Free training plan for Zwift

Intro — what, why & who

+8.7% VO2max at low cadence — one small trial, but the cleanest test we have

▾

High-torque training is low cadence at high power. In an 8-week study,¹ cyclists doing their high-intensity intervals at 50–70 rpm gained +8.7% VO2max and +8.1% max aerobic power, compared with +4.6% and +3.0% for the same intervals at freely chosen cadence above 80 rpm. That's a single small trial — the cleanest comparison the literature has, but not yet replicated.

Why low cadence specifically? Each pedal stroke takes more force, so the same muscles work harder per revolution — pulling in higher-threshold motor units that stay quieter at 90 rpm.² More force per stroke also means more load on knees and tendons, and connective tissue adapts slower than your aerobic system.³ Hence the adaptation phase below: three weeks at easy power and low cadence before any intensity stacks on top.⁴

Who this is for. A cyclist doing 10–15 hours/week of mixed Zwift and outdoor training — fit, consistent, used to structured intervals. Likes races on Zwift, but does not have an outdoor race season. Not a beginner, but not a full-time athlete either.

Who this is not for.⁵ Skip low-cadence training entirely if any of the following applies:

Any history of knee overuse injury, patellar tendinopathy, or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).
You are coming off a rest period or injury.
You already naturally grind at low cadences — the stimulus is reduced and the knee stress is higher.

Inspired by this Roadman Podcast.

How this site is structured: Start with the adaptation phase below, then use the collection weekly. 1–2 sessions per week.

Caveats and sourcing ▸

¹The 8-week study is Hebisz & Hebisz (2024), "Greater improvement in aerobic capacity after a polarized training program including cycling interval training at low cadence (50–70 rpm) than freely chosen cadence (above 80 rpm)," PLOS ONE. n = 24 well-trained junior female cyclists. The directional result is the strongest in its body of literature (Hansen & Rønnestad 2017 systematic review found no clear benefit for low-cadence training overall) — but it is one trial, and has not been replicated.

²Low-cadence HIIT delivers a different stimulus, not necessarily a strictly superior one. The same prime movers — quads, glutes, hamstrings — are active at all cadences, but at lower cadence each pedal stroke requires more force, which preferentially recruits high-threshold (Type II) motor units (Ahlquist 1992; Sarre & Lepers 2006). I treat low-cadence HIIT as a high-value complement to standard HIIT, not a strict upgrade.

³Joints don't really get "trained" — what adapts is patellar and quadriceps tendon stiffness, the muscles around the knee, hip stabilizers, and the neuromuscular control of a high-force pedal stroke. All of those adapt slower than VO2max. If you have active knee pain or your bike fit isn't dialled, fix that first. The adaptation phase won't rescue chronic patellar tendinopathy or a bad fit.

⁴A note on sourcing: the Hebisz 2024 study itself doesn't include a graduated cadence ramp — its participants were monitored junior racers who went straight into 50–60 rpm intervals after three months of standardized base training. The 3-week adaptation phase here follows coaching practice (Wakefield/UAE, Walsh/Roadman, Housler/EVOQ), which is universal among coaches who prescribe torque intervals.

⁵The contraindications follow coach guidance from EVOQ.BIKE. The knee-history item is the strongest one and is consistent across physiotherapy and coaching sources alike.

→ Read the full rationale and sources

Install Zwift workouts

Download all workouts (.zip) — install once, then collapse me

⤓ .zip▾

Download all workouts as a zip, drop them into Zwift's workout folder, done once — then collapse this panel and forget it.

⤓ Download All (.zip)

Zwift install instructions

The zip contains five folders — copy them directly into your Zwift workout directory:

Windows: %localAppData%\Zwift\Workouts\[your_user_id]\
macOS: ~/Documents/Zwift/Workouts/[your_user_id]/
iOS/Android: not supported for custom workouts — use a PC/Mac

Restart Zwift. The folders appear under Custom Workouts in the workout selection screen.

All power targets are expressed as a fraction of your FTP (e.g. 0.88 = 88% FTP). Keep your FTP up to date in Zwift for accurate targets.

Adaptation Phase Weeks 1–3 · 0/3

0/3 complete

▾

⚠ Knee protection rules — applies to every session, always.

Always warm up at normal cadence first (minimum 15 minutes). Don't start a low-cadence interval cold.
If your knees ache during a set, stop the set. Don't push through. End the session if it continues.
Don't go below 50 rpm unless you have months of established low-cadence work behind you.
Never do low-cadence sessions on back-to-back days. The joint needs recovery time.
All intervals are seated. Standing removes the training stimulus and changes the load pattern.

What is the high-torque block?▾

Each bar is one interval — height is effort, left to right is time. The amber hatched blocks mark where you drop to the low-cadence target: the high-torque work.

