Another happy customer here. I like those Polarized Plans.
As I said, not because I deem a pure polarized approach as superior over anything (it is not - at least not at all times).
But because the normal plans are all overly intense, overly complicated and overpopulate the week. So while they may have a very sophisticated and finely granulated TSS progression I can’t buy anything for this. Because all these normal plans are a devil to adapt for oneself.
- for when you are time-crunched, but not so as that you have 1 to 1.5 hours every day (that seems TRs sole angle on time-crunched people) but that you may have 8 to even 15 hours per week but just only an maybe max 4 days.
- for when you want to include any of the many very sensible things you could and should include into a well rounded training approach. And what also (rightfully so) is getting discussed inside the TR podcast. Strength and conditioning, Yoga, Long rides etc.
- for when you know how you react to a certain training stimulus and just want a bit more of it or think “man, this workout would be cool, but it’s too complicated to adjust on the fly with just the difficulty setting”.
The polarized plans solve all of this issues.
Each workout on each training day is meaningful. There is no “Pettit” als the nearly only Zone 2 ride in the whole week. And that one even feeling just as an afterthought or TSS filler. Meaning - if you want the zone 2 you’d have to kick any other workout of the week out and also kick the “Pettit” out and then you have room to put a real meaningful Zone 2 workout in. Meaning - you have some really annoying work to do to fit the old plans to somewhat sensible.
With the polarized plans - no need. What I see is what I like. 2 hours Perkins -1 (as an example) is as good as it need be. Easily on the fly adjusted up if I want (it’s rather low oriented - doesn’t matter), easily prolonged if I wanted. Already long enough for a start but just as easily adjusted to become longer.
Also the long Threshold interval workouts. The length of the intervals is finally meaningful and a very welcome addition to the TR workout library (would be even without the polarized plans). And I can adjust them without any hassle on the fly to a sweetspot or low torque K3 workout. Perfect!
And I also like the shortish 2 mins VO2 Intervals workout.
These are very nice plans.
And they are nicely malleable.
I did the 6 week medium volume because:
- it has only 4 days which I can adjust at will with either a 5th cycling workout or rather as I did with two full body strength workouts in a week (giving me 6 days of workouts per week)
- it has in my eyes a bit better inventory of slightly longer workouts from the early start on (where the 8 weeks pol plan seems lacking to me)
But - the 8 weeks pol plan has the better distribution of load and deload weeks.
I just figured I can more easily just end the 6 weeks pol plan after week 4 and do an easy week and then start the 6 week pol plan anew than adjusting the workouts inside the 8 weeks pol plan.
Currently in my 5th week of the 6 week pol plan (which as I just put has nothing to do with the actual 5th week of said plan but is a rest week). Will start the 6 week pol plan next week anew.
And - I actually didn’t do any of the long threshold interval workouts yet since these are not yet in my target. They will later.