Gain Fitness and Burn off Holiday Cookies with this Holiday Workout

January 01, 2017

...this workout will take you by surprise, kick some butt, then leave you feeling mentally and physically drained.

By Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching

Here in Colorado, our winter weather is sometimes not conducive for a big 'burn lots of calories' ride before eating a holiday dinner. For those that like to ski and/or play in the snow, winter weather is great for them. For those of us who prefer to ride our bikes over the holidays, snow and cold is not so great. The good news is you can have your pie and eat it too, thanks to a high quality trainer workout. Done properly, this workout is 75min with an Intensity Factor of .83. The interval part of the workout is 40min with an IF of .91-- as hard as your local crit race. You'll work on your aerobic engine with tempo bursts, anaerobic power with 8 VO2 intervals, and your leg speed with cadence drills.

All in all, the perfect workout for a Holiday morning.

Tempo Bursts and VO2 intervals- Trainer workout

Warm-up

10 min zone 2- 90+ rpm 3min tempo 2 min rest 2x1min fast pedals (100+rpm) to get the legs going- 1min RBI- rest between intervals 2min rest -Main Set- 1x15 min TEMPO (zone 3) with 10sec bursts every 2 min- a burst is a mini seated high cadence sprint

5min rest

8x1min high VO2- 1min off

Finish with 5min tempo at 85-95 rpm

Cool down 10-15min

Foam roll, stretch, shower, eat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alison Powers only recently retired from cycling, finishing her final season on the UnitedHealthcare Women’s Team. Her career has spanned a wide array of wins, including the 2013 USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championship where she won in memorable fashion by soloing after an early breakaway that obliterated the pro women’s peloton. Other standout results during the 33-year-old’s 2013 season include the win at Redlands Bicycle Classic, second at the Tour of Elk Grove, third at the US National Road Championship and the US National Time Trial Championship, and stage wins at Cascade Classic, Tulsa Tough, Tour of the Gila and Redlands Bicycle Classic. Hailing from Fraser, Colorado, Powers has been racing bikes professionally for eight years and is a true athlete with her career beginning as a teenager in mountain bike racing. In her mid 20s, she added in alpine ski racing before switching over to the road. In addition to being the current Criterium National Champion, Powers has two other national championships (Time Trial, Team Pursuit) and 2 NRC titles (2009, 2013).

About ALP Cycles Coaching

ALP Cycles Coaching is located in the mountains of Colorado, and is a cycling coaching company with over 25 years of professional sports experience. ALP Cycles Coaching is unique in that we have 4 coaches, Alison Powers, Jennifer Triplett, and Patricia Schwager who each brings her own coaching strengths and personal experiences. We work together to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Visit them online at http://alpcyclescoaching.com

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