General Build Phase

This may have been answered previously but I couldn’t find it.

I am just finishing sweet spot base low volume. I am an amateur and this is only my second off season doing interval training. I found adding a Sunday ride to the sweet spot base plan was sustainable and usually added a 1:30 to 1:45 min low intensity Sunday ride. Partly because I have the time and partly to increase TSS. For the low volume general Build Phase upcoming I will be doing significantly less TSS if I don’t add a Sunday ride. My question is what to add. Sweet spot, threshold or continue adding zone 2 work. Any thoughts? I have no specific goals. I do some gravel racing in spring, a few 2hr mountain bike races in summer and race cross in fall… all just for fun and only mildly competitively.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

This is a worthwhile read, related to the change and differences in TSS between phases.

In general, if you add rides, be attentive to how you handle them and adjust as needed.

Fantastic read! Thanks for the quick reply.

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I’ll just add that I’ve had no problems completing SSBMV, usually doing plus versions of some workouts (VO2max stuff and Mary Austin this last time), but MV builds have wrecked me two out of three times through. Grant, once was right after a baby was born. This time through short power build I’m in the gutter with a week left. Build is a different animal.

I’d roll with LV as planned, and if you feel good, add a 90 min zone 2 on the weekend… but see how it feels. Build is just… different.

Hello,
Is there anyone who is following general build now? I am on the fourth week which is rest week and next Tuesday is ramp test day and i cant wait to see the results.

I would like to learn who is also following general build or just finished it about their gains. I did 12 weeks base high volume before that and gained a lot and i am not new cyclist but new to trainerroad (297w to 320w with 77 kg).