High-torque block|RestEnduranceTempoThresholdVO2 / 110%Sprint / max

W1 — 65–70 rpm

ACTIVE

Sets × duration: 2 × 10 min
Intensity: Zone 2 (~65% FTP)
Cadence: 65–70 rpm
Recovery: 5 min easy spin
Total time: ~50 min

Source: [EVOQ.BIKE]⤓ .zwo

W2 — 65 rpm

LOCKED

Sets × duration: 2 × 15 min
Intensity: Zone 2 (~65% FTP)
Cadence: 65 rpm
Recovery: 5 min easy between
Total time: ~60 min

Source: [EVOQ.BIKE]⤓ .zwo

W3 — 60–65 rpm

LOCKED

Sets × duration: 3 × 10 min
Intensity: Zone 2 (~65% FTP)
Cadence: 60–65 rpm
Recovery: 5 min easy between
Total time: ~65 min

Source: [EVOQ.BIKE]⤓ .zwo

The High Torque Collection

12 sessions · sort: tier → title

▾

How to use this collection — 1–2 sessions/week, never back-to-back, all seated, 15-min warm-up▾

The core of the program. Once adaptation is complete, you integrate high-torque sessions into your weekly training permanently — there is no end date. The biggest improvements come in the first months (novel stimulus), but the sessions continue to provide value indefinitely.

Frequency

1–2 sessions per week. One is the norm, two is the ceiling.

1 per week is the standard. Some weeks you'll fit none — that's okay. This is a long-term practice, not a protocol with a deadline.
Maximum: never more than 2 per week. Every coaching source converges on this ceiling (Henderson, EVOQ, EF Pro Cycling). The joint stress is the limiter, not the aerobic demand. When doing 2, make one harder and one easier.[Henderson][EVOQ.BIKE][EF Pro]
Never on back-to-back days. At least one normal-cadence day between torque sessions.
Race weeks: If you have a target Zwift race with hard sprints that week, drop to 1 torque session and make it an easier one. Don't stack a Tier 4 sprint session and a race in the same week.
Race-season maintenance: 1–2 low-cadence sessions per month is sufficient to preserve the adaptation.[EVOQ.BIKE]

Fitting into ~10 hrs/week

Replace 1–2 of your current interval sessions with a torque session from the calendar. Don't add torque sessions on top of your existing volume.
Keep your long endurance ride at normal cadence.
All other sessions (endurance, recovery, non-torque intervals): normal cadence.

The four tiers

All sessions are seated throughout. All require a minimum 15-minute normal-cadence warm-up. The library is organised into four tiers by intensity and knee stress.

Tier 1 — Entry. Henderson's tempo torque work and a short EVOQ staple. First weeks of ongoing training.
Tier 2 — Development. EVOQ's staple format (5×5 and 5×8) and a scaled Hebisz HIIT intro. The bread-and-butter sessions.
Tier 3 — Challenging. Henderson's threshold work, Hebisz HIIT at study intensity, and the Rüegg VO2max workout. Higher knee stress.
Tier 4 — Advanced. EVOQ TorqueMax, Hebisz SIT and full HIIT volume. Highest knee stress, monthly at most initially.

Progression

There's no fixed schedule for moving between tiers. Progression is based on how your body responds, not on a calendar.

Starting out (first ~4 weeks): Mix Tier 1 and Tier 2 sessions. Try each Tier 2 workout at least once to find what suits you.
Advancing to Tier 3: After 3–4 weeks of Tier 2 with no knee issues and the sessions feeling manageable (RPE ≤ 7/10). Introduce one Tier 3 as your "hard" session; keep a Tier 1 or 2 as the "easy" one. Don't do two Tier 3 sessions in the same week initially.
Advancing to Tier 4: After at least 8 weeks of consistent ongoing training (~11 weeks total including adaptation). Start with TorqueMax or the 2-set SIT. Monthly at most initially. Tier 4 sessions always count as your "hard" session that week — pair with a Tier 1 or easy Tier 2 session. The SIT sessions (30-second all-out sprints at 50–60 rpm) are the highest knee-load sessions in the library.
FTP retesting: Retest every 6–8 weeks. As FTP increases, all percentage-based workouts automatically scale up.

Warning signs — when to back off

Sign	What to do
Knee pain during or after a session	Stop torque work for at least a week. Resume with a Tier 1 session. If it recurs, see a physiotherapist.
Can't hold target cadence (grinding 5+ rpm below)	The workout is too hard. Drop intensity or move to a lower tier.
Normal training is suffering (can't hit numbers, feel flat)	You're overdoing torque work. Drop to 1 session/week for 2–3 weeks.
Post-session ache lasting 48+ hours	Too much load. Drop a tier.
Knee feels "tight" or "clicky" without pain	Precautionary: skip the next torque session, monitor. If it persists, get it checked.