Now, I come probably from a way different angle. My training before these apps was a book, a program built from the book by myself, workouts created in Tacx’ workout editor, etc. A Word file to list the program by weeks.
So you can imagine my pleasure at discovering TR, SufferFest and the like. The price? Simple math on the number of hours I save and a conservative hourly rate makes it really worthwhile. “Always the same plans”? Unless I went out, found another book and did it all over again, yeah, pretty much always the same plans. I’ve been running with Daniels for a decade, he hasn’t updated his plans in the meantime.
So is TR good or bad? I’d answer that question by another: compared to what?
Ok, so where do you get the programs? The workouts? What do you use to store said programs and workouts, what playout app do you use to run the workouts?
Just an odd comment for you to boost. Lots of good comments of support in this thread that didn’t disparage people in this thread, were much more conducive to a productive debate, and were more in line with the forum ethos of “Be excellent to each other”.
but seriously, fact of the matter a lot of us are 40+, i’m fairly certain, what is the point in bickering over training methods, trying to cling to the last vestiges of our youth? ultimately, the debate here is not going to make anyone better, at some point people are going to have to agree to disagree and just go with the training that motivates them and allows them to accomplish their goals.
After 18 months on TR HV plans for gravel racing, doing SSB multiple times, and watching their videos and others including Dylan, I’ve devised the current plan. Use TR for tracking and building plans but removing some of the intensity to keep my HRV in line. Never miss a Dylan Johnson episode for the science of performance improvement. Watch TR when I want to hear about anecdotal experience and social issues and psychology that I don’t really need, but can be entertaining. But mostly watch videos of motivational music or education on non fitness related topics, or live sports.
This^, to me, highlights the benefit of TrainerRoad.
Anyone of us on this forum has enough training knowledge to lay out a single z2 or a v02 workout. We can all build a training week, and probably even a solid training block.
But, after 3 weeks of that 6 hour plan above, then what? Are you going to do that same structure, or some variant of that from the beginning of the year through the end of the season? Are you sure you wont stagnate doing the same thing? Do you have the knowledge, experience, and/or confidence to write a progressive, specific, and targeted plan from there? You very well may (from reading some of your past comments, you likely do.) I don’t believe I do, and would probably spiral myself out of fitness trying to do so.
I do not doubt that trainerroad isn’t the optimal balance of intensity, recovery, and z2 endurance work. I do believe that the losses I mitigate by following the plans and having something phased and structured on my calendar from October to my A race in June equate to less losses than I’ll face if by choosing the wrong training model: polarized vs. vs. threshold vs. pyrimidal etc.
18 posts since I started typing this response… people must have 15 minutes of work left and are slacking off… like me
), dinner’s on me.
