Tadej Pogačar - Climbing Drills with the 2x Tour de France champion

[@Formula369]

You have to remember that he has one of the top coaches in the world and they set his zones up based on metabolic and lactate testing in a lab, not on a trainer doing a 20 minute test. So his threshold number isn’t a guess, they actually see on the graph where it shifts. I’d say most of us overestimate our threshold number, so him doing 15 minutes just over threshold will be hard, but not VO2 like some are saying. I love their simple approach to training with lots of Z2. They focus on building the engine and let everything else rise with it. We all can learn a lot from this simple video. KISS

[@fozzybear8001]

What makes u think most people overestimate threshold?

[@enricgs2151]

@@fozzybear8001 Because we use 20min power * 0.95 to estimate FTP (Coggan protocol says 5 min full efort before to lower anaerobic contribution that might help tov overestimate FTP), but if we try to hold that power for 40 min to one hour in lot of cases we're not able. Some people say amateur riders we should use a lower ratio, because pros are able to hold better power over time, but I think, independent if your FTP is 200w or 350w, some people have a better short power capacity, resulting in overstimating a little the FTP, because this one is calculated based on a shorter timeframe.

[@cliffcox7643]

Its same for regular folks w the 20 min. Its just not as defined. Lots of Z2. No more than 2 interval days. Basically. Lots of base, so you can do higher intensity on intervals days

[@JustAThought155]

Nice info. I took a messenger type job which required hours of city cycling per day. Within nine months my body went from a very fit physique to gaining unhealthy weight. Any thoughts on this reaction? I think it was a hormonal shift due to the excessive stress and demands on my muscles.

[@Northwindbreeze]

@@JustAThought155you have got your answer already. Take care.

[@MoneyMakerRealty]

Pogacar 1 of a kind. Kudos to this young man

[@xGshikamaru]

It's amazing how his training is so simple, yet when you see training plans people come up with insanely convoluted session where you're left wondering "what kind of physiological adaptation am I really developing". Thumbs up for this video, I'm definitely going to train this way for my main event this year

[@segmentkings]

Hint: It's a PR video. His training plan might be this simple, but maybe not. ;)

[@richiejames928]

he’s as good as he is because of his 80% zone 2 training method… keeps his base fitness as high as it ever needs to be but also keeps the speed of recovery extremely high too…. No body can go all out with zone 5 efforts every training ride.. you literallly lose too many days to recovery and suffer with poor training sessions anyway.. the biggest take away for every rider should be a massive base of long duration zone 2 work. his 15minute intervals ontop are all that’s needed to train the higher zones and tune his body for his legendary explosive attacks up hills.

[@xGshikamaru]

@@richiejames928 well, having tried to really polarize my training last year I can assure you zone 2 training yield limited benefits at some point. As a matter of fact Pogacar stopped working with Inigo San Millan and won tdf this year. More hours in the saddle won't give you additional watts. At best it allowed me to repeat long sustained efforts a little bit better, but I gained more in this area thanks to a better nutrition plan. Last year I had 10k km since the beginning of the year when I rode l'étape du Tour. This year I had 1500 when I rode Liège Bastogne Liège, a significant portion of it over one weekend 3 weeks before and I was just as fit. At some point you reach a plateau no matter the amount of training, your VO2Max is your limiting factor and this is not something you can change a lot through training. Now I know what my weekly schedule looks like and I don't feel the need to do more. 🙂

[@rikiopiniao]

The hair coming out of the helmet, classic!

[@TheRawvoice]

I rode with Pogacar in Adelaide a few year back. Super chill dude with zero pretentious vibes about him.

[@apolloniusbeitsman5444]

Did you ask him about doping?

[@sjmclean0]

@@apolloniusbeitsman5444 nah he just sat on the back of the group uninvited shouting bull crap for his vlogs.

[@danielsmith7856]

@@sjmclean0 want to be an arrogant prick? Go Vegan

[@paulsolon6229]

Ugh the man who curses is here

[@paulsolon6229]

Pogacar mentally seems superb Advice: ride till it’s hard, that you feel you be deserve a rest Then rest I like this young man Hope he is clean

[@unclespliff_productions]

no one that wins the tdf is clean nor will they ever be - like every tdf winner, he's exceptionally skilled, has superior genetics and has a team of dr's monitoring him

[@paulsolon6229]

@@unclespliff_productions perhaps

[@guitarrerist698]

Lance was genetically gifted pre-dope. I really didnt care when that whole sh*t happened though. still loved Lance and if Tadej (who is genetically gifted) was any similar to him, I will wholeheartedly accept him.

