Since this autumn I have been back on the bike doing structured training after a long break spanning a few years. I have been doing multiple base blocks and is currently finishing a two month build block. Suprisingly, this brought me back close to my prior peak.
As my build block is coming to an end I am not sure on how to progress. I have no A-race or such that I need to specialize or taper for. Which leads me to believe that doing any specialty phase related would be sub-optimal.
- What parameters should one look at to identify if base or build is most productive at my current fitness?
- Is it possible to create a goal oriented training plan that does not include speciality blocks?
Hey @Whatisfuzz 
Great questions! And congrats on matching your previous peak!
What parameters should one look at to identify if base or build is most productive at my current fitness?
Since you’re wrapping up a Build block and are right at your prior peak, dropping back to Base may be a step backward at this point. Base training is designed to lay down your aerobic foundation, but once that foundation is in place, you’re better served continuing to layer on intensity rather than rebuilding from underneath. The phases are designed to build on each other: Base establishes the aerobic groundwork and muscular endurance, Build raises your FTP and sharpens the more event-specific power demands (short, sustained, or general), and Specialty then refines that fitness toward a specific event type or rider profile.
That said, a return to Base can be useful as a mid-season reset, particularly if you’re feeling cooked from sustained high intensity or want to enter your next Build with a higher FTP underneath you. So it’s less about which is “more productive” in the abstract and more about where you are in your progression and how your body is responding.
Is it possible to create a goal oriented training plan that does not include speciality blocks?
You can, but you don’t necessarily need to avoid the Specialty phase either. You can always build a goal-based plan that will run you through the Base>>Build>>Specialty phases so you’d still get the full progression without needing a race date to anchor it. Something like “Getting Faster” or “General Fitness” as your goal works well for this. Plus is takes the guessing out of the equation, haha!
Lastly, the Specialty Phase is designed to pull your fitness from the top end rather than push it from the bottom, honing the specific energy systems that matter most for your event type/goal. Even without a race, that stimulus is different and valuable… it’s also a phase where you can gain freshness without losing fitness, which sets you up nicely for whatever comes next, whether that’s another Base block, a new Build, or a goal event down the road.
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Thank you for your reply.
I launched another build block but changed focus from general build to sustained power as I identified I needed more work around FTP to increase TTE.