Training
Today
Training
Today
Climbing is threshold power divided by weight. This is the numerator.
Climbing speed comes down to sustainable power divided by weight. Weight is a nutrition question this plan will not pretend to answer; power is a training question, and it is the one every session here works on.
The mix is deliberate. Low-cadence torque work builds the muscular endurance that long seated climbs demand. Threshold intervals raise the power you can hold for the length of a real climb. VO2 max work lifts the ceiling those threshold efforts sit under, which matters on steep pitches and repeated climbs.
The plan finishes with a timed climb simulation. Ride the shorter version in week seven and the longer one in week eight, and you finish with a number you can chase next season.
Every session below is a real workout you can open and ride right now, with or without the plan. Applying the plan puts them on your calendar on the days you choose.
| Week | Focus and sessions | Load |
|---|---|---|
1 week | Torque first Week 1: low-cadence intervals and 2×20 sweet spot. Stay seated in the torque work — standing changes the exercise. | 4.6 hours |
By raising the power you can sustain for the length of the climb. For a 20-minute climb that means threshold work; for a 5-minute climb, VO2 max work. Low-cadence torque intervals add the muscular endurance that long seated climbs demand.
It builds the muscular side of climbing — the ability to keep producing force when cadence drops on a steep pitch. It works best alongside threshold and VO2 work rather than instead of it, which is how this plan uses it.
Yes. A smart trainer in ERG mode holds the exact power a climb would demand, which is arguably better practice than a road climb where gradient changes push your power around. Raising the front wheel changes the position but not the training.
Training works in blocks. These plans pick up where this one leaves off.
Twelve weeks and five rides a week for a long, hilly event: endurance volume, sweet spot and threshold power, and dedicated low-cadence climbing work.
The build block that follows base: threshold intervals and VO2 max work, holding onto the aerobic volume that made them possible.
2 week | Threshold enters Week 2: four low-cadence intervals and 2×15 at threshold. Two hard days, well separated. | 5.1 hours |
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3 week | Add the ceiling Week 3: five low-cadence intervals and 4×8 VO2. The hardest week before the break. | 6.2 hours |
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4 recovery | Recovery week Week 4: recovery. The second block is heavier — take this one properly. | 3.6 hours |
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5 week | Force and velocity Week 5: the force and velocity mix, plus the full threshold builder. Two very different kinds of hard. | 6.1 hours |
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6 week | Peak load Week 6: five low-cadence intervals, 5×5 VO2, and a three-hour ride. The biggest week of the plan. | 7 hours |
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7 week | First timed effort Week 7: a 20-minute climb simulation early in the week, 4×5 VO2 later. Pace the simulation like a real climb. | 5.7 hours |
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8 recovery | The timed climb Week 8: openers midweek, then the 30-minute climb simulation. This is the number you are chasing. | 3.5 hours |
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Applying the plan schedules all 32 sessions from your chosen start date. You pick which days of the week you ride.
Start Hill Climb Plan