As I kinda said earlier, the bigger your shovel, the bigger hole you can dig, and the lighter your recovery week needs to be relative to your loading weeks in order for you to climb out.
On a slight tangent, I wonder whether it’s just a matter of hours/TSS or whether total kJ burned (and taken in) makes a difference? So would two theoretical riders doing exactly the same (relative) efforts and fuelling the same have different recovery needs if their FTPs were, say 250 watts and 350 watts? Or, same rider at 250 and 350 after sweet gains?
I think why I have noticed the recovery weeks being very light compared to a training week more than in the past, previous to PLs, is because AT does NOT adapt the recovery week based on your PLs at least it hasn’t for me.
So there can be a big disconnect between the ‘on’ and ‘off’ weeks where AT might suggest PL 6 endurance and tempo rides, PL 8 - 9 sweetspot and PL 6-7 threshold for training weeks, but only exclusively endurance workouts less than PL 2 on a recovery week.
For example,
Wk3 551 TSS
Wk4 160 TSS
That is only 29% of the TSS in the recovery week and is okay for 3 - 4 days but then represents significant detraining as can be clearly be seen on a performance management chart PMC
29% less TSS for a quarter of you training time, one week in four makes no sense to me unless seriously faitgued, in which case I at such a level of faitgue I suggest on has been over training. I can’t see that being optimal for 10 hour or less a week.
I understand the guard rails and importance of recovery, better more recovery than not enough.
I will keep an eye on fatigue and keep this conversation at the forefront of my mind. Been at this game for many years and the early ones burnout was an issue before learning about myself.
Why not sleep? Without going into it, the easy answer is because we’re not all the same, and assuming as much makes bad coaches. Some people get lots of days off, some hate days off, and it’s easy to try and accommodate both.
I think you will find, I said that repeatedly, recovery is very individual. I was questioning the point were its better to sleep instead of ride, which also will be very personal, however there might be a cut off?
The stress of getting ready for a ride at 24% I would suggest, for many far out ways the benefit.
Sorry that ride has click bait all ovet it. What is Corys weekly hours and TSS. Show a month or two, and how that fits in.
It is relative term. Not getting ready for a ride is zero stress. Getting ready for a ride is zero +, no matter the small amount, we are talking recovery, additional stress is not worth while. Generally No?
No. I quite like getting ready for a ride, it’s relaxing. Lots of people feel the same way.
Okay guy, really. You sure like to start your responses like this don’t you. Please find a new and more subtle way to imply someone’s dumb. If you’d like to actually engage in a discussion, I’m here for it but first, quit talking down to people or I’m out, and second please answer my question about why you feel the hours and TSS are relevant here? I was expecting some kind of rationale that was based in physiology and coaching experience (that’s how I’ve developed my philosophy on recovery) and not monopoly money like TSS.
After reading all of the posts, I realize I wasn’t clear in the OP about mid-week recovery rides vs recovery week. I was asking about mid-week recovery rides during a training block.
Earlier this week I took a full rest day but, in hindsight, may have benefited from a recovery ride like you describe. My hard session the day after was a bit rough.
I don’t know for sure if a full day off is more beneficial than a recovery ride or vice versa. I just haven’t paid too much attention. It’s certainly worth experimenting to see which works better for you
YMMV, I’ve found that I feel better with a recovery day versus a day off. I don’t necessarily focus on a % of FTP, but rather that I feel almost no pressure on the pedals. This tends to be around 60% of FTP. Much less than this it feels uncomfortable.
i do recovery because i know its needed. i do work for a block, and near the end i know i’m ready. if you are continually asking yourself if you should ride harder during recovery, perhaps you aren’t training properly. recovery gets rid of fatigue. recovery allows the next block to take place and be effective.
forget %ftp, just go easy. your body doesn’t understand %ftp. its just wanting to balance things up again.
The less pressure on the peddles, the more pressure on the butt