Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak FTP with iLevels

written by Tim Cusick, TrainingPeaks WKO Product Leader and master coach with BaseCamp

Training iLevels are based on your PD Curve, individualized for you!

Train with the coach of national and world ITT champion Amber Neben! This 8-week plan uses the popular 80/20 polarized approach to training and is an excellent way to peak (or re-peak) once a solid fitness base has been established (such as completing one of our full-season plans). This plan is designed for the intermediate/advanced cyclist who is interested in threshold races like time trials, gran fondos, century rides, crits, and/or triathlon bike events. This plan will increase your threshold and also improve your ability to repeat hard efforts, a skill you need in a mass-start race or on hard group rides.

The idea behind polarized training is that one should train either easy or very hard, at the poles of the intensity spectrum. So on the days that you ride hard (20%), you go really hard, and on the days that you ride easy (80%), you ride at an easy endurance pace. Where the plan can derail is when athletes cannot go easy on the endurance days, so when it’s time for the hard days, they can’t go hard enough.

This plan includes:
- User guide
- Testing protocol
- Coach Cusick's training goals at the beginning of each training cycle
- Coaching tips and encouragement throughout the plan
- Free strength training routine from Menachem Brodie

To use this plan, you will need to have a power meter and the TrainingPeaks WKO software (if you don't have WKO or if you don't train with power, you can still get these cutting-edge workouts and plans; just search for the Classic versions). This plan uses the advanced iLevels training protocol developed by Dr. Andy Coggan and the new training metrics available in WKO, like FTP/FRC, FRC, and PMAX. Learn more about WKO or watch Coach Cusick’s free educational WKO webinars.

We've got more plans!

Tim Cusick has written dozens of training plans for many different areas of cycling: road, gravel, time trial, mountain bike, cyclocross, indoor training, and more. Click here for a full list of his current plans by sport type.

In addition to his coaching experience, Tim is the TrainingPeaks WKO product leader and the founder of BaseCamp.

Questions?

Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about our training plans. If you don't find your answer there, please email us directly.