Saw the confession thread about what’s the dumbest thing you’ve done while training and made me think what’s something you do against TrainerRoad recommendations?
For me it’s being in the big ring while on the trainer, coming from a long course triathlon & time trial background I can’t get over the trainer feel when in the small ring, need my flywheel speed.
I eat Oreos with a glass of milk as a dessert after dinner pretty regularly. I just love them and figure if I’m burning 700+ kcal in a workout, I can spare 150-200 kcal for a couple Oreos because they bring me joy. I’m also on the lighter side of riders 140-150 lbs at 6’, so I’m not worried much about weight, especially living in Chicago-land where everything is pretty damn flat.
wait… are you suppose to be on the small ring ?
thats new to me…
I also mostly ignore coach Chad drills… 
Gearing in ERG is an entire discussion on it’s own.
But for reference, the info shared directly from TR in the app is as follows:
This suggestion prioritizes trainer response, and ignores the other advice they have shared on the podcast (see below).
The podcast comments lean towards choosing ERG gearing with an eye towards your outside riding needs. The rule of thumb is to try to match the flywheel speed to the majority of your events outside.
I always use big front, small back.
But i think that was the recommendation for the Halcyon IIRC.
Yeah there is a whole thread (several?) on this with some pretty strong opinions. I have an Elite trainer (I’m a loser!) and I’ve never put it in the small ring since I’ve owned it for any Zwift or TR workouts and I have about 600 workouts on it, all problem free. But if you look enough people will have strong opinions about why both of my choices should send me straight to purgatory.
But I am like you, I don’t read the TR text in the workouts or do the drills.
Yep that’s the recommendation for “road feel” reasons.
I generally delete the Ramp test out of my training plans and replace with the next weeks Tuesday workout. I haven’t tested in at least 6 months, I just keep adjusting my FTP to where I think it should be (little by little) by how the workouts are feeling and trending over time.
I don’t eat a lot, although I have yet to fail a workout at SSB high volume in 12 weeks so I must be ok
I ride outside & unstructured than would be recommend but if it were the other way around, I’d have quit TR by now. And despite my love of unstructuredness, the 2ish TR workouts/week at intensity are no doubt helping me get faster.
I went back to having my evening whiskey before dinner.
Also, I won’t do the ramp test anymore.
Also (sorry keep editing), I don’t do the drills or have the text on when doing indoor training.
Beer.
Wine. I was off the grapes for months. Remodeling a house, renting a house, x lost her job paying for her house, covid-19. Wait, I have a wine cellar sitting in the garage of the rental. Seems like it would be wise to reduce some of the bottles for the move back post remodel. Save some money. Right?
Nonetheless, I am still super fit. 5w kg. Climbing like a KOM. OK, I am full of it. I swear, after I move in or shortly there after I will get off the juice.
Common theme developing
Text off and never do the drills.
This.
Tie my FTP improvement to my sense of self-worth and spend the day or so after a disappointing ramp test mildly depressed and annoyed.
Fried food
Alcohol
Goal free outdoor tempo rides
Following absolutely no plan whatsoever
Is quite nice for a change, but part of me wants to get back into a routine!
I’m glad its not just me, I am on a dumb trainer anyway and ride to feel to some extent, a little over my goal watts for each interval.
This 
This with bells on