[@paulsolon6229]

@@guitarrerist698 not accurate. Armstrong lab test results were accidentally released by his manager during a public speech e g LeMond in attendance. So Lemond learned of Armstrong’s vo2 Max, which was v good, in the low 80s, say a B+ grade is all, but no more. But Armstrong at tour was A+. Did not compute. It was that Armstrong low 80s vo2 Max numbers that awoken Lemond to v fishy business, those numbers and a mechanic who worked for Armstrong and once worked for Merckx who told Lemond that Armstrong was not clean. So Lemond, often alone, isolated, ostracized really, stayed on the Armstrong drug case. Lemond eventually was proved rt on this Armstrong drug matter, tho I agree Lemond wrong on several other matters and in several other ways. Lemond is a bit of a scientific geek, he from day one had a lot of knowledge re tests, training, lab results etc, unfortunate for Srmstrong Lemond was an amateur scientist. And unfortunate for Armstrong that he felt it fine to attack d Walsh by referring/mocking Walsh’s dead son, kept Walsh, in part, often alone, on the Srmstrong drug case. And unfortunate fir Srmstrong to abuse/abandon someone who had been a bit deranged but loyal teammate, f Landis, and freeze him out of cycling jobs in the sport. Those three brought down Armstrong and his lackluster lab vo2 scores. People react differently to drugs. Armstrong busy reacted tremendously to Doping Who had great lab results in USA cycling: there’s only been 3, not a hamptead, not c Horner, But Lemond, low 90s J Vaughters low 90s Landis low 90s All 3 v close to best marks of b dhale sp? the top Norwegian cross Cty ski racer Armstrong numbers put him in approx top 25 of peloton at tour , tens have such numbers in the peloton, and no where near top 1, and this Lemond knew, b c Lemond knew the science It was a marketing scam to put out publicly that Armstrong was a genetic freak of nature. Not true. The numbers don’t lie. (Same w the Livestrong angle, in part a coverup of good deeds toCoverup fraud w drugs. ) Drugs for some reason lit Armstrong up, and he went from no. 25 to 1

[@sowereconomics2247]

Obviously not

[@jakebailey146]

So my takeaway is that he basically does Zone 2 most of the time, for most of his volume, and then a 15 minute interval occasionally at the end of his long Zone 2 rides. That would never make the basis of a Zwift training plan, but it should.

[@paulsolon6229]

No. He also does long series of explosive interval of 4o secs

[@xsexystudmuffinx]

Zone 2 for him is probably zone 5 for me.

[@paulsolon6229]

@@xsexystudmuffinx well it’s a relative The perceived effort is same

[@JK-wl5bx]

Exactly those zwift plans are way to complex for the sake of it

[@76booge]

Agreed. Zwift plans seem to be mostly smashfests. I was always exhausted/run down doing zwift. Seems to go against the 'most riding should be zone 2' advice.

[@matthewfieldhouse101]

The zones at 0:45 are incorrect. Here is the correct list of zones and their FTP percentages as originally defined by Andrew Coggan in the book “Training and Racing With a Power Meter”. I assume Tadej is working from and referring to these: Zone 1 - Recovery -

[@thomaskranked562]

He refere to his Coach, Inigo San Millsn. There is Some good stuff on KZbin. Zone2 is up to 80% max HR by Millan. He says low Zone3 by Coggan.

[@matthewfieldhouse101]

@@thomaskranked562 He is training from heart rate instead of power? I doubt it. What is Millan definition of zone 2 for power then? Up to 80% of FTP?

[@enricgs2151]

@@matthewfieldhouse101 Not sure if Millan prescribes endurance with HR, but lot of coaches are doing this prior to power (only for endurance, I repeat). 80% of FTP would be too much for endurance anyways.

[@thomaskranked562]

@@matthewfieldhouse101 On long endurance rides, they use HR over Power. Actually, they use lactate. Millan says Zones 2 is about 2mmol. Pros can measure it throughout a Trainingride - recreational riders not. So go with HR. It tells you more about the reaction of yout body than power. Of course not on intense Intervals because HR is to slow to react. So his Definition is blood lactat. HR is a description for recreational athletes who cant afford lactat testing.

