Don't Be Fast in February and Slow in May (Do This Instead)

Winter base training doesn't have to be only sweet spot or zone two. It's actually smart to include a little intensity to bridge the gap between base season and race season. But here's the trap. If you're doing full gas intervals now, you risk becoming the group ride hero.

What's that? It's your mate who's riding too hard too soon, who neglects building a base and is flying in February, but by May when the real racing starts, he's cooked, burnt out, kaput. So, the question becomes, how do you build the engine and add intensity without sabotaging your season? And today, I'm going to [clears throat] show you exactly how.

I've got four of my favorite wintertime workouts from the Coach Kat app that sprinkle in just the right amount of zones four, five, and six to include in your base training. Make sure you stick around to the end because workout number four is the one that many riders mess up and it's the one that makes you the fastest. If you're new here, welcome. I'm Coach Frank Overton.

Some call me the big cat, founder of Fast Cat Coaching, pioneer of Sweet Spot Training, and the coach behind the AI cycling app that amateur athletes are using all over the world to get faster. These are four examples, but there are many, many variations built on these same recommendations. And yes, if you want to try them, they're waiting for you inside the Coach Cat app with a free 30-day trial. And as you are watching, drop me a comment below with your questions of which of these workouts you like the least and the most.

Workout number one is the Cheetah Pounce. It's a combo sweet spot in zone 6 workout with 24 minutes of sweet spot and 80 seconds of anorobic zone 6. These 80 seconds are exactly what I mean when I say the right amount of intensity. But this workout isn't just physiology.

It's also sports psychology. You're going to visualize yourself as the world's fastest land animal. And your prey is your goal. You'll start with the sweet spot interval steady and then you'll pounce at the end out of the saddle 115 to 150% of your FTP for 20 seconds like you're launching a racewinning move.

Recover for three minutes in a 2:1 word to rest ratio and repeat four times. You can use the AI chat to adjust the duration of this workout longer or shorter by adding zone 2 before and after the structure. You can even add a fifth or a sixth interval if you're feeling ambitious. You can do this workout inside or outside.

And if you're doing it inside, I recommend modulating the URGK mode so that your sweet spot is controlled. But toggle the URGK mode off for the pounce. Shift down 3 to 5 seconds before you release and then really stomp on the pedals. Get after it.

Mentally, you're practicing the crux moment of the race to practice winning. Enjoy. Workout number two is the sprint stop catch. Continuing with the cheetah metaphor here.

This overunder style workout is a progression from the cheetah pounce because now we're adding a 10-second zone 6 effort at the beginning of the sweet spot interval. So, start with a 10-second out of the sightle effort, 150% not too hard because you settle in for a sweet spot for the next 2 minutes and 40 seconds. And then you're going to stock your prey, your goals before you do the pounce. Now, because there's a 3minut zone 2 break, I like to see a 200% of FTP effort for the final sprint and really get after it here.

This variable power helps riders who get dropped in group rides or races when the pace surges or when the terrain is up and down. Anybody can pedal steadily, but the problem happens when the pace surges and then when it goes again. This workout builds lactate clearance, fatigue resistance, and it gives you the ability to go hard again after already going hard before. It makes you mentally tough also because having to go hard again when you're not fully recovered is something you can practice mentally.

Workout number three is called the 38s. Now, this one is sneaky good because it's a shot across your bow for your fitness. It's a litmitness test to see where you're at. Behind the scenes, this helps populate your power curve and tells Coach Cat how strong you really are.

It's both a test and a builder. On paper, this workout is super simple. It's three eight minute efforts. The first one at threshold, the second one at sweet spot, and the third one at tempo.

For the first one, we want you to go all out. No urg max wattage. Really, we want to see what you can do here. And you don't have to worry about pacing for a second interval because that's already going to be a sweet spot one.

So, yes, go for it. And it's okay if you blow up. That's the kind of the point here to really see what you got. And the third interval is only tempo because now we're working on your durability.

Just a really the ability to keep going when we already know you've drained the tank. Now workout number four, as promised, this is the AMX rod. The AMX rod is a progression from the OTS sweet spot rods to zones four, five, and six, organic intensity. Loyal viewers may remember the video I made last August because the AMX rod is that effective.

