Three-One Over-Unders
70 min · 68-83 TSS · IF 0.79 · 90-110% FTP · Zone 4-5 (Threshold/VO2max)
What this workout does
Extended time just under threshold with one-minute pushes above it. The longer under portions make each surge sting more - exactly the stimulus that teaches your body to clear lactate on the move.
Three minutes at 90-95% FTP keeps lactate elevated, so each 1-minute surge at 105-110% FTP pushes it higher while your body must keep processing it under load. This develops lactate shuttling and buffering - the ability to hang on when the pace lifts. Suits race-prep blocks after a base of steady threshold work.
How to ride it
Indoor / trainer
Warm up 15min. 3x12min blocks: 3min at 90-95% FTP then 1min at 105-110% FTP, repeated 3 times per block. 5min easy between blocks. Cool down 5min.
Outside
Use a flat, uninterrupted road. Sit at 90-95% FTP for 3 minutes, push to 105-110% FTP for 1 minute, then settle straight back without freewheeling. The discipline is in the settle, not the surge.
Workout structure (70 min)
- Warm-up 15m 55% 3x - Under 3m 93% - Over 1m 108% - Under 3m 93% - Over 1m 108% - Under 3m 93% - Over 1m 108% - 5m 55% - Cool-down 5m 55%
Targets are a percentage of FTP. This is the same shorthand the free workout builder understands — paste it there to edit any step, or download the workout for Zwift, Garmin or any smart trainer.
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