Robert Smith / Immediate Media Are there any drawbacks to sweetspot training? Sweetspot intervals are ideal for riders with limited training time. WhatвЂ™s more, because sweetspot training is aerobic (not anaerobic), the sessions are repeatable and rewarding, helping to keep motivation up compared to a painful, lung-busting threshold or HIIT workout. вЂњ The net result is that you will be able to produce more power and ride faster for longer,вЂќ says Rowe. In short, sweetspot has the potential to fast-track your aerobic performance вЂ“ increasing your Functional Threshold Power at the same tim e. вЂњFor a cyclist who works and hasnвЂ™t got much time вЂ“ maybe only four to six hours per week of training time a week вЂ“ doing a couple of blocks of sweetspot in an hourвЂ™s turbo or Zwift session can give you the physiological benefits of a much longer ride,вЂќ says Rowe. Therefore, sweetspot intervals enhance the benefits of indoor cycling. This justifies its place among the turbo trainer workouts in the armoury of the time-poor cyclist вЂ“ or, in other words, anyone who isnвЂ™t a professional. As a result, youвЂ™ll still expect to reap the rewards in a Zwift FTP test. Rather than slogging away for hours on base rides as part of your winter training, sweetspot training produces similar physiological adaptations and training effects from a much shorter session. вЂњItвЂ™s quality training and probably one of the most beneficial ways to get fit.вЂќ вЂњIf youвЂ™re limited on time, you want to maximise what you do have. вЂњSweetspot offers the most bang for your buck in terms of training,вЂќ says Matt Bottrill of Matt Bottrill Performance Coaching. In addition to the physiological adaptations that take place as a result of sweetspot training, there are a number of benefits from riding on the cusp of tempo and threshold. Robert Smith / Immediate Media What are the benefits of sweetspot training? Sweetspot training can help improve your aerobic fitness.

вЂњUltimately, through doing sweetspot training, you will feel an increased sense of fitness вЂ“В in terms of вЂengine sizeвЂ™, threshold and ability to produce energy.вЂќ вЂњThe mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell and, by increasing your mitochondria density, youвЂ™re making your body able to create energy more easily. вЂњTheir main job is to perform cellular respiration вЂ“ taking in nutrients from the cell, breaking them down and turning those nutrients into energy. вЂњMitochondria are small structures found in almost all human cells,вЂќ he says. On a cellular level, training at sweetspot increases your mitochondria density, according to Rowe. As the name suggests, youвЂ™re training at a level that hits the sweetspot between intensity and volume. The efforts are also repeatable, without inducing high levels of fatigue.

When training at sweetspot intensity, you are placing your body under sustained stress, but not so much that you canвЂ™t hold the efforts for a long duration. вЂњOr around 75 to 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate.вЂќ вЂњ I define sweetspot using Dr Andrew CogganвЂ™s approach, which is 88 to 93 per cent of your FTP (Functional Thresho ld Power),вЂќ says Rowe. According to Matt Rowe of Rowe & King Cycle Coaching, it typically refers to an intensity between the upper end of zone three and the lower end of zone four, if youвЂ™re training with a power meter or using training zones. As weвЂ™ve already alluded to, sweetspot refers to the intensity of a workout.

Sweet spot