[@thuthukanindlovu1959]

The way he won stage 4 of the UAE tour was out of this world, the last 30km was 🔥 🔥 he didn’t reveal all in this clip but great video anyway 😅

[@konoscycling]

Our favourite helmet 🤩🤩

[@albandb9366]

Great tips

[@zedgee4514]

what's best for you, the best advice

[@baribari600]

Sweet spot is not just over threshold… it’s just under.

[@karolvrchovsky4426]

Yes, correct. Also in the zones showed at the beginning FTP (100%) in the Z3🥴, it should be in the middle of Z4, of course.

[@paulsolon6229]

No. It’s a (long) interval, so more than sweet spot

[@serdiezv]

@@paulsolon6229 but that's not what the sweet spot is, the sweet spot is around 88-94% of the FTP

[@paulsolon6229]

@@serdiezv you are asking too much of him His English is v good but not great

[@serdiezv]

@@paulsolon6229 I'd say that's more of a technical issue, he says it's zone 4 but from what I know sweet spot is that point exactly between high zone 3 and zone 4. They might use different terms tho, who knows.

[@TheAmarpahlawan]

Wish I could train and ride with him☺️

[@bitchoflivingblah]

you'd need to buy a pair of binoculars so you keep an eye on him.

[@GiJoe94]

​@@bitchoflivingblahif your ftp is also 450 you can train with him

[@edwinwong9547]

2:20 "The most important thing is that you feel yourself that you did good training." That's a nice takeaway that to win, you need a winning mentality.

[@donwinston]

For anyone who is not a pro and doesn't race the most important thing is to practice "progressive overload" and proper recovery. You don't need to know anything about "zones" to do that. Progressive overload is a term mainly used for resistance training but the principal works the same for cardiovascular/endurance training.

[@mohamadjamil3164]

We love Teddy

[@xuchenglin6256]

I found my “training” coincidentally seems to align very well to Pogacar’s… 😂 My usual route consists of about 1 hr zone2 ride just to get out of town (with the traffic it forced the effort to be z2) then a 15 minutes climb which I usually did it as kind of FTP test so it’s an all-out effort, and then rest, catch my breath, drink, refuel, then cruise down the hill and either goes back the same way or go to another longer route to get home. Seems I’m doing it right. These rides bring me some very positive fitness and power gain albeit I never recognize myself as “trained”. Maybe in the future I’ll go down hill the other way, climb it back again then go home, so it will be more similar to the champs.😅 Glad to know the effective training doesn’t have to be like rocket science, and it should not be. I’m always very skeptical about all the “magical structure workout” out there because that doesn’t make sense. Even those scientific literature doesn’t incorporate those “complex” intervals in their studies, and we don’t hear pros talk about them either. Glad you guys made such a honest video. That should help so many people to just stay simple and ride/train more consistently with what they have.

[@Sandro2487]

Dont forgite intervals 40/20 ;)

[@tariqcollins2609]

I wonder how is he able to monitor the flat vs climb. Maybe I'm over thinking because I am a noob. So instead of focusing on prepping myself on actual climbs I should only Z2? Seems challenging given the terrain I am riding (Atlanta GA) is not flat it is very hilly so it is hard to stay within. Or maybe I should climb hills but stay within Z2 the rest? Spend would stay low though :////.

[@ezerider4273]

The 15 minute zone four intervals look seriously hard. If my power zone knowledge is correct it means he is effectively doing VO2 max intervals where the interval is 15 minutes long, done twice for 30 minutes of time in VO2 territory. I might on my best day be able to do around 106% of FTP for those intervals but any where above that up to 120% - forget it. This is a great insight into just how good Tadeh Pogacar is. He has an absolutely massive aerobic engine.

[@leolebron23]

Zone 4 is threshold zone. So roughly 90-105%. Not VO2max intervals. He is specifically talking about threshold intervals there. These are hard but not impossible.

[@ezerider4273]

@@leolebron23 OK. That would make more sense, but if you look at the graphic shown in the vidao at 0.51, it lists the zones and the corresponding % FT Power is stated as 106-120%, so that's what I was going on. Is there a more accurate reference for each power zone?

[@methelmets]

@@ezerider4273 apologies, we've got a bit of an error in our graphic, working on correcting it, as pointed out, the standard zones apply!

[@francisdayon]

@@methelmets First thing I did when I saw that graph was work my Zone 2 numbers based on the %FT Power and I was like.... LOL Makes more sense that it's wrong. Thanks!

