'Base training' or 'foundation training' underly all aspects of aerobic performance—but it’s more than just riding in zone 2 for hours.

At low to moderate intensities, you’re driving key adaptations: increasing mitochondrial density, improving oxygen delivery, and enhancing fat oxidation. This raises your efficiency, so you can sustain higher power for longer with less energetic cost.

But a well-built foundation program also develops torque production. By applying force at at a range of cadences and intensities, you can improve neuromuscular recruitment and muscular endurance. This means more force per pedal stroke, better efficiency on climbs, and more fatigue resistance.

Another major goal of the foundation period is increasing your critical power, the highest output you can sustain without continual fatigue. A strong aerobic foundation increases this ceiling, allowing you to hold higher power for longer and recover faster between efforts.

This 8 week block is designed to increase all 3 of these major physiological components and set up the next block of training. If youre just starting to train or you're unsure of your current fitness then this is the place to start.