Looking for thoughts on path forward on my current LV GPB training plan.
Background:
Been following structured training for ~1 year, starting with LV SSB1, LVSSB2, ~ 4 weeks of LV GPB - interrupted by my “A race” marathon MTB event.
Took a couple months of “easy” riding following the race of just doing endurance and “maintenance” work (petit +1, occasional Blue Bell, mount fields) and to maintain FTP.
jumped back in to LV SSBII and largely completed the plan as subscribed
Following LV SSBII, I started the LV GPB plan, achieving my highest ever FTP on the ramp test
immediately following the ramp test, I came down with a bad sinus infection for 2 weeks, whereby I logged minimal time on the bike (occasional petit rides) while I recovered from sickness
rather than immediately jumping back into the plan (following recovery), I eased back in to intensity for 2 weeks by doing: Mount Fields, an outdoor MTB ride with moderate intensity, Antelope, Taylor -3, Ebbetts, and then Andrews, all still at the new FTP and without any problems
I restarted the LV GPB plan, but rather than retesting, I swapped in Petit +1. (in hindsight, perhaps I should have retested, but I’m confident that I would have been within 1-2% of my previously tested FTP)
Now, as I started getting into the higher intensity work, I’ve failed 3 consecutive workouts. In each case, i pushed as long as I could, but just hit that point to where I couldn’t turn the pedals anymore. I’d take backpedal breaks and/or lower intensity, but I would consider each of these three workouts as failed workouts.
Should I retest and start LV GPB over? Go back to SSBII? Or lower FTP and keep on going?
Side note: I’m not proud of outright quitting on Baird +2. If nothing else, I should have backpedaled through that last 90 second rep on the second set and then used the 6 minute recovery period to cool down before quitting.
Do you think you could have finished the workouts if you had turned them down 2/3/4%? Then i’d just lower your FTP a couple of points and continue from there. If you really feel like you’re lacking base fitness you could also start SSB again if you don’t have a specific goal for training.
Also, don’t feel to bad about Baird +2. I did finish it but so far (following the same plans as you have) i found that to be the hardest workout i’ve done with TR so far. At the end of it i was completely wasted. Weak legs and a bit dizzy/light headed at the end.
You almost certainly lost fitness. You stopped training seriously for two weeks while sick, and then only did moderate intensity for a further two weeks - four weeks with lack of structure and progression. Either retest and restart the plan, manually lower your FTP and carry on fine tuning the number until you can complete the workouts, or go back to build. Which will be best depends on the timing of your goals and what those goals may be
Lower your FTP… quite a bit even. Much better to go too low and slowly bump it up over the next few weeks than to grind yourself to dust failing workouts.
Okay thanks for the replies. I don’t know why I’m sometimes reluctant to retest. The ramp test can take a lot out of me and so it feels like I’ve “burned” a workout day when I ramp test. I like the idea of dropping FTP quite a bit. 15 Watts lower would be a ~6% decrease. I’m guessing if I were to redo my ramp test that I’d be somewhere around 2-3% lower than the previous test, which concerns me that maybe that won’t necessarily change anything with my struggle on these workouts. But then that brings up another question, is my base fitness that bad that these higher %FTP workouts are that hard for me? I mean the intensity definitely is a big step up between SSBII and GPB. I’ll try the next week with a lower FTP and see where I get.
This is why we test. You need to KNOW that you’re at a certain level. If you are wrong about your current state of fitness (which your current performance would suggest you are) then you’re just going to dig a deeper and deeper hole. I suggest retesting, or swallowing your pride and dropping the ftp. You’ll gain much more from completing workouts that are a bit too easy than pushing too hard, making yourself sick and spending 2 weeks on the couch again
Okay thanks for the dose of reality, ya’ll. I’m ready to drop down and see if I can make it through some workouts. I’d love to get to a place to where they are too easy and I have to bump back up again.
I’ll throw this out there, I have some recent / similar indoor workouts like you’ve posted (yours are actually stronger than my “quits”) when I move my workouts outdoors I can hit the higher numbers, finish the workout and feel fairly normal afterwards. I’m using the same power meter for both bikes. Good on you if you can hit those more challenging workouts inside but for me I’m learning that it’s better to move certain work outdoors.
As others will say, make sure you have adequate cooling, fueling and motivation. I think I’m missing two of them. I was able to do BAYS today - 1hr endurance w/ 4 mid-ride sprints but it was harder than it should have been. Last week I was doing 4x15 min threshold intervals and feeling fine. For some, doing the work indoors is very challenging. I have found that I can also go much harder and deeper if I use a climb for my work…
So I’m sure everyone on this thread has been losing sleep wondering how this ended for me, so here’s an update. After failing Baird +2, I dropped FTP ~6%, pushed my next intense workout back a day, and dropped in Carter for 45 minutes of low intensity endurance work. The next day I hit Fang Mountain +1 and crushed it. I was fighting to hang on for the last intervals, but was able to complete them without backpedals or dropping target down…which is right where I like to be.