[@methelmets]

We've forced the graphic designer to ride at this version of Zone 4, he won't do it again...

[@chad849]

He’s an amazing athlete

[@RevelCris]

cant decide between trenta and manta. i have a good vented helmet already

[@cikloverzum9406]

When he speaks about 40/20 intervals, does he say 40 seconds of sitting effort or sprinting out of the saddle?

[@marcomaestri685]

It's better to sit, but if you want to improve your out of the saddle sprint, you can do it like that

[@sand9577]

So...super simple stuff. Consistency and steady Z2, avoiding overdoing interval training, but use them judiciously. Man, us weekend warriors have doing it wrong; as usual.

[@pt703]

These should get setup as zwift pro ride training sessions

[@forsnowboard]

Zwift rides are not supposed to last for +2h, which is what you need for an effective Z2 ride. Plus you already have 40/20s intervals, Sweet Spot intervals and above/below threshold in plenty of training sessions.

[@Justnothankyou132]

@@forsnowboard So you're saying I should be able to do the Uber Pretzel on Watopia in under 2 hours? Amazing!

[@sacrament1988]

At what point are the doping cycles?

[@MicheleGardini]

I bike to have fun, so the only zone I care is the place I'm riding in. I look for beautiful view and nature, nothing else matters.

[@Lockeness86]

Important to note he uses a five zone system, not the typical seven zone system.

[@Leatt25]

Use rim brakes?

[@james-mz8ng]

Did he said 300 wtts z-3?

[@punzalanjohnmaynard6029]

I wish could be as strong as pogacar.

[@unsplash146]

Humanly impossible

[@sportsdirect8276]

Nice project

[@matsrekdal3065]

The zones (displayed at apprx. 45 sec), are they set up the way Pogacar actually uses them, or are they just a "standard" chart? I ask because there are quite a few different setups for these zones.

[@methelmets]

Standard chart, apologies, we got our graphics a little out

[@philipk4475]

Z4 is not sweet spot if it's over threshold. 15 mins over threshold is brutal

[@kieronlewis1101]

Sweet spot over threshold, thought SS was 88-92% of LT2

[@peraperic535]

GO Tadej, Gooo! ✊💪👋❤️😜😃

[@The2014engineer]

*Jonas is laughing while packing fish to this video*

[@edwinmauriciogonzalezronca9172]

Hola a todos si alguien me puede traducir este entrenamiento a español le estaria agradecido muchas gracias

[@partypooper17]

Hola, puedo intentar pero mi espanol es intermedio a lo mejor haha Pogachar dijo que la mayoria de su entremeniento es Zona2. Dijo que Z4 es justo por encima del threshold (umbral?) pero no estoy seguro si este basado por el poder. A las 0:44 el grafico dice threshold es 106-120% del FTP lo cual es super dificil a mantenar por 15 minutos... Como los demas en los commentarios han dicho, el grafico a las 0:44 podria incorrecto y Z4 es 91-105% FTP. Creo que sus zonas son determinado por lactadoy no ritmo cardiaco o el poder Dia 1: una salida de Z2 Dia 2: una salida larga de Z2 + Z4 intervalos (2x15 con 30 minutos recuperacion entre los intervalos). Dia 3: una salida corta de Z2 + Z4 intervalos (2x15 con 15 minutos recuperacion entre los intervalos).

[@edwinmauriciogonzalezronca9172]

@@partypooper17 muchas gracias

[@davidbenner6551]

Where is this?

[@methelmets]

Hi David, it is the Passo San Marco behind the MET HQ in Italy.

[@dyldahl]

Sorry guys , but you already lost me 1 min in. Not trying to nit-pick, but you interpreted Zone 4 wrong. Even your graph highlights Zone 4 is 106-120% FT Power. This isn't "Sweet Spot" as you describe, which is 86-95% FT Power.

[@perfectly_boring]

Z2 works well if you are a pro and have lots of time. It doesn't work so well for people training 10-12 hours

[@ThisIsANameBruh]

This is literally the first time I've heard of zone 4/sweetspot being above threshold. Sweetspot is between high tempo (zone 3) and threshold (zone 4). Very misleading video.

[@Machoman510]

Agree. Video should be corrected as sweet spot isn’t above threshold.

[@methelmets]

​@@Machoman510 apologies, we've got a bit of an error in our graphic, working on correcting it, as pointed out, the standard zones apply!

