“Sweet spot” is the name given to the intensity that overlaps upper Zone 3 and lower Zone 4, just below threshold. It’s called “sweet spot” because this intensity is an ideal balance of high intensity and the ability to cause some adaptations without needing a lot of recovery. Just for fun, this profile uses sweet-themed songs to enhance the concept of sweet-spot training! Read more…
Our newest profile by Bill Pierce is a structured climb consisting of four 10-minute hills. To keep it manageable, each hill is broken into four segments. To make it interesting, the timing and terrain of segments vary, either getting longer or shorter, steeper or flatter. To keep it achievable, the hills are all aerobic. To make it challenging, half of each segment is in high Zone 3 and the other half is in Zone 4. Read more…
Your riders are in for the treat of a lifetime! Leslie Mueller has created a murder mystery that she led (performed?) for her class for Halloween, and she has shared the step-by-step process so you can do the same. This may become one of your most popular and requested classes, and one in which you can seek publicity from your local media as well.Read more…
One of the foundational profiles in the ICA archives is Jennifer’s Progressive Dueling Intervals. Bill Pierce has taken this profile and added one more “dueling” element to it—pop versus rock songs. Read more…
In this profile you will set the stage with four intervals that reach into the VO2 max range. The final three intervals will be selected through audience interaction and a cruel twist of fate, what I call the “Matrix choice.” Be ready to ask your riders to make the choice of remaining in the blissful ignorance of illusion or embracing the painful truth of reality.Read more…
This ride is patterned after a running workout on a track. It illustrates to the riders how duration and intensity are inversely related and shows how the body is able to produce more energy over a shorter period of time. Read more…
This is a fun profile that has always been a big hit whenever I’ve used it. It is predominantly aerobic but brings riders to threshold on the second loop and briefly over threshold on the final loop.Read more…
Here are three more sample warm-ups for five more profiles. Two of the warm-ups can be used for challenging high-intensity VO2 max or anaerobic capacity training sessions. One is an example of how you might design your warm-up for a loop profile consisting of repeated laps of the same terrain. Read more…
Part 5 gives you four more warm-ups, this time for profiles that include threshold intervals of varying lengths, field tests, and time trials. Not all warm-ups are created equal—what you do to warm up depends on the intensity and makeup of your workout.Read more…
On June 22, as the rain poured down and my outdoor ride was thwarted, I decided to take Bill Pierce’s most recent profile for a whirl on my bike at home. Let me tell you, it’s a winner!Read more…