bigger (for last couple of months anyhows) easy ride today of 65tss and ~0.5 if for two hours. This actually reduced my prediction FTP to below current, it also changed tomorrow to easy Z2 session.
Had more z2 into the plan with 4 days and volume check regularly suggested 3 hard days only.
I’m sticking with the 3 day suggestions but soon (when clocks change in the UK) weds will be club post work smash fests instead of session so really want something on Tuesday too. Some easy Z2 sounds right up my street but the AI overlord doesn’t really like that now, I don’t really want to fight it cos tbh it’s giving me cracking picks normally.
I’m sort of here to discuss how to work with the plan to let it know I can put in more volume. Currently I can see why it thinks I can’t do it as I’ve not put much in for the last few months (f**k winter!) but I reckon 30 or 45 minutes at Z2 should be doable.
Add it in with train now and revert the change until it stops? Build the plan to do it scheduled?
Train now does mean if I’m tired I can skip it. There’s going to be longer weekend rides again now it’s getting nicer too.
My calendar is open on this name if y’all want to see last year
This might buck the trend of TR philosophy, but looking at your calendar you might benefit from taking a step back from intensity and focus on building up volume. Scrolling back a year through your calendar you (most of the time) have three days of intensity, often two of them back to back in a week. And you have done this for a long time. Your body may benefit from a “new stimulus.”
Here’s what I would do… take a few weeks off weight lifting and other extra activities and if your schedule allows slowly build up volume and number of days riding. (Working up to 5 or maybe 6 if you can). If you do intensity maybe a tempo and an endurance ride that has some accelerations. Once your body adjusts. Add in some weight lifting, and then when it adjusts again some intensity. Personally I think you might be a good candidate for a masters plan with more endurance. Of course this is all dependent on time an availability and route logistics, but I think you could really benefit by just riding more. Try one rotating one day outside, one day inside to mix it up if you can.
I’m time limited per day but not day limited if that’s not totally insane. I can do every week day but no more than 60mins after work for inside stuff.
Might try your idea of switching to more days in a masters format and see what plan builder gives me.
Not related to Z2, but the other thing standing out to me is you’ve maxxed out sweetspot for that duration. VO2 on the other hand has a lot more room to grow. You could swap your VO2 & sweetspot: do SS on the days you have an hour & then VO2s on the days you only have 45 minutes.
Any time you add a day, it really triggers wave of reactions in a training plan. Even through it is maybe easy, it is still a change, by a fairly decent percent (especially in your case without a long ride to balloon total TSS consistently).
I would just add the days in, keep them fairly easy. Let the AI adjust, do the work, see the adjustments over a couple AI cycles.
Unfortunatelly it sure does seem that even with a big base and history of years of high TSS, often it just looks at what seems a super short recent period. It is always trying to hold back, so just 20 TSS of easy spinning… OH NO… better put that vo2 4.3WL down to 3.7 when you are already at a 4.4…. even if you rate it just ‘hard’… the next week it recommends a 3.6WL…. the cycle does spiral regardless of response.