I don’t see a plan choice in Planbuilder to set up a polarized plan. What am I missing?
Nothing, I don’t believe its part of plan builder at this time.
Correct, Polarized plans are still in the “Experimental” phase, and will not be available in Plan Builder until they are fully released and integrated.
So, you need to apply the POL plan via the web access, not the TR apps. At that point, you can run the plan via the TR apps.
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It is possible to change the base and build phases to polarised using the calendar annotations but only after Plan Builder has previously been used to schedule these phases as one of the officially released plans.
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Yes, that is true, and a bit of a hack, but I am told that has worked. I am not sure how it handles aspects like any potential differences if you swap between plans with a different timing (6 weeks vs 8 weeks)?
This may not be a problem, but PB can often add abbreviated plans or segments that may not match the defaults of the 6/8 week POL plans.
From what I’ve seen you it works in the same way as for other plans, which can still be swapped even when abbreviated. You only have the option of the 6-week polarised plan for base and 8-week for build.
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Good to know. A funny thing then comes from the basic approach where TR applies a SSB1 for 6 weeks, and then SSB2 for 6 weeks as well, before moving to a Build of 8 weeks. If this is what lands on the calendar from PB, would people repeat the POL 6 week base, or scrap the PB and move to the 8 week Build?
So, tell me how to get Plan Builder to use Traditional Base. That has been fully released for many years.
That’s a question best directed to TR.
I have only learned about the POL hack from others here and have no inside knowledge or pull on this or any other topic.
You need to enable the beta ‘special snowflake’ option in the app and then it appears 
Just seems VERY odd that this never appears even if you tell PB you have very large amounts of time to train each week…
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Then don’t you think saying “will not be available in PB until …” is a stretch?
Maybe, maybe not. It’s a guess/speculation by a guy from the outside.
Those plans were a hack, haphazardly released to extinguish a PR fire. TR doesn’t have a good understanding, interest or incentives for further development.
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From a forum moderator it can be viewed as inside knowledge and set expectations that it is going to happen.
I guess. Maybe I should add a lengthy footer to all my messages, clarifying my role here?
First draft: I am an unpaid volunteer & NOT a TrainerRoad employee. Take my comments for that they are, nothing more and certainly not inside info. Place more weight on comments from actual TrainerRoad employees, as seen with the red & white star icon by their forum symbol.
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Thanks! That opened a flurry quick.
I posted a month or so ago about the old guy (52) problem with essentially 3 “difficult”/Hard sessions per week and added SS in the normal mid vol plans I’ve followed. I have hit an all time FTP in the process but fear burnout by fall races (a common prob for me).
A lot of guys said go LOW vol and add more Z2 which looks a lot like a polarized plan as much as I understand (2 hard days and the rest Z2 – include a longer day on the weekend). With SBT GRVL as a goal, I’m feeling like more easy volume and a couple hard days would be better than the typical PB plan)
This seems a bit easier to set up that the monkeying with everything piecemeal style…No???
Final Q, if I go the low vol and add lots of Z2, do the interval days need to be any harder than the TR prescription since it doesn’t “know” how I’m tweaking it?? The “Big Cat” (Frank O) and Seiler seem to say ints need to be “full gas”. Does that mean as F’n hard as you can go for the length of a given interval??
This is really what Plan Builder comprehensively is meant to address (and is an area that Adaptive Training will eventually account for, by considering those unstructured rides).
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you are roughly 11 weeks away from SBT Gravel. My personal rule of thumb is to have fitness fully baked 3 weeks ahead of an event. So if you buy into that, its 8 weeks of hard training, or two 4-week blocks plus a gradual sharpening/taper in my world. Getting better recommendations (from a coach or the Internet) would likely involve a discussion around your training age, what works for you (from recovery POV), recent training, etc. What I would do may not be best for you.
Assume you are talking about the polarized plan AND intervals above threshold… I believe the answer is yes, researchers and coaches like Frank O & Tim C are typically focused on repeatable max efforts for VO2max. Coach Chad’s notes on many VO2max workouts say the same, but not everyone reads those and its often missed if you train indoors in Erg mode.
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Ivy-not sure if you saw the start of this thread, but it stemmed from me being older (52) and PB puts 3 “difficult” days in per week and that’s too much intensity when a weekly SS day is also moderately hard. I tend to burn out in the fall as my season is full tilt. I was hoping to do something more “polarized “ —I’m a loyal pod listener and hear all the discussion about the topic as well as those on the other pods, so my polarized idea was two hard days and more vol in z2 to keep that base without the burnout. All that is in the thread—I can’t wait for adaptive and am on the waitlist. I’ve been building for Wilmington WF 100k but got canceled.
Long story short—need to refocus the plan for SBT GRVL and then Michigan mtb fall races. Does my approach make sense?
I do ERG in the Michigan winter. Outside now.