[@methelmets]

apologies, we've got a bit of an error in our graphic, working on correcting it, as pointed out, the standard zones apply!

[@cszzsc5723]

Now 3 times Tour champion.

[@fleezy1579]

@Tadej Pogačar how can i get one of your bicycles?? Omg i would love to have one!! You are my Hero!! Thank you for being down to earth legit and natural!!! Race on instinct!! Beast cyclist! No one beating you!!! 2x champ!! And soon 3x! I love you brother!!

[@fakesharky3497]

3 ways to climb like tadej pogacar: A: Be tadej Pogacar B: A C: B

[@seanconnolly2840]

so as long as Im not saying"Im shit,throw away the bike'"I guess Im ok but seriously this was great

[@drsus0]

yes, because he would tell the world exactly what he does in training :)

[@LD-bv1pm]

Why not, even if you followed his regime exactly you'd still be useless.

[@drsus0]

@@LD-bv1pm im not talking about us… obviously

[@krisbowditch827]

😂 very true 🤔

[@thisishowthetruthdies684]

You can buy a new bike but unfortunately you are still stuck with the original engine.

[@Totalavulsion]

40/20s are just the devil

[@SPMech1]

👍👍👍👍💥👍👍👍👍

[@rubielrodriguez2144]

Pog seems to be breathing harder than the commentator!!

[@404nobrakes]

Thought I was the only who noticed this. The host is certainly packing some watts

[@rubielrodriguez2144]

@@404nobrakes he is for sure

[@samm1es]

Presenter on the faster rim brake bike 😂

[@ezquiel700c]

z4 isnt sweet spot. z3 is sweet spot

[@kovar2344]

haha trolling Pog on a rim brake bike :D

[@drewmiller3905]

He should have listened to his own advice today

[@Theophilus_8]

Your zone graph is all messed up lol. Cycling has 7 zones with different percentages than the graph shows.

[@daviddawn9043]

Sounds like hes puffing lol

[@millsshumps1968]

Prefer to know what Primoz Roglic does with his sessions as everyone knows that he's an absolute beast and was the favourite for 2021 until the crashes that put him out of contention.

[@michaelmartin2323]

Don’t forget the hgh injections the day before

[@danielepanacea1471]

Doping Cera Minicera

[@spaceair1]

lol what is this? Whana be like Pogačar or what?

[@antoniomartinezcases]

Dejar de hacer el estúpido y molestar a los profesionales cuando entrenan,

[@isitrachelorj3953]

The secret to Pogocar's climbing is - the team doctor and pharmacologist live at the top of the mountain.

[@tbone-ip5fi]

Lol, you're on every cycling video on KZbin proselytizing your message about doping in sport. Take a break, mate!

[@paulsolon6229]

We don’t know Perhaps yes, perhaps no

[@isitrachelorj3953]

@@tbone-ip5fi no. I love cycling and have raced for 25+ years. To not speak out is to accept the cheating and the cheaters. I can be a fanboy and leave some inane comment about "how awesome is Pogs" or "Jumbo is the new Sky" but then I'd feel stupid when they are exposed like Lance, Pantani, Ulrich, Riis, Vino, Wiggo and Froome. Silence is acceptance.

[@tbone-ip5fi]

@@isitrachelorj3953 From your comments it rather seems like you hate cycling. What the guy above you wrote is correct. Your claims are based only on what you feel, so maybe take a humility pill.

[@Gustavo_Rodrigues19]

@@tbone-ip5fi You guys are so delusional, of couse he's on gear, every pro is... Are you still waiting for Santa Clauss to show up? lol

[@roadracer1584]

I just want to know if the kid is juiced. I don't trust pro cycling ever since Lance Armstrong. Also, training helps but it's mainly genetics and choosing your parents right that determines success in competitive cycling.

[@Dqoi]

I think you've got the wrong video.

[@francisdayon]

You should just assume everyone is. Why would that fact change the entertainment you get from the pros if he is doped? Heck, your local races are not even clean, why would you even entertain the fact that the pros are?

[@rickjohnson4887]

ever since Lance? Might want to go back further in history

[@Lenny-pq5kc]

All the pros are juiced. 🧃

[@roadracer1584]

@@francisdayon I guess I'm old fashioned and believe in sportsmanship and fair play. Knowing everybody is juiced is not entertaining at all but sad and pathetic actually.