Struggling with sustained power build! Advice needed

[mberridge223]

Hello! Looking for a bit of advice or encouragement as I am in the middle of the third block of sustained power build and IT IS HARD! I had fish -2 on Sunday and simply couldn’t do the last interval and got off the bike before crushing myself! I completed Dade +1 today with a couple of modifications (interval 6 @98% then 7@96% 8@98% and 9@100%) and have 2 more tough workouts this week (I am only doing low volume but have an 8 month old baby and all the sleepless night stress that comes with that!).

I had a bout of food poisoning and missed galena +1 at the end of the last block and am now thinking I may be behind the curve on the muscle endurance. Should I maybe look to add another week in to catch up or is it just meant to be this hard and gut it out for a couple of weeks?! I also managed to get a 2.5% increase in the latest ramp test after my last test week so the workouts are at a new high for me.

Sorry for the ramble but I guessed there must be loads of people here that have been through similar and got out the other side.

[bigrroberto]

Hey there!

I just finished the medium volume version of sustained power build (my rest week starts today). You’re not alone in feeling just how tough this build is. The last two weeks for me I was hanging on by a thread come the weekend workouts. I was, am, completely spent and have nothing left haha.

I think you might be right when you say you think you’re slightly behind the curve. I wouldn’t worry about that though, you’re doing the right thing by adjusting the intensity of the intervals slightly and that small amount shouldn’t have much of a negative affect. If you find yourself not completing an interval, or having to drop the intensity lower than 90% just to finish, then your likely a bit tired.

I would gut it out for the next few weeks, just do your best.

[velopiano]

SPB is pure evil. I did it last year with a 1-year-old who was just starting to sleep well, sometimes. When she was 8 months it probably would not have been doable. As it was, I failed a couple of workouts and lowered my ftp once. I had a lot of PRs after that though! Hang tough and be willing to modify. Don’t let the pursuit of perfection sabotage your consistency. And don’t let sleep fall by the wayside. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re spinning your wheels. Ride on!

[simplejj]

Sustained power build is hard (although, really, aren’t all the build plans hard?)!

I stumbled my way through the first half of the mid volume version back in October (in hindsight, that’s a bad time to schedule a build if you’re a tax accountant in the US), recovered a bit, and did a much better effort on the second half (still had to dial down some intervals though).

Long intervals have never been my strength, and I didn’t crush those “supra threshold” workouts during build, but I’ve been setting lots of power PRs in the first half of the century specialty anyway. I’m feeling kind of confident going into my next ramp test next week.

Hang in there, adjust intensity when necessary (it’s not all-or-nothing), fuel the work, and recover as much as you can! The other side looks nice so far.

[truep]

I found sustained power build a lot harder than short power build. My riding style is a variable pace so it was tough. I notice that the TR workouts are doable but right at the EDGE of doable. They require adequate rest, sleep, and nutrition to complete, and each one builds on having successfully completed the previous one. Thursday is supposed to be easier than Tuesday but it is always the hardest for me. Just do your best. If you are giving it your all, nothing more can be asked of you. Don’t look at failure as something terrible, but rather the potential to grow and learn what you can do better. Learn from it and apply what you learn to the next workout. It’s the same feeling as getting dropped. It can demoralize you, or inspire you. Choose.

[PusherMan]

@mberridge223

(I am only doing low volume but have an 8 month old baby and all the sleepless night stress that comes with that!)

ONLY

Maybe a slight mental adjustment is required. You’re not only doing anything. You’re a parent who, I imagine, is trying to juggling many things, whilst still getting on the trainer and getting stuck in. That’s an achievement in itself.

SPB is tough. I will start my third SPB MV in a couple of weeks. I don’t relish any of the workouts in the plan. That said, it’s THE TR Plan which consistently draws the best from me. I’m always near my current edge. Listening to my body, fuelling like food is going out of fashion and getting my recovery on point. I imagine those last two points are high on your current wishlist!

From personal experience, I’d say that once you fall behind on this plan, you really notice it. I like your idea of adding the extra week. That said, the build up of fatigue is real. Adding another week might actually set you back.

Why not just stick with the prescribed progression and dial the intervals down, if required. You do seem to be making a pretty good fist of things as it is.

[ashman07]

This may not give you all the answers but you might find some helpful advice and at least some consolation you are not the only one who finds this hard!

Struggling with Sustained Power Build after FTP Increase

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