The last blog post  discussed leg speed intervals and neurumuscular adaptations.  Now we move on  to how to do leg speed intervals:

The principle of training specificity says  that  training adaptations are specific  to your training.  It’s a simple principle, but one that  sometimes gives athletes  a hard time.  People will ask me things like “Do you think doing some trail running is good training for cycling?”  My answer is: You get better at riding the bike, by riding the bike.  Trail running is excellent off season cross training.  But the best way to get better on the bike is to ride the bike.  …same goes for  swimming, rowing, weight training, etc.

When  you do  leg speed drills,  you need to follow the principle of training specificity.    Think about when you need to use high leg speed in a race or group ride…. it  is when you are going hard.

So,  leg speed drills is that they have to be done at high power.  Power should be 80+ percent of your threshold power.  High RPM and high power.   If you don't use a power meter, than  think about doing them at or near race pace.   High RPM but low power will not help you become more efficient at high RPM pedaling.  The neuromuscular response required to pedal at 110 RPM  while cruising down PCH, is not the same  neuromuscular response  that is required to  pedal at 110 in a race.   I have even seen a coach have their riders do leg speed intervals with NO CHAIN.  Tiring yes, don’t expect it to make you a better pedaler when it counts. 

I also seen riders doing high RPM  workouts at leg speeds that are significantly above their ability level and they are practically popping out of the saddle with every pedal stroke.  Again…. these riders are probably not getting the desired training effect.  They are so incredibly  inefficient  at those RPMS that there is little or no training effect.

Another  workout that I see riders doing is riding fixed gear on the road.  You’ll see riders going 35 MPH down hill, riding in a very small gear, and pedaling at 200 RPM.  These riders aren’t developing their high power leg sped either.  The neuromuscular response required to keep your legs moving at 200 RPM, while they are being forced to spin that fast by gravity and a fixed gear, is not the same as the neuromuscular response required to pedal fast in a sprint.  This means little or no desired training adaptation. 

Leg speed drills need to be highly specific to produce the desired training effect.  They need to be both high RPM AND high power.   These drills should be done at threshold power or above, and should be done at an RPM that is just a little bit above the rider’s comfort zone.  Too high of an  RPM, or too low of a power output simply won’t provide the desired training effect! 

We'll finish up with a few workouts that I sometimes give my athletes:

Legspeed workout 1: Slowly spin-up to max rpm over 30 seconds. When you begin to bounce, back off and then hold it for several seconds.   Power be 90-120% of threshold power.

Use the cadence mode if you have it.   Do 5 X5 minutes of spinning on the high end of your comfortable range.  HR zone 3 or 70%-80% of yout threshold power on a flat to  gently rolling course. Note and record your average cadence for the ride when done.