I am in the middle of a sweet spot base low volume plan, due to my limited amount of training time. My question. Would it be beneficial at all to replace one of my 3 rides a week with a 2 hr endurance ride. For weight loss and power on the bike. Thank you for your thoughts.
If you took one of the rides and replaced it with a 2 hour endurance ride it would likely help with weight loss, but probably not power on the bike. An alternative would be to take the scheduled workout you have and do a + version of it which usually adds more time. For example, Eclipse is in the SSB 1 LV plan as a 90 minute ride. If you look at the workout variations there is a +1 version at 1:45 and a +3 version at 2:00.
The IF is similar despite the longer workouts so they will be more difficult, hence the + designation. So, you’ll burn a few more calories and get fitter. Generally though, you can’t out-cycle a bad diet, so if you are trying to lose weight what you eat is where you should focus first.
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Would my FTP drop or would I probably just not see an increase?
Everyone is different and the amount fitness you have and history of structured training coming into it has a large bearing. But my hypothesis is that if you substituted a shorter more intense workout for a longer less intense one, I would expect to see you likely see less of a gain or hold in FTP but be able to sustain a higher percentage of it for longer (increase in endurance).
Seriously, if you’re looking to lose weight and gain power, I’d keep the 3 high intensity rides as per the Low Volume plan and just focus on your diet. If you think that more exercise on the bike is going to be beneficial, I’d just slide in some additional easy rides. 30 mins or 45 mins of Lazy Mountain, Recess or Carter extra 1-2 times a week will help with the fat loss, but won’t fatigue you so that you can’t do the planned workouts.
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Thank you Julian. I really appreciate your time. You’ve been a big help.
No problem. Whenever I’ve stayed disciplined to meal prepping, I’ve found that my nutrition is more dialed in. Might be something worth trying.