There's no such thing in endurance training as a secret or "special" workout that can give you a leg up on your competition. Success rides on the coattails of consistent, hard work over a long period of time. However, there are some workouts that are better than others, provided that they are utilized in conjunction with a properly designed training plan. If you find this workout useful, please let us know by posting on social media with the hashtag:
Sport: Cycling
Purpose: Increase peak power and VO2Max
Duration: 60 minutes
Warm Up
15-20min progressive spin starting at a very easy effort and slowly building your effort from Z1 into middle of Z2
Main Set
8-12x1 minute hard at 120-130% of FTP
Recovery is 2 minutes of easy pedaling at 50-60% of FTP
Cool Down
10-15 Minutes of easy spinning
Notes: This sort of session can be used at different times of year depending on the type of athlete you are and the type of events you race. For the average triathlete racing Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events, they don't need a lot of top end work, but some of that can definitely be very beneficial. You use the upper power zones when cresting a hill or making a pass and it helps to have some experience pushing at that level. For the bike racers, they may need more of this sort of work, as they'll have repeated surges during a race and need to tap into that upper end power quite a bit more frequently.
These workouts are examples of actual sets we do with our training programs under the watchful supervision of a coach. Please check with your doctor to verify that you are physically fit before you attempting any sort of exercise program of your own.