What I do:
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Determine tempo intensity cap primarily based on lactate (1.5 - 2.0 mmol/L). Just do a little non-maximal step test to get that intensity (about 2-3 times per year). I get HR and power from that assessment because obviously I can’t (and don’t need to) use lactate on the road. My FTP is fairly unchanged over periods of weeks and months so no reason to specifically test that very often. Also, no reason to use lactate to measure that. Use one of the longer duration FTP tests, but not the full hour.
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HR at or near 2mmol/L minus 10bpm is Tempo range
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HR at or near 2mmol/L minus 20bpm is bottom of Endurance
(for example, if my 2 mmol/L is 135bpm, I work Tempo intervals or entire sessions starting at 125bpm and watch it gradually move up to 135bpm if the interval is long enough. If it doesn’t move up (because fitness or only 60min interval, for example), I know I can handle more. Occasionally I’m in upper 130s because any more precision than that is not really necessary)
This is key: everything I just described becomes my Zone 1 (Seiler). Tempo + Endurance.
Similar to what you would do for SST or Threshold, I gradually progress the TiZ for Tempo. I do multiple consecutive days until muscle soreness tells me: you need to work endurance or full rest day (see schedule below).
From time to time, I will do a max 3min or 5min effort to see if it has changed. When it goes up, awesome, tempo + endurance can drive top-end. Great, I feel smug. If it goes down, I do 2-3 weeks of slamming intervals, then a rest week. Then back to tempo + endurance. If my power at the top of tempo starts to approach my FTP, I will slam intervals at that time too (has only happened twice in 18 months, but those were massive breakthroughs).
If I have an event coming up (this is hypothetical since events for me didn’t come up this year), I will do 2-3 weeks of peaking. Peaking = slamming intervals + taper.
Sun - Endurance (longish)
Mon - Rest
Tues - Tempo
Wed - Tempo
Thurs - Tempo
Fri - Rest
Saturday - Long Ride (mostly Endurance, but Tempo creeps in)
Any of those weekday rides could go from Tempo to Endurance based on muscular fatigue. You can call that “Fatigue Dependent” if you were trying to sell a training plan. The fitter I become, the fewer of those tempo days I can do consecutively. Those are often 2 hr sessions (2 x 45mins tempo). If HR doesn’t go over Tempo cap, muscles feel ok, why stop? Do 1 x 90min or the whole session.
Caveats:
- I ride based on power+HR with HR cap for both endurance and tempo. If you just use power, your distro is going to look pyramidal (ultimately I don’t actually care how it looks or what the label is as the distro doesn’t drive what I’m doing, it’s a side-effect).
Slamming intervals (2-3 weeks)
When I need to work intervals (peaking or just to bump 3-5min power back up), I get a bit more experimental, but still limit it to 2 sessions per week. I don’t do any tempo during that time. I consider TR SST intensity to be a threshold interval session, and I’m not afraid to do it. Classic VO2max sessions as well. I used Tues and Sat for interval sessions, and “protect them” with Endurance all other days. I shorten my Long Ride. I do not religiously stick to Seilers lab intervals because A) I like to mix it up, and B) even he doesn’t stick to his lab intervals, it was a study, not a training plan.
Other than when peaking or a 2-3week diversion to bump 3-5min power back up, I’m really never not doing base. So I don’t think of it as base. It’s just fitness. I don’t set a certain date for when to switch over to intensity. The numbers drive that. If I still raced, I would get plenty of intensity in a race when the time comes.
Also, if you want to see how Seiler himself implements some of his own ideas (not sure how useful that is, but if nothing else it will hopefully head-off any “tempo is gray area” misunderstandings), he interviews his daughter on youtube. You can scrub through the videos and see how he handles an annual cycle. There are periods of time when it’s 100% / 0. But that doesn’t mean you’re dilly-dallying around in Coggan Zone 2.