Try alternates? Or choose breakthrough workouts?
All my PL levels dropped and my first VO2 workout was too easy, but I marked it “moderate” and then it adjusted all of the future ones in this phase - so AT should adjust, might just take a workout or two to adjust - instead of automatically “knowing”?
After several seasons training Full IM mid and high volumes, I found muy FTP plateau, I switch to 40K TT plan to increase my FTP and or my resistance close to FTP thus be able to ride closer to SS in my IM races, I feel I have been successful with my Z4 endurance but interesting my SS progression level has go down as my LT level goes up.
I am 6 weeks out of finishing the 40KTT and from starting my next IM TP to prepare for IM worlds in Utah next may.
Hope everybody has a great year!!!
Any thoughts @mcneese.chad @Jonathan @Nate_Pearson
Regards.
Enrique
I suspect you meant to tag Coach Chad Timmerman, and if so… you want @ chad (without the space).
Your feedback @mcneese.chad is very useful as well, I always read your comments and they are very valuables.
Copy that. Anytime I see Nate, Jon & “Chad” tagged… I suspect they are looking for Coach Chad. 
After looking at your post, I just don’t think it’s in my skillset to offer anything. I am barely informed WRT tri stuff and well short on coaching chops when compared to many others on the forum.
@chad any thoughts?
Here are my thoughts after completing SSBMV1 and the first four weeks of SSBMV2 using AT
First some background - I am a fairly fit road cyclist and have had a fairly similar FTP ‘peak’ for the last several seasons. I typically drop down to around 4.5 w/kg in the off season and can fairly easily get back to 4.8 w/kg and then have to really hone my fitness to get to 5 w/kg for a brief peak. I can maintain around 4.7-4.9 w/kg with various training loads and styles almost indefinitely. I normally do 700-900 TSS weeks, depending on where I am in a training cycle.
Further, this is my first time ‘strictly’ following a TR plan in several seasons as I found myself getting burned out due to the number of days of intensity. Prior to that I had followed the plans and significantly improved my fitness, but I was losing my love of training and riding. As such in 2020 and 2021 I built my own plans, two days of intensity a week, and either 2:1 or 3:1 ratio for work:recovery weeks. This left me in a mentally fresher state and I was always hungrier to train. I was not strictly polarized during this time, but I was close.
Broadly speaking, I really like what AT is doing, and the workout progressions seems positive. However, it is extremely hard for me to assess the system in any meaningful way due to two limitations - one mine and one TRs.
First, and simplest, mine: SSBMV2 has 1 VO2, 2 Threshold, 1 SS, and 1 Endurance day each week. This is not a base plan. I’d argue its also on the upper intensity limit for a build plan. Mentally I can’t wrap my head around doing 5 consecutive weeks with 4 days of intensity a week in base season. I am extremely concerned about burnout by the time the season starts.
Second, and more fundamental to AT - I don’t use the TR FTP assessments to assess my FTP. Thus, when I complete my custom workout FTP assessment it gives me a very high Threshold PL (which is minimally reduced because my FTP doesn’t undergo large changes). This means that AT has been consistently feeding me incredibly challenging threshold workouts twice a week. It is hard to separate this from what my experience would be if my threshold progression was starting at a more normal area.
The VO2 progression has been perfectly fine - and responsive to my feedback, so I am hopeful that AT has a solid foundation and these one-off user problems will eventually be isolated and resolved.
I look forward to when AT can modify workouts that aren’t part of a core TR plan, can alter the structure of a TR plan (rest week frequency), or the frequency of workouts within a plan instead of just adjusting the workouts themselves up or down. I feel that the move towards minimum effective dose should apply not only to the workouts, but also to the frequency of intensity within an athlete’s calendar
We might need a tighter relationship between threshold and SS. Ie threshold should raise it more.
Right now, it’s just based on our data and we were surprised that there wasn’t a stronger relationship. We think it might be due to the muscular endurance requirements for longer SS.
We’ll keep looking at it and update as we get more data.
Very good so far, once it can credit outdoor rides to better manage PL decay to what a rider is actually doing it will be perfect for me. Progressions and adaptations have been spot on.
When finish the TT training plan do you recommend jumping into the IM TP as planned or go with a Sweet spot TP?
Do what is planned.
Thank you Nate!!
Just thought I’d check what AT had in store for SSBMV2 again. I have been honest with assessments over the past couple of weeks.
Still looks far too hard and surely cannot be considered anything close to base. There is only one SS workout in the plan and that is top end of SS.
I’ve reached out to TR support as it doesn’t seem right.
Pretty good for me - Closing out SSBMid2 in the next 3 weeks.
