[hlnx1]

Sweet spot is the intensity just below threshold, often defined as roughly 88-94% of FTP. It became popular among time-limited cyclists because it combines a solid stimulus with manageable fatigue.

• Typical sessions: 2×20 minutes, 3×15 minutes or longer blocks at sweet spot with short recoveries
• It can raise threshold power, especially in riders coming from low training volumes
• Doing sweet spot too often can push training into a “moderate” zone that leaves you tired without the benefits of truly easy or truly hard work
• Many coaches use it in specific phases rather than all year

Related: polarised training: 80% easy.

How often do you include sweet spot sessions?

[hlnx1]

For a rider with 6 hours a week, one sweet spot session (for example 3×15 minutes at 88-92% FTP) and one VO2max session, with the rest easy, is a balanced week. Two sweet spot sessions plus intervals plus a hard group ride is where problems often start.

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