Hi, so I’m currently on my first time finishing up SSBMV2 and I have to say its though and I’m now in the middle of a recovery week. Which is reminding me again that Z2 rides on a trainer are really really boring, even when I watch TV shows.
So now next up would be Build sustained power which has a 3week training 1 week recovery cycle as to what i have done now twice which is 6-1. Which I dont like because I would have almost double amount of recovery weeks.
So now to my situation/options
I cannot ride outside at all
I have no event planned for all of 2020
If I would ever have a goal it would be to do 5-6h+ rides with my dad in summer 2021. No racing at all
Option 1: go back to SSBMV1, repeat Base 1 and 2 a bunch
Option 2: just repeat SSBMV2 a bunch
Option 3: Ride every week twice in the build period
→ maybe too much fatigue?
Option 4: just stick with the plan
Plan to spend your recovery week learning new skills like improving nutrition. Listen to podcasts when riding easy on the bike and then enjoy the extra free time to work on your diet.
Coach Chad has talked about the Rest Weeks on the Podcast several times.
They are a guide. Some people just don’t need a full week of recovery, maybe a couple of days, whilst others might wish for more. It can also be dependant on which phase you’re in. The Build phase is noticeably more taxing than Base and often more so than Specialty.
Why not try adjusting your calendar? Give yourself three days recovery. See how you feel. Ready to hit the next training phase? You can always adjust your training to suit you
I couldn’t see a 6 week build block working well for most recreational athletes- I’ve stretched it to 4 weeks, but beyond that the quality of my workouts started declining. That said, it’s a highly individual thing and the only way to find your limits is to test them- and having no races on the horizon presents an opportunity to do so with little consequence to the rest of your season (provided you’re sensible about it, of course.)
Ultimately if your goal is simply to enjoy longer rides then both SSB or SuPB will get you there- beyond that it’s simply a question of what makes you more motivated to get on the bike. Personally I find build phases to be more so than SSB because of the variety, and also because the workouts (and overall load) are often quite challenging and present mini ‘obstacles’ to overcome- it’s really motivating when you succeed at those workouts that look downright impossible. That might be different for you though
I’m also a big fan of using a recovery week to focus on the little things that often get forgotten- cadence work, foam rolling more, technique work, creating more positive dietary/sleep habits etc. It seems to help me a bit in avoiding the recovery week pit of doom, and pays dividends longer term.
TBH if you’re training 6:1 (and not jst doing base training) then you aren’t going hard enough! 5 weeks is a MASSIVE Load of training to take on, and that rest week is when you absorb all of your hard work from the previous 3 weeks, maybe 4 weeks, but 6…seems way too high unless you are (and could be!) a physiological outlier who has hundreds of thousands of training miles in the legs…
Recovery rides and endurance rides aren’t “sexy” but you need to be okay with doing them if you’re looking to last in the sport. Just spinning the legs should feel nice after smashing it several times in a week, or after a build up. Jump into a slow zwift group ride, try to get into a show, put it on erg mode and change the cadence every five minutes to break it up.
For recovery rides recently I have just been getting on my gravel bike and riding the bike path near me for something different.
Thanks guys, exactly what I was searching for!
I will keep on with the current plan and maybe just reset after build phase and start a new cycle(skip specialty). Thank you all so much
just stick with the plan and don’t bother too much with the recovery rides,as doing petit bald knob etc gets pretty boring for 5 days. You could opt to go for a hike, or run, or do some weights , or yoga instead on the days you don’t ride
Stick to the plan is the easy answer, but you can absolutely keep repeating base 1 and 2 if you like. It all depends on your goals and what you want to do. This is your plan.
Now, I do think you should think about your motivations to do so. Build can be intimidating, but I think it’s a good experience.
I hope I can finish most of the workouts