Is this common? Over/Unders vs. Suprathreshold efforts

I just completed Sustained Build HV and as such, did quite a bit of sustained work at 105% of LT (working all the way up to 4x10 min - BlackHawk +5). These, of course, were very challenging, but at no point did I want to throw in the towel.

Now, I’m moving on to Century HV and am kicking it off with over-unders. Just did McAdie (4X12min) this morning and felt like the RPE was substantially higher than doing 4X10min at 105% LT. Didn’t adjust my FTP setting.

Granted this is an n=1 experience. Could be that I’m just having an off-day or not fully recovered, but from all of the O/U workouts I’ve done, this seems to be somewhat of a trend. I find them way harder than just settling into a slightly suprathreshold effort and maintaining for a similar duration. Curious to hear other’s experiences and wondering whether this is common.

There are already a few ‘Why are Over-Unders So Hard?!’ threads in the forum; search for them.

You’re not alone. O/U are nasty, from beginner to pro, they hurt everyone.

Enjoy! :laughing::tired_face:

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