I must have missed a communication/update on this but I recall upcoming workouts used to have a Difficulty Level assigned to them eg; Achievable, Productive, Stretch, Breakthrough etc.. but I don’t see this anymore.
Case in point being tomorrows workout, which is a VO2 Max 7.0 Progression Level vs my current PL which is 5.8, I would have expected to see this identified as a “Stretch” Difficulty Level.
It looks a bit daunting to be honest, so I’d feel better substituting it for something a little lower if I knew it was rated as a “Stretch” Difficulty Level.
My understanding (based on previous threads where people commented on TrainNow suggesting workouts far above their current PL) is that the algorithm has evolved so that if you’re getting a 7.0 in your calendar it’s because it thinks you can handle it. I suspect they removed the labels because they’re not really accurate anymore—if you can handle this workout, is it really a “stretch”?
Also, don’t count your difficulty levels before they’re actually loaded up and ready to roll. I’ve had the algorithm put a very “stretch” workout on my schedule for the following week, then adapt it down to something more doable the day of the workout. Not clear why it does it this way, but especially between weeks (i.e. a Monday or Tuesday workout) it seems to wait till day-of to actually correct a PL.
My memory’s a bit fuzzy on the details of who & via which medium, but several months ago somebody at TR said that these difficulty classifications were “going away”. Possibly Nate, on a podcast episode or one of the new feature announcement threads.
We’ve moved away from those difficulty levels in most places, as we found that they were often distracting.
It looks a bit daunting to be honest, so I’d feel better substituting it for something a little lower if I knew it was rated as a “Stretch” Difficulty Level.
This is a great example of why we think those labels can be unproductive and distracting. The workout we’ve prescribed is likely a really solid one for you, but if it were listed as a “Stretch” or “Breakthrough,” you might fear the workout and look for a replacement, which would likely bring on a sub-par experience for you.
It’s always best to give the prescribed workout a shot to see how it goes. Those pesky difficulty ratings and workout levels can be distracting, but try your best to see through them for the time being. You’ll likely surprise yourself!
I’ve noticed this as well. TR seems to change workouts significantly more often now, sometimes flipping the same workout back and forth multiple times a week.
That workout went surprisingly well
I rated it as Moderate even though on paper it looked like it was at least going to be Hard if not Very Hard.
Thanks all for the replies!
This is a great example of why we think those labels can be unproductive and distracting. The workout we’ve prescribed is likely a really solid one for you, but if it were listed as a “Stretch” or “Breakthrough,” you might fear the workout and look for a replacement, which would likely bring on a sub-par experience for you.