Sweet spot training targets 88-93% of your FTP — hard enough to drive real adaptation, manageable enough that you can recover from it and do it again two days later. It sits in the overlap between tempo and threshold, giving you roughly 90% of the training stimulus of full threshold work at a fraction of the fatigue cost. For time-crunched cyclists and those building towards race-specific fitness, it's one of the most efficient tools in the box.
This guide distils what we've learned from conversations with coaches like Dan Lorang and Joe Friel across 1,400+ episodes of the Roadman Cycling Podcast, combined with the training data from hundreds of cyclists inside the Not Done Yet community on Skool.
In this guide:
- What is sweet spot training?
- Where sweet spot sits in your training zones
- When to use sweet spot training
- Sweet spot vs threshold vs polarised
- The key sweet spot sessions
- Programming sweet spot into your week
- Common sweet spot mistakes
- What the experts say
- Frequently asked questions
What Is Sweet Spot Training?
Sweet spot training means sustained efforts at 88-93% of your FTP. The term was coined by coach Frank Overton, and it describes the intensity where the training stimulus is high relative to the recovery cost.
Here's the thing nobody tells you about sweet spot: it's not a magic intensity. It's a practical compromise. Full threshold work (95-105% FTP) produces a bigger stimulus per minute — but it also produces significantly more fatigue, requires longer recovery, and is harder to execute consistently. Sweet spot gives you most of the benefit while leaving you fresh enough to train again the next day.
At 88-93% FTP, you're working hard. Conversation is limited to short phrases. Your breathing is elevated but controlled. You can sustain the effort for 20-60 minutes depending on fitness. It feels like "comfortably uncomfortable" — and that's exactly the point.
→ Read the full guide: Sweet Spot Training for Cycling: The Complete Guide
Where Sweet Spot Sits in Your Training Zones
Sweet spot isn't a formal training zone in most models. It's the upper end of Zone 3 (tempo) and the lower end of Zone 4 (threshold), depending on which zone system you use.
| Zone | Name | % of FTP | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2 | Endurance | 56-75% | Conversational, all-day pace |
| Zone 3 | Tempo | 76-90% | Steady effort, limited conversation |
| Sweet Spot | — | 88-93% | Comfortably uncomfortable |
| Zone 4 | Threshold | 91-105% | Hard, sustainable for ~60 min max |
| Zone 5 | VO2max | 106-120% | Very hard, 3-8 min efforts |
The key distinction: tempo (76-87% FTP) is too easy to drive significant threshold adaptation. Threshold (95-105% FTP) is more effective per minute but more costly. Sweet spot threads the needle between the two.
→ Read the full guide: Sweet Spot Training for Cyclists Explained
When to Use Sweet Spot Training
Sweet spot isn't something you do year-round. It serves specific purposes at specific times.
Base-to-build transition. After a block of Zone 2 base training, sweet spot is the ideal bridge to higher-intensity work. It introduces muscular stress and lactate exposure without the full demands of threshold intervals. Most coaches — Dan Lorang included — use sweet spot blocks to transition athletes from base into build phase.
Time-crunched training. If you've got 60-75 minutes to train, sweet spot gives you more stimulus per minute than Zone 2, without requiring the warm-up protocol and recovery that VO2max work demands. Two 20-minute sweet spot intervals in a 60-minute session is a genuinely productive workout.
Building aerobic durability. Extended sweet spot efforts (30-60 minutes) build the muscular endurance that underpins everything from time trials to century rides. They teach your body to sustain a high percentage of FTP for long periods — which is what racing actually requires.
When NOT to use it. During a pure base phase (stick with Zone 2). During a race-specific sharpening phase (move to threshold and VO2max). And never as a substitute for genuine easy riding — sweet spot is a moderate-to-hard effort, not recovery.
→ Read the full guide: Sweet Spot Training Cycling Guide
Sweet Spot vs Threshold vs Polarised
This is the debate that never dies in cycling coaching. Let me break this down clearly.
| Approach | Intensity Focus | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet spot | 88-93% FTP | High stimulus, lower fatigue, time-efficient | Can stagnate if overused, doesn't raise VO2max ceiling |
| Threshold | 95-105% FTP | Directly targets FTP, race-specific | High fatigue cost, needs more recovery |
| Polarised | 80% easy / 20% very hard | Research-backed for elites, protects aerobic base | Requires high volume to work, hard sessions must be genuinely hard |
The honest answer — and the one Joe Friel has given on the podcast — is that most cyclists benefit from all three approaches at different times. Polarised training works brilliantly for athletes with 12+ hours per week. Sweet spot is highly effective for athletes with 6-10 hours. Threshold work is essential in the 8-12 weeks before key events.
The mistake is treating these as competing religions. They're tools. Use the right one for the phase, the available time, and the individual.
Professor Stephen Seiler's research shows that the best endurance athletes in the world train with a polarised distribution. But Seiler himself has said that for athletes with limited training time, moderate-intensity work (which includes sweet spot) can be an effective compromise. Context matters.
→ Read the full guide: Sweet Spot vs Threshold vs Polarised: The Full Comparison → Read the full guide: Polarised vs Sweet Spot Training
The Key Sweet Spot Sessions
These are the sessions we programme most frequently inside Not Done Yet. All power targets are percentages of FTP.
| Session | Work Time | Intensity | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2x20 sweet spot | 40 min | 88-93% FTP | The staple — long, steady stimulus |
| 3x15 sweet spot | 45 min | 88-93% FTP | Slightly more volume, shorter blocks |
| 1x30 sweet spot | 30 min | 88-93% FTP | Building sustained muscular endurance |
| 1x45-60 sweet spot | 45-60 min | 88-90% FTP | Race-specific durability for time triallists |
| Sweet spot overs | 30-40 min | 88% base with 30s surges to 105% | Simulating race surges within a sustained effort |
Start with 2x20 at 88% FTP with 5 minutes recovery between intervals. As fitness improves, either extend the interval duration (towards 30 minutes), increase the intensity (towards 93%), or reduce the recovery between intervals. Don't do all three at once.
