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For many cyclists, power is a mysterious and misunderstood concept. It's common to describe a good climber or time trial rider as powerful, or to say that someone in a race made a powerful attack. At the same time, pure sprinters generate considerable wattage, but we often talk about how fast they are rather than how powerful. The confusion comes when the words strength and speed are used to describe power.
Quite simply, we're concerned with going faster for longer and with less effort. In short, increasing power. While that statement may be plain, achieving it is naturally not as simple. In my last column I detailed how to increase power with your sprint workouts. Here I'll outline how to do it with aerobic and anaerobic interval training.
The key to understanding and training for power is to break it down into its two aspects: speed and strength. When a rider says to me that they want to increase their power, it usually means asking another question: What aspect of their power do they think needs work to increase their overall output? Speed, or strength?
Power is the measurement of a force being generated over time. That power isn't just dependent on pushing the pedals, but on the pedals actually moving. The force you apply is the strength, while the velocity of your feet while you apply the force is the speed. It's the strength combined with the speed that generates the power. When a rider says to me that they want to increase their power, it usually means asking another question: What aspect of their power do they think needs work to increase their overall output? Speed, or strength?
The best time to work on the speed portion of the equation is in the early season base period, before racing begins, by doing high RPM intervals. Speed isn't simply of how fast you're riding -- it's also how fast you're pedaling. When I talk about speed with my clients, I'm almost always talking about foot speed, because in this phase the focus is on increasing aerobic and neuromuscular efficiency. Those are best maximized with high cadence aerobic interval work. It will improve your pedaling technique, your ability to store, use, and replace energy, and in the end it will raise both your lactate threshold and the power you can put out at threshold.
The intervals should primarily be of aerobic endurance of 15-30 minutes at 81-90% of LT, and a lesser amount of lactate threshold intervals of 5-15 minutes at 93-95% of LT. You should aim for a cadence of at least 100, but go for the highest cadence you can hold without leaving the target heart rate zone. Here you're increasing power by increasing pedaling speed, not necessarily pedaling force.
Once you move into the second part of your base period and begin early season racing, it's time to add strength to your lactate threshold intervals. Here you will focus on increasing your power by increasing the force. You should continue with the aerobic endurance intervals at a high cadence so as not to lose that aspect of your fitness, but now when you do your lactate threshold intervals you should pedal the largest gear you can handle without sacrificing strict pedaling form (or tipping over!) No more than 80 RPMs is the rule.
Finally, when the in-season racing period begins, lactate tolerance work of 100% efforts in the 1-3 minute range can be introduced. Because of the high lactate levels and muscle damage done in this zone, you should limit yourself to no more than 2-3 workouts per week, including racing. That may mean only one tolerance workout per week. You can adapt your workouts based on upcoming events, or weaknesses in your form that need to be addressed. If you're focusing on an important criterium, you might structure your workouts around high cadence intervals in both the lactate threshold and lactate tolerance zones. If it's a road race with a steep climb, you might put the emphasis on strength. If things are going well, you might try to keep a balance of speed and strength and stay sharp in all areas.
You can train for speed or strength regardless of the terrain. If time trialing is what you want to improve, increase your power for TTs by doing extreme high and low cadence interval work on the flats in your TT position. If climbing is your focus, the same approach can be taken on an extended incline. We saw Lance in the Tour last year focusing on a higher than normal cadence in both the TTs and on the climbs. His wattage output was obviously high, but he was relying on a higher foot speed rather than strength to get the job done. On the other hand, a rider like Frank McCormack from Saturn is legendary for his 55-tooth front chainring and his knee-breakingly low cadence when he climbs, time trials, and sprints. Yet this style has seen him victorious in hilly road events like the Mt.Wachusset mountaintop finish of the Fitchburg stage race as well as the USPRO National Criterium Championships. In both cases, these riders have increased their overall power by focusing on the component that suited their body types best. Most of us will fall somewhere in the middle, so versatility and a well-rounded approach that emphasizes both aspects is the best approach.