I don’t quite understand how TR calculates the workout levels after a recovery week.
My current threshold level is 3.3.
My last threshold session in the week before the recovery week was 3.1 which was ‘hard’ as planned.
The first session back in the first week after recovery week is only 2.4.
The following week it is 2.8 and then 2.9 in the final week in the 3 week training block.
How can I end the next training block actually lower than the previous?
Keep in mind that it’s likely that at least some of the workouts you’re referencing will change before you get to them.
I can look a little closer at what your schedule looks like. Is it cool if I share some of those details here in this thread?
Sure not a problem.
I have noticed that as I had to manually plan in my recovery week (so it aligns with future holidays etc) the sessions I have planned are easier than what TR would suggest. However, I believe if I did the TR recommended workouts, they would be too hard for a recovery week.
If I do put the TR workouts in, the session levels are higher, but still not as high as I would expect considering the progress I have been making.
**further update - I’ve updated my recovery week to be not so flat on purely zone 1 rides. The first threshold session back is now 2.9. In week 3 (last week before recovery week again) it is 3.3. This is my current level. Does this mean I will finish the next block at the same level as the last block??**
Progression level stagnation or even downward spiral in the new Adaptive Training is an interesting issue - from responses to my posts in this same topic it is ‘working’ cause see I rated a workout Hard (hard is an easy workout really…i could do a rep or two more) and it said it would be HARD?? If you are getting FTP gains, I wouldn’t worry about it much, but it does reset you back a bit each time to prevent it new workouts from blowing your doors off I think.
However… not sure it should (unless big FTP gain), if you just completed 4x10’ at 95%-105% at ‘Hard’… the next week with a FTP gain of 4watts (300->304)… you very likely should be able to do 4x10’ again at 95%-105% ‘Hard’ :-/ Long term seems detrimental to reset back to 5x7’ or 6x6’ at 95%-105%
Look forward to seeing how this plays out with minor updates.
Hey @Bnutting87 
I took a look for Eddie here… and as he mentioned, future workouts will likely change as you get close to them depending on what you are completing.
Aside from the manual changes you’ve applied, there’s nothing that stands out on the recommended workouts by the plan. The workout on May 11th is likely lower workout level as the system expects an FTP increase (again, this workout level can change by the time you get to it).
TrainerRoad now looks beyond just Workout Levels, factoring in your fitness, recent training, and overall trends to pick the right workout for you that day.
When a workout looks different from what you might expect based on past recommendations (what you’re describing), it’s reflecting a broader view of your current fitness and capabilities. This supports consistent, high-quality training, and that’s exactly what helps you get faster. In short, not every step needs to be higher than the last.
All that said, the workouts are being recommended on your power data now, so what we want to look for is how you are rating the recommended workouts. Looks like you’ve been rating the interval workouts as Hard, so that means the intensity is spot on. If they were feeling super easy, then that would be concerning.
Thank you for looking into my schedule.
I understand that workout levels can be lower but be more intense due to planned FTP increases. However, before I made the manual changes to my recovery week, my AI predicted FTP was exactly the same as my current FTP of 248w. So, I still don’t understand without my manual changes, how could the workout levels after the recovery period be so low.
Also, you mention that TrainerRoad looks at power data. My last intense session was on Saturday, which was a crit race. I averaged 239 watts for 45mins and my normalised power was 275 watts. Does TrainerRoad use this data in its planning, as it wasn’t a TrainerRoad workout? If so, I would expect to see a larger increase in my AI predicted FTP which is currently 249, from 248. So only a 1 watt increase.
If you compare my progress on my crit races on Saturdays, you can see the progress I am making. It just doesn’t seem to be translating into TrainerRoad progress.
I’m just concerned I am not using TrainerRoad correctly to get the maximum benefit out of it.
how could the workout levels after the recovery period be so low.
This is normal, as the system steps back slightly and rebuilds. It’s not ignoring your fitness.
Does TrainerRoad use this data in its planning, as it wasn’t a TrainerRoad workout? If so, I would expect to see a larger increase in my AI predicted FTP which is currently 249, from 248. So only a 1 watt increase.
Yes! The model ingests all synced ride data, not just TR workouts. However, unstructured race efforts are naturally harder for the model to interpret than structured intervals. Also, it’s worth noting that testing FTP should be done following a proper FTP test, not a race effort.
If you compare my progress on my crit races on Saturdays, you can see the progress I am making. It just doesn’t seem to be translating into TrainerRoad progress.
I’d beg the differ here The progress you are making on your cri races is a true testament that the training you are doing is working! Even if your FTP stayed the same in between predictions. We ought to look at other things than just FTP, like feeling stronger, doing better at crit races, recovering faster, rating workouts Hard as you are, etc…
Honestly, I think you’re doing really well! You are pretty good on plan adherence + been racing consistently on weekends.