Return to Sweet spot base 1 or 2

After going through a base and build phase would it be better to return to Sweet Spot base 1 or 2 for six weeks before starting a speciality plan? This reason for not progressing straight onto a speciality plan is due to postponed events, hence I wish to peak later on in the season. Cheers.

I’d go back to part 2. Part 1 is pretty much an intro to trainer based training whereas part 2 is the start of harder work and the intro to the build phase. If you have a play around with Plan Builder then it tends to go SSB pt2, Build, Speciality and repeat with varying emphasis depending on what inputs you’ve provided.

Quite a few threads on this - usually along the lines of “Events/races cancelled, what plan to do?”

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So, obviously bobw’s response is Trainerroad approved and it may be what most do. However, I was faced with this after completing a LONG training block where I went through base 1, base 2, and build 1 and build 2. It was very successful and my FTP had gone up 16%. I was kind of used up though and completing build took a lot out of me mentally. I went back to base 1 with my new FTP and have found it valuable. It’s definitely not just an “intro” and it gave me some opportunity to do some other things to give myself a mental break.

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Dumb question - how do I get plan builder to skip over base 1?

The amount and type of base is tied to the experience level.

Yeah I’d say it depends how you’re feeling with where you’ve built your FTP to - if you’ve built quite high but feel you need more time to consolidate those gains and build up the endurance for longer intervals at that level, going back to base 1 could make sense. I tend to think the back-to-base-2 option makes sense mid-season for re-building, but back-to-base-1 makes sense if you have more time and want to build a stronger base for further increases? Or if you feel cooked enough that SSB2 at your current level seems too daunting. Just my random thoughts on it though… the answer as always is that it depends how you feel and what your upcoming goals are :slight_smile:

At the end of my last build, I had a big 30w gain. I decided to go back to base 1 to gain some endurance at that FTP, without destroying my self. I’ve now finished base 1, and over the 6 weeks, I’ve beat all my power numbers from 4m to 1hr and added another 3w to my FTP. This is what worked well for me, and may be completely different for any other person. Just thought I would add my experience.

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I would take some time off the structure treadmill - do some long zone 2 outside, explore some new routes, chill out until you know that your A race is happening. That said keeping 1 short VO2 session should maintain most of your gains - then you can redo SSB2 or build when you have a clearer idea of event timings and you won’t mentally burn out.

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