50rpm then 90rpm workouts - how do they work?

Haynes

Come across several suggestions of workouts recently than involve first riding up a long gradiant at 50 rpm, then repeating it at 90-100rpm. The aim of the workout to increase sustained power output.

Does this work, if so the main question is how?

Also will it have the same training affect as 2x20s?

Tried it this morning and your dying to finish the 50rpm set but on the 90rpm set your legs are somehow still up for pushing hard at 90rpm.

Toks

Haynes wrote:

Come across several suggestions of workouts recently than involve first riding up a long gradiant at 50 rpm, then repeating it at 90-100rpm. The aim of the workout to increase sustained power output.

Does this work, if so the main question is how?

Also will it have the same training affect as 2x20s?

Tried it this morning and your dying to finish the 50rpm set but on the 90rpm set your legs are somehow still up for pushing hard at 90rpm.

I'm sure I remember this training being recommended for the Discovery/Us Postal boys at one stage. Here's my take on this.
1. How much training time do you have available for such creative workouts?
2. Is it this type of training event-specific?
3. If in your chosen event you're constantly be riding up hills at 50rpm and then switching to 90rpm then its definitley worth your while.
4. Occassionally during a sportiv there maybe a total 5-10 mins in a 7 hour ride where I'll be grinding up hills in 39/23(25)@ 40-50rpms.
5.On a training diet of 6-8 hours a week how much time should one spend riding steep hills at such a gearing and cadence? Well if you ask me - not very much!

Alex_Simmons/RST

The cadence is irrelevant, it is the power (or speed) up the hill that matters for development of sustainable aerobic power.

And if you are expecting to need to train such low cadences in anticipation of a goal event, I'd suggest you have inappropriate gearing for your event.

xover_runner

Isn't this about producing more torque (force) at low cadence for the same power which when you adapt you can produce more torque (and hence more power) at higher cadence?

Alex_Simmons/RST

xover_runner wrote:

Isn't this about producing more torque (force) at low cadence for the same power which when you adapt you can produce more torque (and hence more power) at higher cadence?

Maybe that's the suggested intent but that's not what happens from a physiological adaptation POV. It would only make sense if torque (force) production was a limiter, which it isn't (unless you are particularly frail*).


* I'll give you a personal example. With my new prosthetic leg (< 2 months), I am barely strong enough to walk up stairs with my left leg. I can do it but struggle, and after a few steps I need to hold the bannister to help. Yet at the track on Sunday I could do a 3-min effort at ~ 300 watts and have ridden an hour at 200 watts. I was also capable of 10-sec power ~ 950 watts.

xover_runner

I know this argument and I don't know if it's wrong or right, form your experience it sounds like it's right. It's along the lines of "is strength training of any benefit to cyclists?" which has been aired a few times on this forum.

Alex_Simmons/RST

When doing these workouts, what's important is how hard you ride rather than how you ride hard.

Hmmm, I think I'll TM that