# High Torque Training — Calendar

Two parts: a fixed adaptation phase (follow exactly), then ongoing training (flexible, indefinite).

See `high-torque-training-research.md` for the reasoning behind every decision here.

---

## Adaptation (Weeks 1–3)

**1 low-cadence session per week.** All other rides: normal cadence. Do not skip weeks or double up.

| # | Workout | Duration | Done | Date | Notes |
|---|---------|----------|------|------|-------|
| 1 | [W1](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Adaptation/Week1_2x10_65-70rpm.zwo) — 2×10 min Zone 2, **65–70 rpm** | ~50 min | [ ] | | |
| 2 | [W2](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Adaptation/Week2_2x15_65rpm.zwo) — 2×15 min Zone 2, **65 rpm** | ~60 min | [ ] | | |
| 3 | [W3](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Adaptation/Week3_3x10_60-65rpm.zwo) — 3×10 min Zone 2, **60–65 rpm** | ~65 min | [ ] | | |

### Ready to move on?

All boxes must be checked before starting ongoing training:

- [ ] All 3 sessions completed
- [ ] No knee pain during or after any session
- [ ] No lingering knee discomfort 24+ hours after any session
- [ ] Cadence targets felt achievable (not struggling to stay above target)
- [ ] RPE for the intervals was no higher than ~6/10

**If any box is unchecked:** Repeat the week that gave you trouble. If knee pain is the issue, take a full week off low-cadence work and restart from W1.

---

## Ongoing Training — The High Torque Collection

**1–2 sessions per week.** One is the norm, two is the ceiling. Separated by at least one normal-cadence day.

- 1 per week is the standard. 0 is fine occasionally. Never more than 2.
- When doing 2, make one harder and one easier.
- There is no end date. Pick sessions from the High Torque Collection below and rotate.

### The High Torque Collection

Sessions are grouped into 4 tiers by intensity and knee stress. Start with Tiers 1–2 and work up over weeks and months. The tier structure is this document's organization — the sources support progressive overload but don't use this exact grouping.

#### Tier 1 — Entry

Your first ongoing sessions. Lower intensity to bridge from adaptation into real torque work.

| Workout | What | Cadence | Duration | Source |
|---------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| [Entry 4×4](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%201%20Entry/Entry_4x4_80pct.zwo) | 4×4 min @ 80–85% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~55 min | Henderson |
| [Staple 3×5](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%201%20Entry/Staple_3x5_90pct.zwo) | 3×5 min @ ~90% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~50 min | EVOQ (scaled — fewer reps: 3×5 instead of 5×5) |

#### Tier 2 — Development

The bread-and-butter sessions. EVOQ's staple format and a shorter VO2max intro.

| Workout | What | Cadence | Duration | Source |
|---------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| [Staple 5×5](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%202%20Development/Staple_5x5_90pct.zwo) | 5×5 min @ ~90% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~70 min | EVOQ |
| [Staple 5×8](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%202%20Development/Staple_5x8_90pct.zwo) | 5×8 min @ ~90% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~85 min | EVOQ |
| [HIIT Intro](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%202%20Development/HIIT_Intro_110pct.zwo) | 3×3 min @ ~110% FTP | 60–70 rpm | ~50 min | Hebisz 2024 (scaled — fewer reps, shorter intervals) |

#### Tier 3 — Challenging

Threshold and VO2max. Higher knee stress. Only after several weeks of comfortable Tier 2 work.

| Workout | What | Cadence | Duration | Source |
|---------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| [Threshold 5×5](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%203%20Challenging/Threshold_5x5_95pct.zwo) | 5×5 min @ ~95% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~65 min | Henderson |
| [HIIT VO2max (4 reps)](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%203%20Challenging/HIIT_VO2max_4rep.zwo) | 4×4 min @ ~110% FTP | 60–70 rpm | ~75 min | Hebisz 2024 |
| [Rüegg VO2max + Sprint](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%203%20Challenging/Ruegg_VO2max_Sprint.zwo) | 3×(5 min @ ~110% FTP + 1 min max sprint) | 50–60 rpm (sprint at normal cadence) | ~70 min | EF Pro / Schep |

#### Tier 4 — Advanced

Sprint and supra-threshold. Highest knee stress. Monthly at most initially. Relevant to Zwift sprint racing.

| Workout | What | Cadence | Duration | Source |
|---------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| [TorqueMax](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%204%20Advanced/TorqueMax_110pct.zwo) | 6×2–3 min @ 105–110% FTP | 50–60 rpm | ~70 min | EVOQ |
| [SIT (2 sets)](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%204%20Advanced/SIT_2sets.zwo) | 2×(4×30 sec max) | 50–60 rpm | ~75 min | Hebisz 2024 |
| [HIIT VO2max (6 reps)](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%204%20Advanced/HIIT_VO2max_6rep.zwo) | 6×4 min @ ~110% FTP | 60–70 rpm | ~100 min | Hebisz 2024 |
| [SIT (3 sets)](/workouts/High%20Torque%20-%20Tier%204%20Advanced/SIT_3sets.zwo) | 3×(4×30 sec max) | 50–60 rpm | ~110 min | Hebisz 2024 |

### When to progress

| Stage | Typical timing | What to do |
|-------|---------------|------------|
| First weeks of ongoing | Weeks 4–7 overall | Mix Tier 1 + Tier 2. Try each Tier 2 workout at least once. |
| Introduce Tier 3 | After 3–4 weeks of Tier 2 without knee issues, RPE ≤ 7/10 | Use Tier 3 as the "hard" session, Tier 1–2 as the "easy" one. |
| Introduce Tier 4 | After 8+ weeks of ongoing (~11+ weeks total) | Monthly at most. Always pair with a Tier 1 easy session that week. |

**Signs you are NOT ready to move up:**
- Knee pain or discomfort during or after sessions
- Can't hold the target cadence (grinding 5+ rpm below)
- RPE consistently above 8/10 on current-tier sessions
- Your normal (non-torque) training is suffering — can't hit numbers, feel flat

**If any of these appear:** Drop back a tier. If it's knee-related, take a week off torque work entirely.

### Weekly template

Use this to plan each week. Pick one session from a lower tier and one from the same or one higher tier.

```
Week of: __________

[ ] Session 1 (easier): _______________ (Tier ___) | Date: _____ | Notes: _____
[ ] Session 2 (harder):  _______________ (Tier ___) | Date: _____ | Notes: _____

Knee check: fine / some tightness / pain → _______________
```

### Training log

| # | Date | Workout | Tier | Hard/Easy | Knee status | Notes |
|---|------|---------|------|-----------|-------------|-------|
| 1 | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | |
| 6 | | | | | | |
| 7 | | | | | | |
| 8 | | | | | | |
| 9 | | | | | | |
| 10 | | | | | | |
| 11 | | | | | | |
| 12 | | | | | | |
| 13 | | | | | | |
| 14 | | | | | | |
| 15 | | | | | | |
| 16 | | | | | | |
| 17 | | | | | | |
| 18 | | | | | | |
| 19 | | | | | | |
| 20 | | | | | | |
| 21 | | | | | | |
| 22 | | | | | | |
| 23 | | | | | | |
| 24 | | | | | | |
| 25 | | | | | | |
| 26 | | | | | | |
| 27 | | | | | | |
| 28 | | | | | | |
| 29 | | | | | | |
| 30 | | | | | | |

### FTP retest tracker

Retest every 6–8 weeks. All workouts auto-scale with FTP changes.

| Date | FTP (watts) | Notes |
|------|-------------|-------|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |