Climbing training plan
- 8 weeks
- Cycling
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Sessions
- 63 in total
- avg. 7.9 per week
- Training time
- avg. 10 h/week
- Peak week 12 h
- Key sessions
- 13 key sessions
How the training load develops
Training time per week over 8 weeks. The toughest week is week 7 with 12 h.
Plan structure
63 sessions spread over 8 weeks, around 80 hours of training and a total load of 3,554 TSS.
- Cycling 48 sessions 2,090 km in total
- Strength training 15 sessions
| Week | Sessions | Sports | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 2 Key |
|
10.6 h |
| 2 | 8 2 Key |
|
11.3 h |
| 3 | 8 1 Key |
|
7.1 h |
| 4 | 8 2 Key |
|
10.9 h |
| 5 | 8 2 Key |
|
11.2 h |
| 6 | 8 1 Key |
|
7.3 h |
| 7 | 8 2 Key |
|
12 h |
| 8 | 7 1 Key |
|
9.5 h |
A look inside the plan
Sample week: week 5 of 8
This is exactly how your plan will look in the Aspect App after you buy it. Tap a session to see its structure, intervals and target ranges.
You can also download bike workouts as FIT files for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS and others, or as ZWO files for Zwift.
Week 5 Build Phase 2 – Load Week 2 8 sessions 11:09 h 292.5 km 2
About this training plan
By the end of this plan you will ride a full hour uphill at your threshold, spread over several climbs in one ride. It is preparation for mountain sportives, big passes or hill-climb time trials, built for experienced, performance-focused riders.
Who the plan is for
You have been training in a structured way for more than four years, 20-minute threshold intervals are familiar to you, and long rides with lots of climbing are part of your routine. Six riding days a week are realistic for you. If your main aim is to learn to climb more steadily and five riding days suit you better, Level 2 is the better choice.
How the plan works
Step by step, the plan extends how long you can ride at threshold. Two load weeks are followed by a recovery week, and this happens twice; then come a final load week and the test week.
- First block: Long Sweet Spot intervals of up to three times 20 minutes and low-cadence intervals at 50 to 60 rpm. On the long rides with lots of climbing, you keep every climb strictly in the endurance zone.
- Second block: Threshold intervals, plus over-unders instead of low-cadence work. They teach you to settle back into your pace after a steep ramp without blowing up. At the weekend you ride threshold blocks on climbs of at least 15 minutes.
- Final load week: The biggest week of the plan, with two 20-minute threshold blocks, long low-cadence blocks again and a ride with four climbs at threshold.
- Test week: Intensity drops, a short opener session wakes your legs up, then come the 20-minute climbing test and the longest ride of the plan, with one long climb in the endurance zone.
Every week until the test week also includes core stability and strength training for your trunk and legs, with cycling-specific stretching throughout. Until the test week, Friday is an optional easy ride.
What you need before you start
Your threshold heart rate (threshold HR) on the bike, found with Joe Friel’s 30-minute test at the weekend before you start; a value from a rule-of-thumb formula is often off and skews every interval. The plan is heart-rate based: a chest strap is all you need – you don’t need a power meter, not even for the threshold blocks outdoors on climbs. Out on the climbs, heart rate actually has an advantage: it already reflects heat, altitude and fatigue. A turbo trainer is enough for the midweek intervals. Plan routes with climbs of at least 15 minutes; split shorter ones up – the total time at threshold stays the same. For the climbing test you need a climb with at least 20 minutes of steady gradient, and for the final ride one of at least 30 minutes.
Support within the plan
The mental coaching prompts are tailored to climbing: at the start you work out your heart rate zones and choose your target climb. Before the long threshold ride you give each climb its own task, and before the test you decide how you will pace the start. You also get tips on fuelling, instructions for the climbing test including an alternative, and advice on what to do next.
Which level is right for you?
- Level 1: Four riding days. You progress from eight-minute Sweet Spot intervals to two 15-minute blocks at threshold, with low-cadence blocks of up to ten minutes. By the end, the long ride includes a good half hour of Sweet Spot on climbs.
- Level 2: Five riding days. You progress from Sweet Spot intervals to two 20-minute blocks at threshold, with low-cadence blocks of up to twelve minutes and over-unders in the final load week. By the end, the long ride includes three quarters of an hour at threshold on climbs.
- Level 3: Six riding days. Longer Sweet Spot blocks from the start, over-unders as early as the middle block, low-cadence blocks of up to 15 minutes. By the end, the long ride includes a full hour at threshold, spread over four climbs.
Intensity guidance
Your training thresholds
Session intensity is based on your personal thresholds. After buying, you enter them in the Aspect App – the plan then converts every target for you. If they’re already stored in Intervals.icu, you can import them with one click during setup. Here’s how to find your values:
- Threshold heart rate (cycling)Targets are given as a percentage of your threshold heart rate on the bike – the highest heart rate you can sustain for about 60 minutes. How to find it: after a good warm-up, ride a 30-minute time trial on your own as hard as you can hold evenly – your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes is your threshold HR. A chest strap gives the most accurate reading. Stopgap without a test: about 90% of your reliably known maximum heart rate on the bike (185 bpm → 167 bpm).
Device sync via Intervals.icu
Your plan on your watch
Send your plan to your free Intervals.icu calendar in just a few clicks. From there, your bike sessions go to your watch and bike computer as structured workouts with intervals and target ranges – or into Zwift. No retyping and no file imports.
Ready in six steps
- Buy the planOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your access link by email.
- Save it to your Aspect accountWith a free Aspect account, you save the plan under “My plans”.
- Connect Intervals.icuTap “Intervals.icu” at the top of your plan and connect your free account on intervals.icu (opens an external site). No account yet? You can create one there in a minute.
- Match your target valuesThe app checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan (e.g. FTP, threshold heart rate or threshold pace). Any differences can be matched with one click.
- Choose a start date and sendChoose your start Monday, check the preview, send.
- Connect your deviceIn Intervals.icu, go to Settings → Connections, connect your device or platform and enable uploading of planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”).
What arrives where
| Platform | What arrives |
|---|---|
| Garmin | Cycling as structured workouts; strength: title only, no exercises (supported) |
| Wahoo ELEMNT, BOLT, ROAM | Bike workouts (supported) |
| Zwift | Bike workouts (supported) |
| Suunto | Planned workouts (watches with SuuntoPlus Guides) (supported) |
| COROS | Planned workouts – the first time only, drag the “Intervals.icu” training plan into your calendar in the COROS app. (supported) |
| Hammerhead Karoo | Bike workouts – you set up the connection with Hammerhead (on the Karoo or in the Hammerhead dashboard) (limited) |
| Apple Watch | No official integration – only via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature) (limited) |
| Polar, TrainerRoad | No direct transfer (not supported) |
- Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time. The complete plan is in your Intervals.icu calendar.
- Intervals.icu calculates the target ranges from your values there (e.g. FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace). If you change them, upcoming workouts are adjusted with the next sync.
- During setup, the Aspect App checks whether your values in Intervals.icu match your plan. You resolve any differences with one click – in either direction, with a side-by-side comparison first.
- If you move a session within its week in the Aspect App, Intervals.icu updates automatically – and so does your device at the next sync.
- Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Enter the same values there as in Intervals.icu.
- Strength sessions appear in the Intervals.icu calendar with a description and planned duration. On your watch they only show their title. You’ll find the exercises in the Aspect App.
In the Aspect App you can also download bike workouts as FIT files (e.g. for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS) or as ZWO files for Zwift.
What you get
- The complete 8-week plan63 sessions, structured week by week and day by day.
- All sessions in the Aspect AppEvery session with its full structure. In the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
- Flexible within your weekIf a day doesn’t suit you, you can use a free Aspect account to move sessions to another day within the plan week or change their order – by drag & drop on a computer, or via “Move to…” on a smartphone. You can restore the original order at any time. If you’ve sent the plan to Intervals.icu, it is updated there automatically.
- Straight to your watch and bike computerAs structured workouts via your free Intervals.icu account – to Garmin, Wahoo, COROS & more. Or as a FIT/ZWO download. How it works
- 13 marked key sessionsThe sessions that matter most in each week. They take priority if you need to reschedule.
- Access with or without an accountPersonal access link by email. With a free Aspect account, saved permanently under “My plans” – and ready to send to your watch and bike computer.
How it works
- OrderAdd the plan to your basket and pay with PayPal, card and more (via Stripe) or by bank transfer.
- Check your inboxOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your personal access link.
- Open your planThe link opens your plan straight in the Aspect App – nothing to install.
- Save it to your accountOptional and free: save the plan to your Aspect account and open it again at any time.
- Get it onto your watchOptional: send it to your calendar via Intervals.icu with your start date – and from there to your watch and bike computer. Here’s how
Created by your coach
Hi, I’m Alex – coach and the mind behind aspect®. My training plans grow out of my endurance coaching work in triathlon, cycling and running. If you’d rather have individual coaching than a ready-made plan, take a look at 1:1 coaching.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the training plan after purchase?
Once we’ve received your payment, you’ll get an email with your personal access link. Use it to open the plan directly in the Aspect App – in the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You’ll also receive your invoice by email.
How does the plan get onto my watch and bike computer?
Via Intervals.icu. Open your plan in the Aspect App, tap “Intervals.icu” at the top and follow the steps: connect your free Intervals.icu account, match your target values, choose your start Monday, check the preview and send the plan to your Intervals.icu calendar as structured workouts. From there, Intervals.icu sends the upcoming sessions to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, Suunto and COROS – to set this up, go to Settings → Connections in Intervals.icu, connect your device or platform and switch on the upload of planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”). For Hammerhead Karoo, set up the connection in your Hammerhead account. Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time.
Does it work with the Apple Watch?
Not directly: there’s no official Intervals.icu integration for the Apple Watch. It’s only possible via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature). Polar and TrainerRoad aren’t supported directly either. You can still see all your sessions in the Aspect App at any time – including in your smartphone’s browser.
Does Intervals.icu cost anything?
No. A free Intervals.icu account is all you need for the transfer. Intervals.icu also offers an optional supporter subscription – you don’t need it for this. Transferring from the Aspect App doesn’t cost anything extra either.
Do I have to keep my values up to date in two places?
No. In the plan view, the “Match target values” step (“Intervals.icu” button) checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan – FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace or swim threshold pace (CSS), depending on what your plan uses. If anything differs, you see both values side by side, choose which one applies for each, and match them with one click. Nothing is overwritten without asking. To do this, you confirm access to your Intervals.icu sport settings once when connecting. Your indoor FTP stays unchanged, and HR zones are only recalculated if you explicitly ask for it. Zwift still uses the values in your Zwift profile.
Do I need an account in the Aspect App?
Not to view it: the access link also works without an account. With a free Aspect account, you save the plan permanently under “My plans” – and only then can you transfer it to your watch and bike computer via Intervals.icu.
When can I start the plan?
Whenever you like. The plan isn’t tied to a date but built in weeks (week 1 to 8), and each week starts on a Monday. If you have a race in mind, simply count back 8 weeks from race day. For the transfer to Intervals.icu, you choose your start Monday yourself – the Monday of the current week at the earliest.
What happens if I start later or need to reschedule?
No problem. If you want to start the whole plan later, simply choose a new start date in the plan view under “Intervals.icu” → “Reschedule” – the sessions are moved in your Intervals.icu calendar without any duplicate entries. If you no longer need the plan there, you can remove it again. Your own entries in Intervals.icu remain untouched. If just a single day doesn’t work, move the session within its week (see the next question).
Can I move sessions to other days?
Yes, within the plan week in question. With a free Aspect account, you can move a session to another day of the same week in the plan view or change the order within a day – by drag and drop on a computer, or via the “Move to…” menu on each session on a smartphone. The plan itself stays unchanged: moved sessions are marked with a small icon (e.g. “originally Tuesday”), and “Reset week” or “Reset whole plan” restores the original order. If the plan has been transferred to Intervals.icu, moves and resets are applied there automatically – and to your watch and bike computer at the next sync. If you move a transferred session within its week directly in the Intervals.icu calendar, the Aspect App picks this up (it can take about a minute). If a session ends up outside its plan week there, the app moves it back to its week and lets you know. Without an account, you can view the plan but not move sessions.
Is the plan tailored to me personally?
No – it’s a ready-made training plan that works for many athletes with a similar goal. If you’d like individual support, you’ll find 1:1 coaching at aspect-sports.com.
Do I have a right of withdrawal?
The training plan is digital content. With your express consent, it is made available before the withdrawal period has expired – your right of withdrawal then expires when provision begins (Section 356(5) of the German Civil Code, BGB). You’ll find the details in our withdrawal policy.
Climbing (Heart rate)
8 weeks · 63 sessions · €20.00 (final price*)
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