Winter is coming. Which means that my workouts will shift from outdoor to indoor. But recently I noticed that I can not finish my indoor workouts anymore.
I started Ansel Adams -2, but failed. Frustrated I started Carillon -5… failed again. With anger I started Birling… finished it kinda, by the skin of my teeth.
I use Favero Assioma’s for outdoor and indoor workouts. Outdoor workouts with my FTP at 290 are perfect. Indoor I have a carpet dryer cooling me.
Who encounters this as well? And how did you cope with it? Should I just get back into it with SSB?
I’ve started structured training this summer riding outdoor. Did an (20min) FTP test before and after SSB1 and did 250 and 255. I’ve just got a Kickr Core and did a ramp test for the first time and it came at 237 (same 4iiii PM) (note: didn’t ride much the last three weeks because of the flu and bad weather). I also find that a indoor sweet spot at 237 feels much harder then riding sweet spot 255 outdoor. I guess that is because you can’t cheat indoor. It’s not that easy to hold steady power outside so just dropping below target for 10/15s could really help you and make it feel easy.
So what i suggest is do the ramp test (or 20min if you like that better) and use that number to continu the work inside.
I can do 2x20mins at 320w outside relatively comfortable, but 2x20 at 300w inside is a struggle, but manageable (i also use the assioma). Do a ramp test or just adjust your ftp down a little bit.
If i remember correctly, my outside ftp based on 20min test is like 316, but when i took the tr ramp test inside i got 285. Bumped it a little, and the workouts feel really good now.
Do you get the correct training stimulus when you lower your ftp? Since you actually have a higher ftp. But you just can not produce the wattages because of cooling issues?
If you do a workout you’ll feel in in your legs if you’re actually getting a workout. If you feel something is just to easy you can always up the workout or your FTP a bit. An FTP test is always just a snapshot of what you could do at that moment.
Yes, there are often differences between indoor and outdoor performance limits. As a result, step #1 is to perform an FTP test with your current indoor setup. Using a tested FTP or estimated FTP based on outside performance is like to lead to failures like you experienced.
Heat Management: Consider exactly how you have your indoor setup all done.
Do you have sufficient cooling? I mean something real like a solid Lasko Performance fan (or similar). Even two of them is commonly used. Couple that with trying to pull in cool air from outside if at all possible.
Seriously, I think insufficient cooling is an issue with far too many people. They use poor quality fans and assume they are working hard enough if they leave a pool of sweat at the end. IMHO, a pool of sweat is nothing more than a sign of poor cooling. Even in my hardest rides, if I have more than 5 drops of sweat on the floor, something is wrong.
Motivation: Do you have whatever you need to actually pull your best effort?
That may be videos, music, Zwift or other interactive game, or any other combination.
Do whatever YOU need to keep you into the efforts (or distracted) so you can put in a max effort when appropriate.
I’m measuring my heart rate variability. And I notice a trend downwards. I went from a baseline HRV of around 6.7 steadily downwards to 6.0 in about a month. Also each morning after more then 8 hours of sleep I still feel very tired (I have a 16 month old son).
Maybe I’m just fatigued… I will stop my build plan and start with a SSB LV1. See how that pans out.
Have you done indoor workouts during the summer or have you just been riding outdoors all the time?
I found that even though I’ve been riding at least 2x indoors all summer that once I started SSBMV I I had a lot of issues being uncomfortable on the bike for longer durations. It’s so static indoors that your body need to adapt to it. Give it a week or two and see if it feels better and take a new FTP-test because your present FTP is obviously not right for indoor workouts.
Echoing many above, firstly it takes time for my body to adapt to doing efforts on the trainer again after being away from it throughout the middle of the year. Secondly, my indoor threshold is in the region of 10-15 watts lower than outdoors. Don’t worry about it, just find your threshold indoors and let your training be based on that
I did some occasional workouts indoor. And I was able to finish them. Altough I think I was less fatigued.
I think I have to roll in to it slowly. Not going cold turkey from build outdoor workouts to indoor
Stubborn as I was I started my SSB LV1 with my current FTP of 290.
Mount field felt good. Upped the percentages to 106% to actually get in the lower sweetspot range.
When I have a look at your profile I’m not really sure why you decided to start with a MV-plan. It looks like you’ve been averaging around 300TSS/week for quite some time. I’m sure changing to LV is a more appropriate way of handling things and don’t forget that it’s easier now than it will be during SSB part II and later on in part I as well.
I really wonder how you can see look up a profile of someone. Never saw that option anywhere.
I did start SSB LV1. MV would be to much in combination with work and family. I do sprinkle in a extra sprint session a week of a outdoor or velodrome ride.
For lookup, many forum users names are the same as their TR app name. If so, it’s an easy bit of typing to swap your own name with the other name, in the website address.
