Failed yet another workout, what are my options at this point?

My last workout was on Friday which was Izaak Walton -2 which I managed to push though despite stopping 6-7 times to back pedal. I skipped Mondays planned boltinghouse due to leg soreness. Today I did Spanish Needle -2 and made it less than 20 minutes into the workout before calling it quits to due to excessive leg pain.

AT has me doing Karakoram +2 on Friday. If I fail this next workout what are my options? I was thinking of taking 2 weeks off and just riding outside at my usual outside non-traning pace and start my plans again or just leaving Trainer Road all together. My FTP is currently a pathetic 225 which I know is terrible, but seems I can’t move past this.

The only thing I can think of that has changed is that I started a new job and I’m now training in the morning instead of after work. Could it be my muscles aren’t loosened up this early? And also Ive been eating a larger breakfast and snaking throughout the day after that with a small salad or wrap as a dinner.

Which plan are you following? You could use ai ftp detection and see what it thinks your ftp is.

Personally I haven’t really been able to complete harder indoor workouts since about May because it’s just too warm inside. Outside I’m breaking PRs left and right though So that’s another factor to take into consideration besides rest and nutrition.

And really a failed workout is no big deal, it means you really gave it your best and you still get some training benefit

Your ftp isn’t pathetic it’s just a training benchmark, when was the last time you did a ftp test or used the AI ftp? Imo, if you couldn’t do a 2.1 threshold workout your training benchmark (ftp) is probably not accurate. Not trying to discourage you but with a more accurate number you’ll progress faster than a number that isn’t accurate. Also life factors could be a play, working out in the morning takes some getting used too.
If I were you I’d run the AI ftp or do a ftp test whichever one you prefer, accept the number, don’t let it get you down. You’ll have better luck with training with a accurate ftp.

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you shouldn’t be feeling pain. If so, seems like some kind of injury that you need to treat. If it’s just discomfort and soreness, then some time off would probably do you good. I’m assuming you are somewhat new to structured training based on your question, so I’ll say, listen to your body. If you have increased your TSS recently due to training, this could be a sign that you are doing more than is productive. Take some time off, ease back into it with less volume and see if you are fresher to be able to tackle those hard days.

As far as timing goes, you may try to extend the warmup. If you are training semi-fasted, then that can definitely make a workout slightly harder. I workout at 4:45AM and do it fasted as well, so I know that it can take a while to warm up. For harder workouts, some caffeine and a gel can get you going if you don’t have time to eat beforehand.

Currently low volume, rolling road race.

If I were in your shoes I would be looking at the reasons why I am failing these workouts. Have you completed these workouts at this level before? Or are they simply harder workouts that are challenging you?

You said “leg pain” had you stop. What leg pain? Injury pain? Or just burning/tiredness? If its DOMS that should have gotten more manageable within that first set.

If its injury, don’t force yourself through it. Get looked at by a professional.

Indoors, check:

Cooling (how is your airflow?)
Fueling (Are you coming in well fed? Taking carbs while riding?)
Diet (You mention what you are eating, are you actively trying to lose weight and running a deficit? Maybe its too much?)
FTP (is it set correctly? Do you have a repeatable range?)
Heartrate (Is it fairly close to what it should be for your power?)

Everything being good with those things, turn down the intensity and try to finish the workout. See how you feel.

Good luck!

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Big ouch to those of us who are working our way UP towards such FTPs!

:wink::slightly_smiling_face:

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Your FTP aid your’s, so it is not pathetic. Mine was below that when I tested at the beginning of my plan. My starting FTP was down almost 50 watts from last fall. It is just a number or gauge to tell you how hard you should be working. I would retest after a bit of a rest. Or just know the test might be lower. Trust the workouts. I had a “bad” test and found the workouts were too easy after the first week of the current block. Instead of retesting right away I bumped the workouts by 3-10% for about 14 days then used AI FTP to set my FTP for the reminder of the block. Maybe turn the next few workouts down 3-5% and see how they go.

As others have said, if there is pain STOP. If the pain is just related to the effort then a few days rest and FTP check should make sure the workouts are at the right intensity for you. Good Luck and keep up the work. I am currently at the highest watts/kg I have ever been. Resting after my A race, then starting new plan next week. Going to work on something new for me to see how I adapt to that.

Have you completed the specialty phase in the past? For what its worth, I would crash and burn during build. My issue was simply not getting enough base by following the TR SSB1 SSB2 flow. Solved it by putting down more endurance miles, about 4-6 hours/week, and doing that for 4+ months.

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Regarding FTP, everyone wants to improve. Everyone on this board would like a higher FTP. Pros all want to improve.

Everyone is trying to find that workout intensity that is achievable (able to achieve, not the TR use), repeatable (meaning it doesn’t dig them into a hole), and most efficiently builds fitness.

That feeling you get like you are going slow, sucking wind up a climb, and your legs are burning, and you are feeling weak and wondering if you’ll be able to stay with everyone? Pros feel that exact same way at 400 watts.

All of this is relative. As Greg Lemond said, “it never gets easier. You just go faster.” I love this quote and think about it all the time. Doing threshold workouts at 315 watts hurts just as bad as when I started doing them at 220 watts.

My point is your FTP isn’t “pathetic”. It’s just your number at this time. It is your current fitness level measured a certain way. And you can totally improve it.

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Did you do the full Base and Build phases prior to Specialty? If so, how did those go? I ask because that Specialty plan is 3 VO2 or Anaerobic workouts a week, and I can see that crushing anyone, even with zero additional “off plan” workouts.