Programming Sweet Spot Into Your Week
For a cyclist training 8-10 hours per week, sweet spot fits best during the base-to-build transition:
| Day | Session | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest or easy spin | 0-45 min | Recovery |
| Tuesday | Sweet spot intervals | 60-75 min | 2x20 or 3x15 at 88-93% FTP |
| Wednesday | Easy ride | 60-90 min | Zone 2 only |
| Thursday | VO2max or tempo | 60-75 min | Alternate weekly |
| Friday | Rest or gym | 45-60 min | Strength work |
| Saturday | Long ride | 3-4 hours | Zone 2 with optional sweet spot finish |
| Sunday | Easy ride | 90-120 min | Zone 2 |
The Saturday long ride with a sweet spot finish is a powerful session. Ride 2.5-3 hours at Zone 2, then finish with 20-30 minutes at sweet spot when your legs are already fatigued. This builds the specific durability that matters in long events.
Limit sweet spot to 2-3 sessions per week maximum. Beyond that, the cumulative fatigue compromises your easy rides and your overall recovery.
Common Sweet Spot Mistakes
Doing sweet spot instead of easy riding. Sweet spot is a training stimulus. Zone 2 is where your aerobic base gets built. If every ride is sweet spot, you're accumulating fatigue without building the foundation. Keep 70-80% of your total volume genuinely easy.
Treating sweet spot as threshold. If your intervals are at 95%+ FTP, you're doing threshold work, not sweet spot. The whole point of sweet spot is the lower fatigue cost. Creeping above 93% defeats the purpose.
Too much sweet spot, not enough variety. A diet of nothing but sweet spot training will plateau your FTP. You still need VO2max work to raise the ceiling and genuine threshold work to sharpen race fitness. Sweet spot is one tool, not the entire toolkit.
Ignoring fuelling. Even though sweet spot is less intense than threshold, you're still burning significant glycogen. Eat 60-90g of carbohydrate per hour during sweet spot sessions longer than 60 minutes. Under-fuelled sweet spot intervals produce lower power and worse adaptation.
What the Experts Say
The insights in this guide come from direct conversations on the Roadman Cycling Podcast:
Dan Lorang (Head of Performance, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe; long-time coach to Jan Frodeno): Described how he uses sweet spot blocks as a bridge between base and build phases — even for World Tour riders. The key, he stressed, is that sweet spot is a phase, not a permanent training approach. His athletes move through sweet spot into threshold and VO2max work as races approach.
Joe Friel (author of The Cyclist's Training Bible): Emphasised that sweet spot training is most effective when periodised correctly. Friel programmes sweet spot during the base-to-build transition and shifts to threshold and race-specific work closer to target events. His caution: athletes who stay in sweet spot year-round tend to plateau because they never push the ceiling with VO2max work or sharpen their threshold.
→ Hear the conversations: Meet All Podcast Guests
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sweet spot training? Sweet spot training means sustained cycling efforts at 88-93% of your FTP. It sits between tempo and threshold intensity — hard enough to produce meaningful physiological adaptation, but recoverable enough that you can do it frequently. The term was coined by coach Frank Overton to describe the intensity where training stimulus is highest relative to fatigue cost. Most riders can sustain sweet spot for 20-60 minutes depending on fitness.
Is sweet spot better than threshold training? Neither is universally better — they serve different purposes. Sweet spot produces roughly 90% of the threshold training stimulus with significantly less fatigue, making it ideal for base-to-build phases and time-crunched athletes. Threshold training (95-105% FTP) is more race-specific and directly targets FTP improvement, but demands more recovery. Most training plans benefit from both, programmed at different phases of the season.
When should I use sweet spot training? Sweet spot works best during the base-to-build transition (after you've established an aerobic base with Zone 2 training), when you're time-crunched and need maximum stimulus per hour, and when building muscular endurance for long events. Avoid using it during pure base phases (stick with Zone 2) or during race-specific sharpening (move to threshold and VO2max intervals).
Can I do too much sweet spot training? Yes. Too much sweet spot creates two problems. First, it accumulates fatigue that compromises your easy rides and overall recovery — you end up in a moderate-intensity rut where nothing is genuinely easy and nothing is genuinely hard. Second, sweet spot alone won't raise your VO2max ceiling or sharpen your race-day threshold. Limit sweet spot to 2-3 sessions per week maximum and make sure your training programme includes Zone 2 volume, VO2max intervals, and genuine threshold work across the season.
How long should sweet spot intervals be? Start with 2x20 minutes at 88% FTP with 5 minutes recovery. As fitness improves, progress to longer intervals (30-45 minutes), higher intensity (towards 93% FTP), or shorter recovery between intervals. Advanced riders can sustain a single 45-60 minute sweet spot effort, which builds exceptional muscular endurance for time trials and long climbs.
What does sweet spot feel like? Sweet spot feels "comfortably uncomfortable." Your breathing is noticeably elevated but controlled. You can speak in short phrases but not hold a full conversation. Your legs feel the effort but aren't burning. It's hard enough that you'd rather stop after 20 minutes, but manageable enough that you can talk yourself into continuing. If it feels easy, you're in tempo. If you're counting down the seconds, you've drifted into threshold.