Accepted all adaptations
Other than Xmas week been consistent with routines
Positives
Negatives
(Should state on the hardness of workouts, I seem to be better at the SS and Threshold, once I start doing sprints I think my weaknesses will show)
Overall Im really happy with AT - I really need to see what the next 6 months brings when I transition to Triathlon focus.
Interesting that your suggested plan isn’t too dissimilar. I’d say it still looks too hard for SSB.
So does AT rely on a ramp test result? I’ve never got on with ramp test and don’t think it’s a great way to determine my FTP. I tend to assess ftp by doing a 2x20 at estimated ftp or an alp du zwift effort and have historically got it about right. I might try the Kolie Moore Test after this block. 2x20 at ftp was 285w, could have gone a bit harder but that wasn’t the point, it was to see if ftp was set right and whether it was too easy and needed upping a bit or too hard and needed lowering. I think it is spot on.
It may be that a weakness in AT is that if a strength is SS or Threshold and you have good PL scores it keeps giving you workouts that are aimed at progressing these levels, my concern is that in SSB we are building foundations, not trying to have a hard workout 4 of the 5 workout days and while the plan is probably completable it would be mentally and probably physically exhausting.
Only indirectly, and it’s not restricted to just the Ramp Test. AT uses the rider’s Progression Levels to set and adjust the training plan. The PL’s are the real data metrics that drive the bus for AT.
FTP changes via any of TR’s tests or manual input (which would be needed for any non-TR test like the KM one) trigger a drop in Progression Levels. That is part of how TR “eases” us into the first part of any training phase (in addition to the redefined starting workout levels they determined via ML on all our/their past data).
FTP is still the primary driver in the sense that it is the anchor to the workouts, and leads to the definition of all the power targets in those workouts.
I don’t disagree that the intensity (irrespective of progression level) seems like a lot. As others have alluded to, SSBMV2 seems like a “pre-build” phase–a bridge between SSBMV1 and pick-your-favorite build. SSBMV1 is three days of SS, one day of threshold, one day of endurance. SSBMV2 is one day of SS, two days of threshold (one long blocks, one over/unders), one day of VO2max, and one day of endurance. Could one of those days of threshold (the longer blocks) be titrated down to SS? Probably–I’d guess you’d get 95% of the fitness gain with a lower likelihood of getting burnt out. But to my nose, the energy systems and physiologic adaptations targeted smell right.
As @mcneese.chad said, the ramp test/change in FTP is the starting point for AT. What I meant to suggest is that the plan could get adapted if on day 1 you did an FTP assessment.
What I’m sitting here pondering is the function of the TR ramp test. I’ve never done any other FTP assessment. My last ramp was 316 W; my intervals.icu eFTP is 312 W. Seems close enough. But the true function of the ramp test is to let the TR computers give you workouts, not accurately assess your FTP. Consequently, I wonder (and would be interested in input from the TR staff) if using a non-TR ramp FTP assessment produces suboptimal results for TR/PL changes. Of course, accurate input into AT with the surveys will help titrate things up and down. As in, should all athletes using TR be using the TR ramp for their workouts and if they feel it isn’t right for their FTP, use a different method for those purposes (eg, racing) but not use that in TR?
In my opinion, I think the reason SSB looks the way it does is, at least in part, a business/marketing decision. Doesn’t mean it won’t help you get faster, but there is more going into these plans than just science, I think.
Putting 2-3 hour Z2 trainer rides on a plan is a turn off to a lot of people. You can’t have plan/ride compliance if people don’t opt in in the first place.
This is where a coach helps out … I’ve had a coach look at me and say, “Yeah, I am in fact asking you to park your ass on the trainer for 3 hours. Let me know how it goes.” 
My 2c for base building … if the intensity is too much for you (as it can be for me) look at the TSS target of the Sat/Sun ride and just ride to that TSS in Z2. Obviously you’ll be on the bike longer.
For instance, instead of Mesachie +5 you could do Town Hill instead
If you can’t spare the extra time, then you’ll constantly be toeing the line between stress and intensity — which all of us do in some capacity if you train less than 12-15 hours a week.
Good luck🤘
I’ve liked it overall, my only complaints are that when you’re bad at the Ramp Test and have to manually shift your FTP, it resets your PLs and you’re faced with continuing to manually up the percentage increase for workouts or hope that you have your FTP sorted before the next block! I wish there was an option for those of us who don’t do well with the Ramp Tests to continue to adjust and tweak things without having a major dent in PLs occur.
Also, I added a mid-week endurance ride from the Train Now suggestion (West Vidette) but didn’t like how high my HR was so I adjusted it down to be a lower intensity, now AT has lowered my overall endurance from 5 down to 2.3? Had I known that would negatively affect my PLs so much, I would’ve chosen a lower workout or been more hesitant to adjust the workout intensity!
