75 min Polarized Easy Ride
A 75 minute easy ride kept below the first ventilatory threshold, the low-intensity day of a polarized week between two hard sessions.
- Duration
- 1 h 15 min
- Effort
- 47
- Level
- Intermediate
- Focus zone
- Endurance
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy spin, build gradually | 10 min | 45 → 62% FTP55 → 68% HRmax |
| 2 | IntervalEndurance Easy, full sentences, nose breathing | 60 min | 58-68% FTP65-75% HRmax |
| 3 | Cool-downRecovery Easy spin, let the legs settle | 5 min | 58 → 45% FTP68 → 55% HRmax |
About this workout
In a polarized training week, the large majority of sessions are clearly easy and a few are clearly hard, with little in between. Stephen Seiler and others described that pattern in elite endurance athletes. The easy days work when they stay easy, and that is harder than it sounds on days when you feel good.
This ride keeps the power at 58 to 68% of FTP and the heart rate at about 65 to 75% of maximum, which is below the first ventilatory threshold for many trained riders. A simple check is breathing. You should be able to speak in full sentences and breathe through your nose for long stretches. If you know your first threshold from a lab test, use that heart rate as the ceiling instead.
Ride it on the days between interval sessions. Keep it at 60 to 90 minutes in a normal week and go longer on weekends.
Tips
- Set a heart rate alert on your head unit and ease off when it sounds.
- Leave the group ride for another day, since group pace rarely stays this easy.
- If you feel too fresh, ride longer rather than harder.
Good forGeneral fitnessGran fondoRoad race
Season phaseBaseBuild