Who is this plan for
Anyone looking to get Zwift race specific fit.
With the autumn and winter fast approaching for those of us in the northern hemisphere now is the time to start preparing and planning for the Zwift racing season.
Having done a lot of Zwift racing myself, particularly in the ZRL i understand the specific demands of this type of racing. The races often start very hard, but unlike in the real world there is little or no room for coasting or soft pedaling even on descents.
What does this plan therefore aim to achieve
For Zwift racing or racing in general it is critical to build power as close to your maximal aerobic capacity as possible, i.e. your Vo2 Max. The higher you can develop this along with the ability to sustain efforts lasting several minutes the more competitive you will be in these races.
I've made some assumptions for anyone wishing to use this plan.
Firstly you have established a solid foundation of training up to this point, either from competing in races on the road or from following a structured training plan. If don’t have a solid base of fitness then this plan is likely going to be too intense and you should perhaps look at one of my base plans instead before embarking on this particular plan.
Secondly you know what your current threshold power is, if you don't then i suggest you perform a ramp test in Zwift before you start the plan.
In terms of the way this plan has been structured, each session targets specific energy systems typically used in Zwift racing, and that is largely the Neuromuscular system and the Glycolytic system.
The plan is progressive and builds on both intensity and duration as the weeks pass.
The sessions also gradually become more race specific, for example rather than doing a simple 4 x 4 Vo2 max session we look to do hard starts which mimic how Zwift races typically start.
Neuromuscular (NM) sessions are designed to improve neural drive and overall muscle recruitment, these are very hard but short efforts but due to the amount of efforts you need to complete you will be breathing hard and your heart rate will rise. There are also specific sessions which target your anaerobic capacity for efforts lasting between 20-40 seconds with minimal rest periods.
The Aerobic Capacity (AC) sessions or Vo2 Max work are critical to raising your ceiling so that you can produce more power at maximal oxygen consumption. These sessions have a race specific nature to them to prepare you for the demands of Zwift races.
The longer endurance or easier rides are just as important as the top end work, they are the foundation which helps support the race specific efforts so please don’t skip these.
The plan culminates with a final session that aims to bring all the component parts you have been developing into a single session that will mimic the demands of short Zwift race lasting less than 1 hour.
Good Luck!!