Zwift - try a new Weekly Cadence to Try

Big note in actual lo-fi MS Notepad waiting for me this week...

DO THIS WHEN I AM BACK FROM DENVER... ok Scott from a week ago, settle down a bit.

I'm trying to find a cadence for riding that improves my strength.  I think I'm doing ok with a little bit of weight loss.  Not perfect, but a slow slide that clearly has direction.  But I want to be a bit stronger.  I know one thing that helps is one ride every week or so that spikes my heart close to MHR.  Some metrics put that at 162, but it's really about 175 based on multiple pushes without falling off my bike.  I can still breath and function at that rate, so even that's not quite a valid max given they normally make you run faster and faster on a steeper and steeper incline until you basically cease to function.  I've been to 179, so I suspect 180 is about as much as it'll handle without overworking the muscle.

Anyway....the rule is "ride more".  But after a while you have to add "with purpose". 

I liked this site: https://roadcyclingacademy.com/how-to-structure-a-cycling-training-week/#For-Beginners-or-Returning-Cyclists

It included a better one:  For Performance-Focused Cyclists that I think fits.

• Monday: Easy recovery or Zone 2 rides - weekly rides and Zwift events and outside weather permitting.
• Tuesday: Structured intervals (sweet spot or threshold) >>> Devedeset (60 minutes/62SP) on Zwift, there's a 33 minute LITE version (34SP).  I tried the lite version today - it does two 8 minute 85-90% FTP pushes, one at 110 rpms and one at 85 rpms.  The second one was a little harder on me, although that 110 rpm thing is rough on me at age.  Well, and because none of my outdoor riding is racing cadence.
• Wednesday:  Easy recovery or Zone 2 rides - weekly rides and Zwift events and outside weather permitting.
• Thursday: Structured intervals (VO₂ Max or Sprint focused).  The Gorby, The Wringer, The McCarthy Special, Lox, Over Unders.  Sprint focused: tiny races, crit, standing starts.  Copied them, but the V02 and Sprinting cats under workouts will have variations with effort out of 5 and SPs for comparison.
• Friday:  Easy recovery or Zone 2 rides - weekly rides and Zwift events and outside weather permitting.
• Saturday: Intense group ride or long volume based ride (that's like a really long zone 2) - weekly rides and zwift events and outside (imo this could include a race, although I would say Sat and Sun are swappable so the race is before the Monday rest-like day)
• Sunday: Long Zone 2 base ride (2-4 hours. I sometimes do two rides during the day to get in something longer.  Depends).  See Saturday - this could be a race day (which makes more sense with my schedule).

Some of the basic definitions...

Threshold Development

• 2×20 min @ 95–100% FTP – The classic FTP builder. Ten minutes recovery between intervals.
• 3×10 min sweet spot (88-94% FTP) – Five minutes recovery between efforts. Build sustainable power without destroying you.

VO₂ Max Work

• 5×4 min @ 110–120% FTP – Four minutes recovery (Zone 1) between efforts. Dramatically improves your ability to process lactate.
• 30/15s (2-3 sets of 12 reps) – Thirty seconds hard (140%+ FTP), fifteen seconds at 50% of your ‘hard’ pace. Builds your ability to surge and recover repeatedly. See video below. 

Sprints / Anaerobic Power

• 6–10 × 15-sec sprints – Full recovery between efforts (3-5 minutes). Pure power development.
• 30/10 Tabata-Style – 8 rounds of 20 seconds all-out, 10 seconds easy. This is only four minutes total, but incredibly effective. You can start with one set i.e. 8 rounds, and build into more reps or sets as you get fitter. 

Another interesting link... https://www.zwift.com/news/33613-best-zwift-workouts-to-improve-your-ftp-functional-threshold-power

And a much more mellow approach - less structured, but to the point...

• Ride zone 2 twice or three times a week for as long as you can stay in that zone, ideally 90 to 120 minutes. You can use your heart rate drift to determine ride length. Stop when your heart goes up 5-7%. This will increase mitochondrial density and function, building a better aerobic engine. You'll also burn tons of fat, improving your power to weight.
• Do one to two VO2 max sessions per week to increase oxygen capacity. Tons of benefits including more power, oxygen use, better handling of intensity, etc.  (See above)