Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak Road Race - WKO iLevels
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Still have questions about this plan?Plan Description
Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak Road Race with iLevels
written by Tim Cusick, TrainingPeaks WKO Product Leader and master coach with Velocious Cycling Adventures
Training iLevels are based on your PD Curve, individualized for you!
Train with the coach of national and world ITT champion Amber Neben! This 8-week plan uses the popular 80/20 polarized approach to training and is an excellent way to peak (or re-peak) once a solid fitness base has been established (such as completing one of our full-season plans). This plan is designed for the intermediate/advanced cyclist who is interested in mass-start road racing or group riding like Wednesday Night Worlds. The plan will increase your threshold and also improve your ability to repeat hard efforts, a skill you'll need in mass-start races and on hard group rides.
The idea behind polarized training is that one should train either easy or very hard, at the poles of the intensity spectrum. So on the days that you ride hard (20%), you go really hard, and on the days that you ride easy (80%), you ride at an easy endurance pace. Where the plan can derail is when athletes cannot go easy on the endurance days, so when it’s time for the hard days, they can’t go hard enough.
This plan includes:
- Instruction guide (attached to the first day of the plan)
- Testing protocol
- Coach Cusick's training goals at the beginning of each training cycle
- Coaching tips and encouragement throughout the plan
To use this plan, you will need to have a power meter and the TrainingPeaks WKO software (if you don't have WKO or if you don't train with power, you can still get these cutting-edge workouts and plans; just search for the Classic versions). This plan uses the advanced iLevels training protocol developed by Dr. Andy Coggan and the new training metrics available in WKO, like FTP/FRC, FRC, and PMAX. Learn more about WKO or watch Coach Cusick’s free educational WKO webinars.
More plans
Tim Cusick has written dozens of training plans for many different areas of cycling: road, gravel, time trial, mountain bike, cyclocross, indoor training, and more. Click here for a full list of his current plans by sport type and click here for a comparison chart of his major plans.
Join the WKO Power Users group!
Click here to request to join our private Facebook group for WKO users. It's a great place to ask questions, make suggestions, share charts, and see how others are using the software.
Questions?
Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about our training plans. If you don't find your answer there, please email Coach Kathy Watts.
Stats
Average Weekly Breakdown
| Workouts | Weekly Average | Longest Workout |
|---|---|---|
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10:37 hrs | 3:30 hrs |
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—— | —— |
| Workouts Per Week | Weekly Average | Longest Workout | |
|---|---|---|---|
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10:37 hrs | 3:30 hrs | |
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—— | —— |
Training Load By Week
Sample Day 1
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1-minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS1:
3 x 10-Minute FTP with FRC/FTP Surge - This is a 10-minute interval with the first 2 minutes at FRC/FTP effort, immediately followed by 8 minutes at FTP.
TARGET: First 2 minutes target 120% of FTP or Threshold, 8 minutes in FTP (iLevel 4)
REST: 10 minutes easy riding between
CADENCE: Self selected, but do not let cadence drop as you fatigue
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling (or steady, low-grade climb if available)
Ride any remaining time in your Endurance zone.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
Cadence: small chain ring
Sample Day 2
WU
15 minutes warm up, progressing to Level 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1-minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS: 3 x 12-Minute FTP Interval
TARGET: Average watts should be at FTP. Power target is 95% of FTP for 2 minutes, then 105% of FTP for 1 minute, then return to 95% of FTP for 2 minutes, and so on throughout the interval. Ride all remaining time in your Endurance zone.
REST: 10 minutes easy riding between
CADENCE: Self selected but do not let cadence drop as you fatigue
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling (or steady, low-grade climb if available) or trainer
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
Cadence: small chain ring
Sample Day 3
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: 85-105 RPM. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 10 x 1 min high cadence (HC) speed pedaling (110+ RPM), leaving 1-2 minutes between HC efforts
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 4
You get faster when you're resting and recovering, not when you're working hard! Rest days are about going easy enough to really allow your legs to recover, so no efforts over iLevel 1 today. Take it easy and look at the scenery.
Sample Day 5
WU:
15-20 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS1:
3 x 10-Minute Microburst Intervals
During each interval, vary your effort from 15 seconds at 150% of FTP (HARD) to 15 seconds at 40% of FTP (EASY) for the duration of the interval
TARGET: 180% of FTP / 40% of FTP
REST: 5 minutes easy riding between intervals
CADENCE: Keep cadence above 85 rpm at all times
TERRAIN: Trainer or long stretch of flat road
Ride all remaining time in your Endurance zone.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 6
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 1 x 60 minutes of alternating high cadence (95+ rpm) for 5 minutes and self-selected cadence for 5 minutes.
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 8
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
------
MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: iLevel 2
CADENCE: 85-105 RPM. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 10 x 1 min high cadence (HC) speed pedaling (110+ RPM), leaving 1-2 minutes between HC efforts
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
------
CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: iLevel 1
CADENCE: small chain ring