I love doing outdoor workouts - I think it’s a game-changer. However, I have always wondered what is the best practice for when to stop the session. Let me explain:
You get your prescribed workout load it to your head unit then go out and complete it to the best of your ability. However, I can often be still 15 mins to 30 mins from home when the session is done. So my question really is when should I end the ride
Option one
Press stop as soon as the workout is done - then start a new ride (often this is just a zone 2 15/30 mins spin back home.
Just press resume and record the total ride as one.
My gut reaction is two separate rides that way AT can see the prescribed workout has been done and that the extra is unplanned.
What is the right way and which works better for adaptive training?
I just let the workout continue like an extended cooldown. I don‘t think this interferes with AT. If you go to the „what workout did you do today“-thread you’ll see many examples of people extending their cooldown or adding Z2 at the end. I don’t think it really matters whether you end the ride and start a new one. That just clutters up the calender
As things stand, AT doesn’t look at compliance with outdoor workouts as I understand it? Also AT doesn’t give you any benefit for extended warm up or cool down inside, so doubt it matters outside.
Don’t worry about it AT only looks at your post ride survey and doesn’t actually analyse the ride so it doesn’t really matter. The TR notes say something like Xmins of cooldown but cooldown longer if you can. Personally, I just let the clock run on and on my own post ride analysis highlight the wo section.
I love doing outdoor workouts - I think it’s a game-changer.
I’d like to know yours and others opinion on this. I’m six weeks prior to an MTB race and with good weather and trails here in the UK am consider taking intervals - 1 min, 5 mins & race starts - outside on the MTB rather than use the Turbo.
If its good enough for Evie Richards…
My instinct that physical effort and form will be specific to the bike I race with so its training my physiology to the bike I’m using to race, which should be “better”?
All above is correct. There is one special case: your Z2 PL is very low (around 1.0) AND extended cooldown in Z2 as separate workout would increase Z2 PL. In that case, it would guide AT to give you harder Z2 workout next time. With 15-30min, certainly does not matter.
There’s some intervals which are relatively easier to deliver outdoors so you’re maybe not pushing quite hard enough on them outdoors (but probably close enough). Indoors tends to be more consistent too, where (at least speaking on my experience) outside with hills and traffic etc power is more variable. Overall on a pure physical training benefit indoors is marginally better. However, outdoors, especially if you are training on your race bike, will deliver crucial handling benefits. There are many more Pros and cons and its a case of weighing up those pros and cons of both for you. For me the claustrophobic pain corridor is a too hot at this time of the year and I need to work on my handling skills so most of my workouts are outdoors at this time of the year.
I’m another person who just keeps riding after the prescribed workout ends. It doesn’t matter to TR and it also doesn’t clutter my Strava/TrainingPeaks feeds with multiple rides.
