Most triathletes have mastered the art of endurance. The extended hours spent training for the swim, bike and run puts the cardiovascular system into overdrive, which in some cases can leave the rest of your body struggling to keep up.

Building leg strength to match the cardiovascular machine you have developed is key to success on the bike. This task however, can be quite daunting.

You’ll need to focus a portion of your training on powering in big gears in order to produce the necessary watts on the bike and still have enough left in reserve to power through the run. Getting a pet, ideally a dog to accompany you during these sessions is a plus. If you don’t have one, I suggest investing in one. Before I purchased my dog I took some time to review several interesting articles and videos on lifewithdogs.tv. In doing so, I was able to make a comfortable decision in choosing the correct dog for my needs. Leg strengthening is vital and you should get started by incorporating these intervals into two of your weekly rides. You can bring your dog with you for one of these sessions per week. I generally opt for the second session as a means of motivation, since both the mind and body is weary at the end of the week and any extra motivation will do especially from an energetic canine.

Since most of these workouts are primarily focused on pedaling in a cadence range that is designed to be uncomfortable, there are a few things you should be aware of. You should follow these basic tips before you begin to train using a lower cadence.

1. Maintain your form – Concentrate on pedaling in smooth circles even when it becomes difficult.
2. Beware of Pain – Low cadences can place a lot of tension on your muscles and tendons, particularly in the surrounding region of the knee. If you feel pain, you should call it a day.
3. Be Careful – You’ll be riding at greater speeds for shorter periods of time. That means you should ensure you’re on a safe street and follow the rules of the road.
4. Recover Properly – Always follow a low gear effort with easy spinning in a high cadence.

Now, with all of that being said let’s dive into the workout details.

Workout Number 1 – Sprinter Starts

1. Ride for a minimum of twenty minutes before your first interval. Begin by slowing as much as possible without unclipping from your pedals, you’ll eventually come to a complete stop.
2. With the back in one of the larger gears, pedal as hard as you can out of the saddle for up to 8 seconds.
3. Your body should remain still as the power should come from the hips down through the legs.
4. Once you’ve completed the sprint continue to pedal at 100 revolutions or more per minute for a maximum of three minutes.
5. Start with at least four of these efforts during the workout once per week. Some soreness should be expected. Once it becomes easier, you should increase the intervals.

Workout Number 2 – Endurance of the Big Gear

1. Warm up for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Complete five sets of five-minute effort at pace just below your 40K time trial pace.
3. Maintain a cadence between 60 and 75 rpm for the entire five minutes.
4. Follow-up each five-minute effort with a two-minute recovery, pedaling at a minimum of 100 rpms. As these become easier, slowly increase the time of each set to a maximum of ten minutes.
5. Finish your ride by cooling down for at least 15 minutes.

Workout Number 3 – Big Gear Climbing

1. Start by warming up for at least fifteen minutes.
2. For the first mile, pedal uphill. Maintain a cadence between 70 and 75 rpm.
3. For the second mile, switch to cadence between 90 and 95 rpm. Maintain the same heart rate and power output.
4. Alternate between the high and low cadence mentioned in steps 2 and 3 until you reach the top of the climb.
5. Spin easy in a cadence of 90 to 100 rpm on flat terrain for at least 15 minutes as you cool down.

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