After three weeks of working in single intensity zones, it’s time to get uncomfortable in the best possible way. Meet the Over-Under Opener – a workout that teaches your body to do something most riders struggle with: recover while you’re still working hard.
This isn’t about going easy, and it’s definitely not about going all-out. It’s about learning to handle the surge-and-settle rhythm that defines real-world cycling – whether that’s a breakaway attempt, a steep pitch in a climb, or just trying to hang on when someone attacks on the group ride.
The Race-Ready Workout You’ve Been Missing
Here’s what makes over-unders uniquely valuable: they train your body to clear lactate while you’re still producing it. That might sound impossible, but it’s exactly what happens when you alternate between efforts just above your threshold (flooding your system with lactate) and efforts just below threshold (forcing your body to process it quickly).
Think about every hard ride you’ve done. Someone attacks. Your heart rate spikes. Your legs burn. Then the pace settles slightly – not easy, but manageable – and you’re supposed to recover enough to respond to the next surge. That’s the over-under pattern, and most riders never specifically train for it.
The result? You get dropped not because you’re not fit enough, but because your body hasn’t learned to clear lactate efficiently under sustained stress. Over-unders fix that.
The Workout Breakdown
Total Time: 50 minutes
Intensity: 9/10
Training Stress Score (TSS): 52
Structure:
- 5 Minutes Easy Warmup (40-55% FTP): Get everything firing properly
- 5 Minutes Build Warmup (55-70% FTP): Start to increase the intensity
- 3 Minutes Threshold Primer (95-100% FTP): Brief threshold effort to prepare for main intervals
- 5 Minutes Recovery (50-60% FTP): Recover before main intervals
- Set 1: 3 x (3 min at 88-93% FTP / 1 min at 103-108% FTP) – 12 minutes total
- 5 Minutes Recovery (50-60% FTP): Spin easy, breathe, prepare for round two
- Set 2: 3 x (3 min at 88-93% FTP / 1 min at 103-108% FTP) – 12 minutes total
- 5 Minutes Recovery Cooldown (40-55% FTP): Bring it down gradually
Why This Workout Works Differently
Traditional threshold training asks you to hold one intensity for as long as possible. That builds power, sure. But it doesn’t teach your body the skill most crucial for performance in dynamic situations: rapid lactate clearance.
When you push above threshold during those 2-minute “overs,” you’re flooding your muscles with lactate and other metabolic byproducts. The burn you feel? That’s hydrogen ions accumulating. Most workouts would let you rest at that point.
Over-unders don’t. Instead, you drop to 90% FTP – still solidly in the tempo zone, still working – and force your body to clear that lactate without stopping. You’re training what exercise physiologists call the “lactate shuttle”: the process of moving lactate from working muscles to other tissues where it can be used as fuel.
Do this consistently, and your body gets dramatically better at both producing power above threshold and recovering from those efforts without completely backing off. That’s the difference between getting dropped and staying in the mix when the pace yo-yos.
Who This Is Perfect For
This workout is a game-changer if you:
- Race or ride in groups where the pace constantly surges and settles
- Get dropped on climbs not because you can’t hold the average power, but because the surges destroy you
- Want to be the rider who attacks and then sustains, rather than attacks and dies
- Need to develop the mental toughness to keep pushing when your legs are screaming
- Have built a solid base with Zone 2 and Sweet Spot work and need the next progression toward race-specific fitness
- Feel comfortable at steady power but struggle when efforts become variable
This is training for riders who understand that real cycling rarely happens at constant power. If your goal is to perform when it matters – not just put up impressive numbers on steady efforts – over-unders belong in your program.
What It Actually Feels Like
Let’s not sugarcoat this: over-unders hurt. Not in a “this is pleasant discomfort” way. In a “why am I doing this to myself” way. At least at first.
During those 2-minute efforts at 105% FTP, you’re above threshold. Your breathing gets labored. Your legs start to burn. You’re counting down the seconds. Then – just when you’d normally get relief – you only drop to 90% FTP.
Ninety percent feels like tempo on fresh legs. On legs that just finished 2 minutes at 105%? It feels way harder. You’re not recovering. You’re just hurting slightly less while your body frantically tries to clear the metabolic mess you just created.
Then, right when you start to feel like maybe you’re getting on top of it, you go again. 105%. Burn. 90%. Survive. Repeat.
By the third repetition of each set, you’ll discover something interesting: it doesn’t get much worse. That’s your body learning. Your lactate clearance is improving in real-time. What felt impossible on rep one becomes merely very hard by rep three.
That’s the workout doing its job.
The Benefits You’ll Notice
After 3-4 weeks of consistent over-under work (once per week):
Surges stop destroying you. When someone accelerates on a climb or attacks in a group ride, you’ll find you can respond and then settle back into a sustainable rhythm instead of being left gasping and watching wheels disappear.
Your threshold power climbs. Over-unders push your FTP up from both sides – the “overs” stress your anaerobic system while the “unders” improve your ability to sustain high aerobic power. Both contribute to raising your hour power.
Recovery between efforts gets dramatically faster. This is the big one. You’ll notice on hard rides that you can go deep, ease slightly, and be ready to go deep again much faster than before. That’s improved lactate clearance showing up where it matters.
Mental resilience strengthens. Over-unders teach you that you can keep pushing through discomfort. When racing or riding hard, you’ll have the confidence that the suffering is temporary and manageable.
Variable power becomes your strength. Rides that used to break you – the ones with constant accelerations and decelerations – become opportunities to use your trained advantage.
How to Execute It Properly
The warm-up is non-negotiable. Fifteen minutes of progressive warm-up might seem excessive, but you’re about to ask your body to work above threshold repeatedly. Do not skip this.
