Increase max power



Dec 17, 2018
2
0
1
51
I'm looking to increase my bunch sprint after 1-2 hours of road racing and also jumping out of corners in a crit. What kind of training method should I include in my program to achieve this goal?
 
You want to increase your neuromuscular power (NMP). My view is that the best way to increase NMP is with a set of 5sec max power efforts with 5mins recovery between each effort. You can do an entire workout of NMP efforts, but for your purposes I think you would get useful results by simply including some L7 (NMP) efforts in your daily rides. For example, I like to do a set of 3-5 NMP efforts at the end of each training ride. I realize that I could produce better numbers if I did them fresh, but doing them at the end of my ride is more realistic in terms of when I will need to do them in a race. I tend to get the best results when I do them on an upgrade (e.g., 6%), because the bike doesn't accelerate so much and I won't spin out as quickly. You will also want to experiment with your cadence in these efforts. I find that I need to get my cadence up over 100 RPM to hit my peak power. So, I try to start an effort at a cadence of at least 75 RPM so as to peak between 100 and 150. I used to have a training partner that didn't hit his peak power until 150 RPM, so he would probably want to start an effort at 100 RPM. But, you should do some testing to figure out at what RPM you produce your peak power. As to results, I have found that with this approach I can increase my untrained 5sec MP from about 750W to ~1200W over a few months. BTW, I consider 1200W to be fairly weak and I don't win many bunch sprints, but it seems to be about the best I can do even after several months of work. Good luck.
 
Try standing starts with big gear and sprints with big gear, effort shouldn't be longer than 10-12s.
But a whole point is you have to put everything you got and that is a hard part. Then focus on technic of the sprint, it can gives you around 100-150 extra watts.
 
Hey there! Great advice on standing starts and sprints with a big gear. Those short, intense efforts can really make a difference in races. And you're right, giving it your all is key. Don't forget about technique too, it can boost your power output. Keep working hard and stay focused on those race tactics. Good luck! ‍♂️