I have done SSB base at MV and once at HV a few times. Never completed SSB build though.
POL is definitely easier and more manageable. I could have gone harder on the VO2 workouts but the Threshold, whilst manageable was perhaps a bit too tough.
I think for building FTP then SSB is probably the way to go. However for a longer term plan and general training format I really like POL as you only work hard a couple of times a week. Therefore it is certainly easier on the body than the SSB MV plans.
I also think that POL could offer better long term gains. No evidence personally though.
Not sure I agree with that in general and here is whyā¦ Iāve heard Polarized described by at least one coach as a simplified way to develop aerobic endurance and capacity. Iām of the same opinion. Iāve not heard one coach advocate throwing out a periodized season in favor of going pure polarized. I guess repeating the TR polarized plan over and over might make sense if the long-term goal is establishing a stronger aerobic engine.
However I think you can build a stronger aerobic engine (aerobic endurance and capacity) while following a more traditional progressive and periodized approach. Its a stretch to do that on 5 hours/week, but anyone that wants to invest 6-10 hours/week can simply prioritize more aerobic endurance work during each week. Doing that will result in a Pyramidal āPYRā intensity distribution. However the goal isnāt POL vs PYR, the goal is progressively developing capabilities over the course of a season. A simplified way of accomplishing that is to follow a TR LV base/build/specialty path, drop one workout, and adding 3 days of aerobic endurance. Older or newer? Knock down some of the interval work. Or buy off-the-shelf plans that have already designed that in and were designed to be either done inside or outside (and focused on outdoors on the weekends). On the TP store those plans are a one time expense (back to your main point of item 6). Or hire a coach.
See my point above, there are well thought out plans available from other well known and respected coaches. They are designed around the idea of always doing zone 2 / aerobic endurance, while periodizing and progressing. They are far more interesting and fun IMHO.
after talking to some friends and listening to this stephen seilerās ted talk, I was wondering if trying the polarized plans would be a good option.
has anyone tried them? has your ftp improved? did you see improvements when riding outdoors?..i know it sounds kind of stupid, but I fear that too much low intensity training will leave me a ālow intensity riderā , with lower power output and few capacity to dig deep and push hard both indoors and outdoors
it would be great if you could share your experience!
For me it was completly opposite of what you are afraid of. My sprint sucked before polarised and after polarized it still does, but Iām not targeting it at all. Iām training for sustained climbing somewhere between 4-60mins. (Local hillclimbing competition, best times on selected strava segments) After doing polarised my 1-10min power improved much more than before when I rode around sweet spot, my endurance improved too, but 10-60min power increased the least. Iām guessing its because of lower fatigue thanks to lot of Z2, and then I could really dig deep and finish intervals at upper end of target zone, sometimes even add repeats. All in all, after doing polarised I have my best fitness ever, and breaking power records all over the curve month after month. And Iām fairly trained, this is 3rd year with some structure and even before I was riding regularly since I got my first bike with training wheels.
Really?
Iām interested in pretty much the same thing as you: increasing my climbing habilities, so your post is really helpful!
I donāt compete or anything but I really enjoy giving everything during my outdoor weekend ride with my friends; and local climbs are the place where we really push it hard.
Awesome! Iām starting to think that it can be a good option
Thanks!
Interesting, glad youāre seeing results. Longer term Iād be interested to know if you plateau with polarised, or how much of your gains are from training novelty.
After a winter of polarised, I switched to pyramidal training. Polarised got me where I needed to be for racing after a long break, and with some long and low rides Iām more efficient in Z1 & Z2. Iām finding that pyramidal style training hasnāt given me power gains as much. On the flip side, repeatability, and endurance are better.
I based it on 8 week high volume, but customized it because I wanted something longer, and I stopped riding at trainer, so it was mix of this and garmin TT training plan. In the end it was 7 weeks base, 8 weeks build and 6 weeks specialty. Then it was my race day and now im repeating build. Still getting improvements.
Customized TR plan I would say, but I only stretched it and added volume based on my understanding from podcasts and other resources. So Iām fairly confident the goal and methods of getting there werent changed, just volume and time span.
I used the polarized plan without AT for two cycles of the plan. After that my progression levels looked like:
After I got into AT I used plan builder to make a plan and then, per @IvyAudrain, swapped the base phase for polarized. Now, after a couple of weeks, my progression levels look like:
To me it looks like AT is gradually changing the plan to a typical, non-polarized, plan after starting with a polarized plan. I donāt know if AT is smart enough to realize that I started with a polarized plan and then keep it polarized. @IvyAudrain any opinion of that?
Might help to know if you did all rides that were included in AT (inside rides and Garmin outside ones that fully count). Not to mention what your practice of accepting or rejecting adaptations was in the process.
I had a few outside rides that didnāt get counted but I did all of the prescribed rides indoors. When I got adaptation suggestions I blindly accepted them to see what would happen. It appears the the adaptations donāt keep the character of the plan (polarized). They just seem to crank every category up and downā¦
YEP Chadās advice is correct, and its important to keep in mind that while Adaptive Training is still in beta, the adaptations you are experiencing on a POL plan (or ina POL block) are not guaranteed to follow a polarized framework. These plans are still in their experimental phase and as such, we simply havenāt built for that edge case yet.
It would be worth getting in touch with support@trainerroad.com so they can check those adaptations out, and we can start documenting how the beta athletes are experiencing POL + AT to help improve it! Thanks in advance.
After my A event in January, I did Traditional Base MV, Polarized Base MV, and and now working my way through Polarized Build MV. Even though I havenāt been able to do as many long aerobic rides as I would have liked (in and out of lockdown several times this year), my FTP has gone from 255 in January to 280 (this is after about 3 years of structured training). Judging from how comfortable 16 min threshold intervals are feeling, I think I am due another FTP bump when I retest.
Due to just 2 intensity days, I have been able to also build up my running to 40k/25 miles per week while doing MV POL.
Iāve just started SSBLV2 and thinking of swapping it for the polarised plan. The thing is though, that on weekends I like to get out and ride. No intervals, just a social ride generally hard and could be anywhere from 60 minutes to four hours. Iām assuming this doesnāt align with the polarised aspect of the plan, but has anyone got any advice/experience with this? Will it greatly affect the outcome?
I like to stick with low volume so I can fit in a couple of these rides a week.
, with lower power output and few capacity to dig deep and push hard both indoors and outdoors
