Substituting sweetspot workouts for threshold during winter polarized base phase

Training
23

Depends on the person.

24

“Spicy endurance riding” :blush:

25

I’ve mentioned this before, last year during base my coach had me doing “above threshold” work. Actually all year long.

Things like 1-min hard start followed by longer sweet spot interval (for me, that hard start was around 110-115%). Or a handful of all-out 1-minute jobbers and then later sweet spot. Or 7 minutes of sweet spot and immediately going into 2 minutes of RPE VO2 and then 1 minute all-out (recover for 5 minutes and repeat). Some of those formats are meant to reduce getting dropped in-season, at key segments on weekly March-October drop rides. For example 1-minute way above threshold to hang on when its “game on” followed by drafting around 92% for 7-9 minutes before a short break and then having to do it all over again. Sometimes I’ll flex those 1-minuters into 130-150% because thats what happens on Wednesday during the season. About once a month I do anaerobic sprinterval workout, all year long.

Always be doing intensity has worked out really really well for me at sixty one. Full-gas short stuff (30-sec to 2-min intervals) doesn’t impact my training, and keeps the engine warm and ability to accelerate at the ready. About once a year I’ll do a block with some all-out 30-sec or 45-sec stuff (longer recoveries) to give the anaerobic capacity a little recharge.

26

Yeah useful for older masters, IME. Have seen it with a couple of guys 65+ now. Not sure it’s as useful for younger masters (45, e.g.) but that’s why the cop out “it depends”. Training history matters here too.

27

Can’t speak about younger dudes and dudettes, but that ‘intensity all year’ formula has been working for me since training year #1 in my mid fifties. And yeah, I see the twenty and thirty somethings make bigger fitness gains. But when they stop being consistent and come out to a group ride, I can usually beat 'em on flat ground.

28

I’ve settled into VO2 max all year round at 57.

29

Stepping in for Caro at the moment – we’d say it depends. What would probably work best would be to replace/drop one workout each week that coincides with an outdoor ride you’d plan to do, so for many athletes, that would be the weekend workout.