# increasing zone 7 power



## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

Zone 7 power is a weak spot for me. Anyone have workouts/tips for increasing zone 7 power?


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

Avoid Kryptonite.


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## PaxRomana (Jan 16, 2012)

My zones only go up to 4.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

PaxRomana said:


> My zones only go up to 4.


Mine go to 11


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

PaxRomana said:


> My zones only go up to 4.


Sorry to hear that.....


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## 3DKiwi (Dec 1, 2012)

Some 30 second standing sprints as hard you can go intervals is what I would suggest. 1 minute rest in between. You want to be shattered by the time you do the last couple as your heart rate won't have fully recovered. 5 or 6 reps. Big ring in front and 15ish in the back. Something that takes maybe 10 seconds to wind up to speed where you're putting out a lot of power. This could mean your cadence is 70 - 80. You then end up at the end of the 30 seconds at 100+. Your heart rate should go close to maximum by the time you get to the last interval. If it doesn't then you're not trying hard enough!!

I'd probably warm up to doing them with some seated acceleration intervals where you increase your cadence from say 90 to 110 rpm over 1 minute with a minute recovery. Say 5 reps. Then probably another warmup set of 5 where you stand for 10 seconds to get the cadence up quickly then sit down for the remainder of the interval. Less intense than what I mentioned for the 30 second sprint but harder than the seated accelerations. 4 minutes between each set.

You want to be thoroughly warmed up before doing these intervals, finishing up with an easy 10 -15 minute cool down.

Anyone else?


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## dcb (Jul 21, 2008)

3DKiwi said:


> Anyone else?


Your method sounds about right to develop the ability to repeat whatever Z7 power the rider currently has over several efforts. But I think what the OP wants is to actually increase peak Z7 power. With that being the case I would suggest much longer rest periods (3-6 minutes) between sprints to keep power levels as high as possible throughout the efforts.


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## 3DKiwi (Dec 1, 2012)

What I should also have mentioned was doing some off the bike core / strength training as well. For example, after today's training ride I did 30 minutes 2 of the Kettlebell weight training workouts from the "Cyclo-Iron" training series. Link:

http://cyclo-core.com/CYCLO90/cyclo-iron-2/

Doing these workouts will definitely get you stronger.


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## Guod (Jun 9, 2011)

Any workouts that help with leg speed would likely be beneficial as well. Sprinters and track racers aren't exactly known for low cadence...

Upping the comfort level with a high cadence at maximum output would likely increase peak power just on its own.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

3DKiwi said:


> Some 30 second standing sprints as hard you can go


these work great for me, endorsed.

also, plyometrics - frog jumps, jumping lunges etc

The bad news is, I'm not sure that zone 7 / max power is as trainable for most people as the aerobic zones are. Even when I'm really fit and competitive with my fields, my sprint is still mediocre at best. Other guys, more natural sprinters, can pull away from me even if they are not as in shape.


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