996 and let's face it- none of this is radically different from his Strength, Endurance and Speed base skills triangle. (eg John's sprints for speed,; tempo/fasted ride and 'just ride' workouts for endurance and low cadence for strength right?)

[@tristantakevideo]

I guarantee 99% of the audience watching this video hasn’t read Joe’s book.

[@ASGundogs]

@@tristantakevideowow that’s interesting. I have two editions plus the MTB version 🤯 😂

[@ASGundogs]

(It does feel like every coach since Friel is finding ways to say what he said in a trendy way).

[@bobomac8330]

Friel is a puppy, lydiard is where it's at man.