Same experience for me.
Iām still at the āthought experimentā stage. This is my first time on TR although Iām used to ~600 hours/year semi-structured.
One thing I donāt think weāve mentioned is the mental load of doing supra-threshold efforts. For example, I donāt think I could do vo2 max and threshold workouts year round, so that has to be taken into account.
Whatever I decide to do, Iāll endeavour to provide some kind of update to see how it goes
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So speaking to this, I did HV with even MORE volume and I have to say, having now transitioned to a more MV style week with still a lot of volume. Iām starting to fail workouts. I failed 1 workout in 12 weeks doing my HV stuff.
Iām on a TR SSB programme for the first time. I am in week 2 of SSB HV2 and also a little perplexed as to how I am going to adapt to SusPB having not ridden above SST for months if you account for SSB base 1&2 and for the off-season before that.
I am assuming it is doable otherwise TR would not of created it this way or / and recommended it as part of plan builder.
Has anyone transitioned from HV to MV training and, if so, do you have any tips or suggestions?
Iāve been fortunate enough to do HV plans for the last year or so. However, I think it is really starting to wear on me. Iāve struggled to complete nearly every supra-threshold and VO2 workout in SusPB. Plus Iāve moved and now have a much longer commute.
I donāt race and primarily do fondos and centuries. However, I get a lot of satisfaction from the process of training and maintaining fitness, and donāt want to give it up.
Iām thinking about doing SSB-HV following SusPB because I also feel that I need a break from intensity. SSB-MV still has threshold and VO2 work, and I did SSB-MV before SusPB so I donāt really want to do it again. Iām a bit OCD about completing all of the workouts as prescribed but think Iāll be disciplined enough to reduce the mid-week 1-hour SS ride to endurance if I continue to struggle. Once SSB is done Iāll have Plan Builder map out a MV plan for the spring and summer (Iāve already put SSB-HV where Plan Builder would put SSB-MV).
Thoughts, comments, and constructive feedback appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Just poking my head into this thread, SSB2 HV was awesome until it wasnāt lol Iām in week 5 and nailed a tough workout Tuesday, but I knew yesterday and today would be dicey because of some other life stuff. I had to drive down to my hometown yesterday to attend a family memberās funeral and didnāt have a good eating day so when I tried Galena late in the afternoon I had to back off the 94 and 92% intervals. Today was wright peak -1, which I had nailed last weekend but riding in the morning really made it hard because I wasnāt completely recovered from yesterday. Not going to give myself a hard time, after many weeks of quality SS work.
I had thought about subbing the weekend SS for long endurance to switch things up a bit, and given my last couple of days I think Iāll go with that approach, so I may do back to back 3hr rides this weekend (would love to go 4hrs, but thatās a big jump mentally to sit on the trainer vs 2hr sessions)
Goal is to sustained power HV next
Seriously, Tallac+4 in the final week of SSBHV 2. That was horrible this morning! Iām surprised I was able to finish that.
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I ended up going with big mountain in lieu of that one. About the same tss (I set my target 2% higher) but obviously easier (although debatable that 3hrs on a trainer is easier lol). Iām hoping to repeat it tomorrow, ideally I would have done 3.5-4hr rides, but it takes a special kind of crazy to jump right up to that length indoors.
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I am in exactly the same situation as you. Currently at the end of HV general build and am just fried.
This will be my 3rd year of HV now. I usually get to the point where the weather is getting better and I just abandon the plan at whatever stage Iām at and go back to unstructured riding.
However, this year I am really struggling. More mentally than physically. Those long intervals coupled with the shorter ones that I barely feel able to complete have worn me down.
Therefore, I am seriously considering dropping to MV just to try and get the routine and compliance back.
I must confess that I do question the efficacy of HV. Every year I nail base volume 1 &2 with 100% compliance, then it all starts going wrong during build. Maybe it needs looking at by the TR team as it seems like Iām not on my own in this regard. I suspect the ramp up in intensity is a little too aggressive.
Itās been my experience that MV Builds actually have more intensity for a lack of volume. Iāve now done 4 MV Builds in the past and each one has torn me down. Looking at the comparison of MV vs HV Build plans (ShortPB), the HV looks more doable with less intensity. I have yet to do a HV Build, that starts after next weeks recovery, but Iām hoping I will feel better than I did on MV.
As Iām about to finish SSBHV 1 & 2 for the first time, I find it better/more productive than SSB MV. Personally, I feel the SSB MV plans have too much intensity. Almost 3 years into structured training with TR, Iām coming to the conclusion that TR puts a bit too much intensity in their plans. At least thatās the case for me. Since clearly I can handle volume, as I still feel pretty good after SSBHV 2, itās the intensity that seems to be overwhelming.
Looking at the difficulty/intensity level of each dayās workout in the MV vs HV ShortPB plans, it appears that HV will be a better option for me. I just wonder if possibly that Wednesday workout would be better served as an āEasyā day.
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I will try to tackle the SSHV 1, but most likely omit the Z2 ride to get two days off the bike.
I know there is #FTFP but, I do not think taking this session would have any large impact on the overall training adaptions.
Wish me luck.
I did 4 hours Z1-Z2 once. It was like I had ran a stinky humidifier in my house for 4 hours. Exactly like that
I did HV sus power build last year, but not after HV base since I had done my own thing. The first 4 weeks went great. The wheels came off after a jump from ramp test at the mid-way point. Maybe it was a brittle fitness thing, Iām not sure.
I do wonder if the progression is just too much for me since I am at a point of being highly trained compared to maybe the average user. The plans seem to progress having increased fitness baked in, so it is a double whammy for me when there is a step change in targets after a jump in estimated FTP after a ramp test.
I had grand plans to do another 3hr endurance ride after yesterdayās 3hr session but I just did the last workout of ssb2 hv. Gonna enjoy the heck out of the easy week
Last week, I decided to stop the HV build plan, because it has way too much intensity for me. Just like last year, I finished SSBHV1&2 with 100% compliance and just a handful of tough days. Last year, I felt bad after the first 3 weeks of build and had to take 2 weeks of the bike.
This year, I had 3 weeks of holiday around Christmas and New Year (thanks to COVID 
) in which I could do the first 3 weeks of the build phase. So, this time I really focused on maximizing my recovery: going to bed early, eating healthy and enough, minimizing other stress, etc. The 3 weeks of build went fine, recovery week too, but during the ramp test, I was lacking the mental strength to keep pushing.
Last year, I also noticed that my mental strength was low after a lot of intensity rides. I think I can handle the intensity physically if I pay a lot of attention to recovery, but I cannot handle it mentally. I also start to understand why only 1-2 high intensity sessions are advised by other coaches. So, last week, I decided to try something completely different: a lot of Z2 riding, which I enjoy, with only 1-2 short intensity rides per week and limited VO2max work. That is closer to what I used to do in the past (high volume Z2). Letās see what it brings!
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