Pace the “overs” smartly. Two minutes at 105% FTP is hard but achievable. Don’t surge to 110% in the first 15 seconds because you feel good. Start at 105% and hold it steady. The goal is to complete all nine “overs” at consistent power, not to crush the first one and survive the rest.
Actually recover during the “unders.” I know 90% FTP doesn’t feel like recovery when you’re deep into the set. But relative to 105%, it is. Stay at 90%. Don’t let it drift up to 95% because that feels “closer to the over.” The contrast between intensities is what drives the adaptation.
The rest between sets matters. Five minutes might feel like forever when you’re hurting, but you need it. This isn’t a VO2max workout where you’re chasing maximum fatigue. You want to be able to execute set two and three with quality. Spin easy, drink water, and reset mentally.
Count carefully. With six transitions per set, it’s easy to lose track. Use your device’s structured workout mode or count on your fingers. Nothing’s worse than realizing you did an extra “over” by mistake.
Smooth power is the goal. Your power file shouldn’t look like a heart rate monitor during a panic attack. Each “over” should be a smooth block at 105%, and each “under” should be a smooth block at 90%. The cleaner your execution, the better the training stimulus.
No Power Meter? Here’s Your Guide
This workout is challenging without power, but it’s doable. During the “overs,” push to an 8-9 out of 10 on the RPE scale – hard enough that you’re breathing very heavily and definitely couldn’t hold a conversation.
During the “unders,” drop to about 6-7 out of 10 – still working hard, breathing heavily but not gasping, could speak in short phrases but wouldn’t want to chat.
Heart rate will lag significantly on these short intervals, so it’s not ideal as your primary guide. By the second or third repetition of each set, you should see your heart rate climbing above 90% of max during the “overs” and settling to around 80-85% during the “unders.”
The key is finding the rhythm: distinctly harder for the “overs,” noticeably easier (but still hard) for the “unders.”
Variations and Progressions
Shorter version: If 12-minute sets feel too long, start with 2 sets of 2 x (2 min over / 2 min under) instead of 3 x (2 min over / 2 min under). You’ll still get the training stimulus with slightly less total stress.
Different ratios: Some riders respond better to longer “overs” with longer “unders” – try 3 min at 105% / 3 min at 90%. Others like shorter, punchier efforts – try 1 min at 110% / 1 min at 90%. The classic 2/2 ratio is the proven starting point.
Hard-start variation: Once you’ve mastered the standard version, try starting each set with 3-4 minutes at 110-115% FTP before settling into the over-under pattern. This “hard start” really floods your system and makes the lactate clearance challenge even more specific to race situations.
More sets: Advanced riders can progress to 4 sets of the over-under pattern. Just make sure you can maintain power quality throughout. If your “overs” start dropping to 100% by set three, you’ve gone too long.
The Reality Check
This workout will test you. Not just physically – mentally. The first few times you do over-unders, you’ll question whether you can complete them. That second “over” in each set, right after barely surviving the first one? It feels impossible.
But here’s what separates this from suffering for suffering’s sake: you will complete it. And the next time you do this workout, it will feel slightly more manageable. Not easy – never easy – but manageable.
That’s adaptation happening in real-time. Your body is learning a skill it needs for performance. And unlike some workouts that just make you tired, over-unders make you tangibly better at the specific demands of hard riding.
You’ll feel this workout in races and group rides within 2-3 weeks. Someone attacks, you respond, and instead of being completely wrecked when they ease slightly, you find yourself recovering and ready to contribute. That’s when you’ll understand why this workout hurts.
Getting Started This Week
Find the Over-Under Opener at velovostra.com/workouts.
Free download, personalized zones based on your FTP, compatible with whatever platform you’re using. You know the drill by now.
Over-unders work brilliantly on the trainer where you can nail the power targets precisely. They’re also surprisingly effective outdoors if you have a steady climb or quiet road. The challenge outdoors is hitting the power targets consistently without traffic, intersections, or terrain getting in the way. If you have the right road for it, outdoor over-unders are excellent – the mental challenge of holding power while dealing with real-world conditions adds another layer of race-specificity.
Timing matters with this workout. Do it when you’re fresh, typically at the start of your training week. Don’t try to do over-unders the day after a long endurance ride or VO2max session. You need quality legs to execute the power targets properly. Recovery might take 36-48 hours, so plan accordingly.
Your goal: complete all nine “overs” in the three sets at 105% FTP without significant degradation. If you finish and your power stayed consistent across all intervals, you nailed it. If your later intervals dropped to 100-102%, that’s information – maybe start slightly more conservatively next time.
Next Week’s Preview
We’ve built the aerobic engine, pushed VO2max, developed sustained power, and trained lactate clearance. Time to put it all together with something that combines elements of everything we’ve covered so far. Get ready for a workout that’s sneakily harder than it looks.
Want Workouts That Build On Each Other?
Individual workouts like this one provide specific training stimulus. But real, lasting improvement comes from progressive training that connects each session to the next in a logical sequence.
VeloVostra creates complete training plans that integrate these different workout types strategically – building your aerobic base, then adding intensity, then sharpening for your goals. Every workout has a purpose and fits into the bigger picture of making you faster.
Whether you have 3 hours a week or 12, whether you’re targeting an event or just want to drop your riding buddies, there’s a structured plan designed to get you there without guesswork.
How did the over-unders treat you? Did you discover that recovery-while-working is a trainable skill? Let me know – and if you want more variations on this pattern, check out the complete workout library for everything from beginner-friendly versions to pro-level lactate shuttles.
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