I’ve done Vo2 workouts that were “Stretch” and marked them “Easy”. Followed with Vo2 workouts that were “Productive” and marked them as moderate. Monday I was given a Vo2 workout that was “Achievable” and it was dead easy. AT then raised my next two Vo2 workouts to “Stretch” but this morning downgraded both to “Achievable”. Me no understand.
At the same time my threshold (and to a point SS) workouts I marked as either Very Hard or All Out (I had to drop the intensity on one by 5% on the last two sets and still struggled). AT took two weeks to catch up but today I got a Threshold workout that pushed me (hard) but didn’t break me. Perfect.
TLDR; I marked the last Vo2 workout as easy and AT has just suggested I make the following two Vo2 workouts easier than originally planned.
For starters, comparing your results between Thresh and VO2 are potentially fallable purely from the disconnect that can happen for some riders, since TR directly connects VO2 as a percentage of Thresh. There are numerous threads on this as a topic, so I won’t go further than to say experience in one of those zones may well differ from the other as a result of you and your unique Thresh/VO2 relationship.
With respect to VO2 only, are you missing, skipping or doing something other than all the VO2 workouts assigned on the calendar? If you are missing even a single workout, that will lead to AT making downward changes from previously set or upgraded ones.
If someone marks a workout, any workout, especially more than once as very hard/all out I would imagine, irrespective of what the targeted system is, the following workout (of the same system) would be less intense?
I’ve never missed a Vo2 workout. In fact on the last one I raised the intensity by 5% on the last set and still marked it easy.
I’m not criticising AT’s methodology, just saying I don’t understand or am able to predict what it’s thinking.
Maybe, but maybe not. If said workout was a “Stretch” or “Breakthrough”, VH or AO might be totally appropriate… so any change to pending workout depends highly on what was already on the calendar. Essentially, until you look at all the potential variables and input, it’s not possible to summarize in short and simple ways as you suggest.
Good, just checking to see what might be at play here.
As ever, a direct message to TR may be the better route compared to the limited guessing we can do. That or maybe a TR rep will pick up on this and reply.
Sure, I got that in your OP. I was responded to your following post, that seemed more like a new/separate use case.
I’ve had cases were I was given a “Stretch” at the start of a plan phase. Completed it and gained whatever large-ish PL increase that was accompanying the change. Then the pending workout was adapted to be “Productive”. Hidden magic and again, not sure we can easily summarize or speculate since TR is not sharing details.
Hmm, do you think AT is dropping hints that you are the Pinocchio of rating workouts? Or maybe AT is focused on vo2 as secondary objective and leaving you enough rope to hang yourself on threshold or anaerobic or whatever the primary objective is?
The last Threshold workout I did (the one before today) was so hard I didn’t think I’d be able to continue with TR. Monday’s Vo2 workout, I thought meh, this was easy. And I suck at Vo2, Pre TR the majority of my focus was 20-50 min threshold workouts.
Oh, this is really interesting. Never thought of that!
On another note, 12 weeks in an I haven’t been scheduled any anaerobic work. And from the day I started TR to my A race there’s 16 weeks (Road Race Plan) and (thus far) not a single Anaerobic workout is scheduled from beginning of TR to Sept 10th.
I’m sure there’s method to the madness but it’s got me beat.
This is a whole separate topic, but it depends entirely on the selections you made when running Plan Builder.
If you choose one of the lower 2 options (Beg, Int) in the “Experience” section, you will be served more Base and Build phase if you are close enough to the A-Event that you can’t get a more typical 26 week, 3 phase plan. This is more likely to leave out the Anaerobic work vs the situation described below.
If you chose Adv/Exp level, you will get more Build and Specialty in a shortened plan.
As ever… it depends on several choices and conditions.
Just make sure to use the “review” stage of Plan Builder to see if you like the plan it generates. I open each phase and skim it. If I don’t like the layout, I click back to the Experience step and alter the choice, then run through to the Review again. I do that at least a couple of times before accepting any plan.
The general info TR gives for guidance is likely good in many cases, but those with more experience or specific preferences are best to test the options and dial in a plan that more closely meets their expectations.
