Ending SSB2LV - Plan and FTP change advice on next step

New to TR and indoor training, completed SSB1Mv and am almost done with SSB2Lv. I’ve had to drop intensity in each of the last 6 workouts (and opted for 60 min over the 2 prescribed 90 min). I’m good until ~43 minute mark or so, and then cadence drops, so I drop intensity. I’m rested and look forward to the rides. I planned to move to Sustained Build LV after next week, but I wonder what to change for the next step per the need to drop intensity.

My training goals are for century rides starting next spring, ranging 3k - 7k elevation changes. I did LSD training for events the last 2 years, so the TR program is much different for me. I intended to roll through the SSB1, SSB2, SB, Century plans.

I think I should reduce my FTP by a few points and repeat SSB2Lv again - or maybe just the last 2 weeks of it to finish ‘as intended’. Perhaps dropping FTP and doing SBlv is similar that way? I imagine that even if my ramp tests suggest I’ve improved, my adaptation to this training is taking longer than the prescribed plan?

Advice from your experience? Thank you!

At first glance It sounds like you are suffering a little with your muscle endurance. But i am a little confused when you say your cadence drops so you drop the intensity. Holding the power level is the important thing cadence is just a suggestion If you are solely dropping the power level because your cadence is falling below the suggested level, you may be just trying to spin at too high a cadence.

It definitely would not hurt to repeat the SSBLv 2 at a slightly lower FTP to help build up your muscle endurance if in fact that is your problem. You need to be able to make it through all the workouts at 100% if you can’t then your FTP is set too high regardless of what the ramp test is telling you. The Build Phase it where the work really started to ramp up so you will definitely start to suffer if your FTP is too high.

As far as your selected plan goes you wont go wrong with SSB1 & SSB2, SPB, and Century

I respectfully disagree with having to complete 100% of workouts at 100% intensity or your ftp is wrong…I would say most workouts at 100% intensity but often fatigue or outside issues (stress, lack of sleep, poor eating etc) will mean that need to drop intensity for some workouts.

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Robert Sims I agree 100%. I should have made my statement a little clearer as to the point i was trying to make. You “should” be able to finish every workout at 100% intensity at your current FTP, If in fact you are using the correct FTP. Does this mean you will “No” for the valid reasons you bring up. They all play a roll in whether or not you complete the workouts. There is something else going on here with regard to Mattpod’s post. The base phase is not meant to be hard. Taxing “Yes” but hard “No.” He mentions he is going into the workouts rested so your point about fatigue being a factor doesn’t seem to be an issue at face value. So if he is having to not only shorten his workouts by 30 minutes but also having to turn down the intensity he is using the wrong FTP.

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Build only gets harder so repeating ssb2 may be more beneficial than starting build and continuing to fail. You may be more fatigued than you know, and the easy week may have been just the thing to get you back on track, so repeating just the latter weeks, followed by the easy week could help.

Thank you everyone for your feedback, I think a bit of all could apply. “Taxing” vs “hard” is an apt distinction. 2 screenshots - Lamark and Kaiser. The Lamark ride suggests I should drop my FTP down 10 points, averaging NP over the 4x10s. I’d also agree with Patrick -I might be more tired than I know/understand…learning curve with this training. And with Robert’s feedback, I have no problem dropping when needed, but my last few rides are more of a bailout pattern I think.
Lamark Kaiser
Repeating a couple of weeks of ssb2 with 10 point reduction is likely the route - I’ll have a frame of reference to compare with.

Thanks for the feedback - anything else is very welcomed!

I would not drop your ftp. Just let the rest week do it’s thing and try again. I needed them every 4 weeks last year instead of the prescribed 6.

IMO, 6 week blocks without a rest week in between is extremely taxing on the body.

Some people are happy to do have a rest week every 5th week, others (like myself) every 4th.

I would love to get @mcneese.chad’s opinion on this, but personally, I’d split that 6 week in two blocks with a recovery week slotted between.

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It’s ‘coach chad approved’ to add in a week 6 after week 3 on the SSB plans.

That makes perfect sense. :+1:

As a normal guy, like all of us and not a Coach, my opinion really doesn’t matter that much. But I think its highly varied depending on each athlete. I think the 5-1 works for many people, but it may not for everyone.

I used to handle the 5 week loading well, but not so much in the last year. So I applied this adjustment option, as described by Nate, to my upcoming base. I start my SSB after Thanksgiving, so I will see how it goes. But I think the loading will be better for my now 45yo body.

look at it this way… The SSB2 will still be effective if you have your FTP set a little too low and can complete all of the workouts. Don’t forget that a range of power will provide a stimulus, and you don’t need to hit a thin razor’s edge target to get a benefit. You need to do work, rest, do a little more work (either by the higher .IF rides, or eventual increase in FTP), rest… I think I personally got pretty good at testing and thus sometimes the FTP setting was making some of the blocks harder than necessary. Failing workouts is a bit demoralizing, while dropping it now could get you to have better compliance with the plans and thus eventually a better response by the time you are done with the build.

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Keep going - we all have similar suffering. I was over 50, new to structured training, in ERG mode, and SSB1 and SSB2 was hard. It made me fatigued, and i’ve learnt not to follow plans without changing the plan when i feel tired.

The most important thing is not to get so tired/demotivated you stop training for a week or 2. I think the recent podcast describing ‘keep the framework’ rang true for me.

Sometimes I drop to 2 rides/week in SSB, or reduce to 1.30 to a 1.00, to drop the overall TSS.
I’ve added an extra rest week - in my next planned SSB2. (love the new calendar feature) When I look back at when I became tired/demotivated, it was when my TSS rose quite quickly over a few weeks, and I ended up not training for a couple of weeks. This time, I’m reducing the overall TSS a bit, to try and maintain more consistency.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and ideas. Similar to Ian’s note - I’m 50 next year and new to ERG and structured training. Learning curves. I’ll play around with the variables, add rest, press on, and enhance my understanding of “fatigue”, “hard”, and “taxing”. Really enjoying this training though, great fit for me! Thanks again!