It's a workout that deserves another spotlight. And here's why. There's no rigid structure. There's no intervals.

There's no URG telling you what to do. It's freedom. And you use the terrain indoors or outdoors to push above your FTP. These rides are fun.

They're flexible. They're incredibly time efficient because they pack a serious OTS punch into the time you have to train. The name MX comes from the old American Express commercial, Don't Leave Home Without It. We flip that because in this workout, your job is to not come home without it.

It being your OTS. That's the goal. And we prescribe these workouts in OTS, not duration. To execute, go hard when the road tilts up and recover on the descents.

This is old school training at its finest. Use real-time TSS on your bike computer to track your progress during the ride. And keep riding hard until you hit your prescribed OTS for the day. That's it.

That's the don't come home without it portion. To estimate the time an MX100 OTS ride will take, the data I see from wellexecuted MX rides is roughly 60 to 80 OTS per hour. So the MX100 ride will take anywhere from 75 to to 90 minutes. I can tell how good an athlete is recovered and feeling from how soon they complete these rides.

Look for a shark's teeth like power graph afterwards with lots of ferays up into zones four, five, and six. And also notice how much OTS you achieved, which is going to be what we prescribe and its effect on your level because remember we are still in a building phase here. So the big lesson with all these wintertime workouts is that you're gradually introducing intensity while still building your aerobic endurance. Not full-on intervals in the traditional sense, but a Goldilocks amount of intensity to prepare you for that higher intensity interval training phase later.

Because if you do too much intensity now, you'll be the group ride hero in February and you'll flame out when it matters in May. So instead, do these workouts to finish building your base so you hit the springtime season fit, fast, and ready to take your interval training to the next level. Thanks so much for watching. If you want these workouts, they're inside the Coach Cat app where the first month is free.

For those of you that are already training with us, thank you. You'll find this style of training in our Sweet Spot part three phase as well as our 16week of Sweet Spot phase in the third miso cycle. In any case, give them a go and tell me in the comments which one was your favorite and which one absolutely humbled you. Until the next video, you know what to do.

Work hard, ride fast, have fun, and as always, FTFP.

Learn how not to be the Group Ride Hero and Train the Right Way, Free for 30 days → /app

One of the most common mistakes cyclists make is piling on high-intensity intervals before they’ve finished building their aerobic base. It feels great in February. You’re flying on the group ride. You’re winning town line sprints.

But by May, when racing and big events actually matter, you’re flat, stale, and wondering what happened.

In this video, Coach Frank Overton from FasCat Coaching shows you how to bridge the gap between base season and race season the right way.

You don’t need to live in Zone 2 forever. But you also shouldn’t be smashing yourself with full-gas workouts every week.

The answer?

A smart, controlled progression that introduces just enough Zone 4, 5, and 6 intensity to wake up speed while still building durability and aerobic strength.

Inside, Frank walks through four proven winter workouts from the CoachCat training system:

🐆 The Cheetah Pounce – Sweet Spot control with explosive attacks. Practice commitment and fast-twitch recruitment without blowing up recovery.

🎯 Sprint → Stalk & Catch – Learn how to handle the surges that drop riders in real races and group rides.

📊 The Three 8’s – A powerful combination of testing and training that reveals your true ability and builds fatigue resistance.

💳 The AmEx Ride – FasCat’s signature terrain-driven session. No timers, no ERG, just smart execution and a mission: don’t come home without your prescribed OTS.

These workouts help you: ✔ build the engine ✔ touch high power ✔ improve repeatability ✔ arrive in spring ready for true interval work

Instead of peaking early, you’ll keep stacking fitness when it counts.

If you’re following a structured plan, this is the step many athletes miss.

Try These Workouts Yourself

They’re available inside the CoachCat AI app, where you can follow your training plan, track OTS and LEVEL, and get guidance based on your real data.

👉 Start your free 30-day trial /app

Have questions about winter training or how to balance intensity with base work?

Drop them in the comments.

And tell us:

Which workout looks the hardest? Which one would you skip if you could? 😈 00:00 Introduction 01:35 #1 The Cheetah Pounce 02:57 #2 The Sprint → Stalk → Catch 04:05 #3 The 3 Eight's 05:00 #4 The AmEx Ride