Thanks!
I’ll definitely try them! I’m probably going to do a bit of VO2 work after a break, so give me a few weeks! 
for 150 mins probably this progression:
1x150, 2x75 and 3x50
And for 180 mins:
1x180, 2x90 and 3x60
Assume RBI will stay 3 mins just for consistency. To be honest the thought of having to stop and get going again after such long intervals sounds pretty unappealing!
Exactly my first thought. If you made me stop after 70 min there is no way I would go again 
I think people could start with longer intervals/more TiZ, and do less SS work overall than is suggested.
In the last 10 weeks I’ve done 5 hours of SS – Carson, Carillon, etc. – so no crazy long intervals. The rest has been almost all long Z2 rides. Today I did a 5x20 with no problem (sure, it was entry level intensity, but still…).
Looking at the SSHV plan…12 weeks to go from 36min to only 90min TiZ? Yikes. That’s waaay too long! No wonder people burn out/plateau doing that (myself included).
The trade-off/cost, of course, is Z2 time vs SS fatigue.
(edit: The TR plans state SS is aimed at “improved muscle endurance and higher fatigue resistance”, both of which can largely be gained via long endurance rides – but without the accumulation of fatigue. For example, this past summer I did 2 months of polarized training – a lot of long Z2s. After which I did a 2-week SS block. By the end of the block I had smashed out my longest ever SS interval – 1x150min. Do we really need to be doing 3 MONTHS of SS work just to get to 90min?!)
Did 3x35 today, although I did backpedal for a few seconds in the final interval. Looking back at my power curve from the summer, I’ve put 40 watts on my 2 hour power since I started doing these long SS workouts. Pretty cool
This will be my last SS workout for a bit - I’m eager to do a block of VO2max work now
I think people burn out on SSBHV because it’s four interval days per week. Success rate would probably be higher if they subbed the Z2 ride for the Sunday ride.
I also think TR is written entirely to avoid riding the trainer for more than 2hrs except for a couple of the triathlon plans and traditional base. For all the good things TR is, it is a business first and foremost. Plan compliance isn’t just desirable to Make People Faster; it’s a necessity to retain subscriptions long term. Many/most people won’t tolerate the trainer for more than two hours.
Some people do need three months to get up to 3x30. In fact, I’d say most people do. You are not most people. A few of my athletes are spending a few months to get to 1x60 - they’ve never done any sweet spot, so even 4x10 is challenging for them. And that’s the issue with TR: it’s one size fits most… written for the crowd where 32 min of SST is soul crushing as well as the ones who can come off the couch for three weeks and nail a 3x30. That’s the problem with the “FTP is all that matters” model.
I’m undecided whether I want to do a vo2max block in January or more sweetspot, but if I see off 1x120 this week, I’m definitely going for a 150m progression so make the workouts. They will be done
I’ve done a u-turn on my approach over the weekend…
I was going to do the Rapha500 as a change of scenery and then start FTP work, but Covid lockdown changes mean the 500 is not really on the cards now, so have planned a 2 week vo2 block starting today with my ramp test. I’ve planned 5-6 sessions and will see how many I manage to get through and then rest a few days and start FTP work.
WKO told me my mFTP was 86% of vo2 so I decided it might be time to switch it up a little. I hate vo2 work so don’t do much and hence am probably underperforming in that area.
We are thinking very similarly. BC has some crits posted in February and I can already start to feel my gains stalling a little. Maybe a ramp test and some VO2max work might be good for 2-3 weeks.
I’m trying to avoid starting a proper build before April though
Did an hour power “test” today in the middle of my SST progression block. Felt really tired coming in and legs carrying some fatigue, so I didn’t expect this to go very well. And then i didn’t pace it spectacularly well, even though that graph looks pretty good… I was definitely fading at the end.
But… even in spite of all that, I set an hour power PR of 272W… my mFTP is 273 and I’m training at 275. I broke every all time power record from 58:00 to 1:15, so I’d never really done this type of effort before.
I’d say this extensive focus is working pretty well for building a really strong base to build on in 2021. I’m excited that I’m basically back to where I was this past summer in December aerobically, and can work on pushing higher before racing starts.
I second that. I’ve never been this “fit” before at this time of year. I’m very near my peak 2020 FTP…and I’m still in Base! Hard to be motivated by a maybe/maybe not race calendar ahead but I am excited to see where I can take my form. And yes, there is a SS block or two on the horizon.
Likewise with fitness highs for this time of year: following on from 2 months of one SST progression, and one threshold session a week, with a good bit of Z2 thrown around it, thought I’d see where my 20 minute power was. Had been interested given I’d done no training above threshold at all.
Paced conservatively, and added 5w to my best set during peak summer form this year. Felt as though the effort had a far higher “aerobic” contribution - in past tests I’ve felt way deeper in lactate than I did yesterday.
Know that’s in part pacing, and the fact that I probably had another 5-10w in the tank, but really do feel that focus on aerobic training, and long SST intervals, has helped with this. If anything, the fact I could take 1 minute easy, and then do a few minutes near threshold comfortably after the test (to finish the zwift TT) maybe evidence for this.
Anyway, guess my point is just to back up that these long SST intervals work, and can bump up your shorter power even without focusing on it! Not being ill for 12 months also helps…
Nice to see that the hard work in those SST progressions pay off! :-). I am looking forward to start mine half of January. Still have to finish my strength work now…
Have still some weeks left to think which approach to take. Starting the SST progression or first do 2-3 weeks vo2max to raise the ceiling. One question I have is that I did not do any specific SST work yet, so will vo2max for me already be benefitial (83% mftp Vo2max).
First thing I will do is some new testing (unstructered and 20min test). My mFTP will be around 275-285 I guess. At 90%, my SST value will be around 250-260w. If I choose to start with SST progression? Should I start with 1x25? Because I think I definitely can do that because my PD curve at 1h is already 265W (mmp 270). So would this mean I start with 1x60min, or higher?
No advice on the intervals, just pointing out that SS work may be just as much mental as it is physical. My recent 5x20 after very little SS work in the past 3 months…I went into it fully expecting to eventually crash & burn, but it never happened. Not to mentioned when I started TR I had never done structured SS work and was terrified of some of those Blue Blocks of Doom! Now…not so much.
So if you think you can do it, give it a shot! 
Is your model up to date? If it is then it might be worth performing some Vo2 work followed by some baseline testing before committing to any zones.
I finished SSBLV1 last week. Did a ramp test yesterday but when I am hanging in there 17min in, the trainer overheated, all resistance was gone. Very frustrating since I definitely had a few minutes more in me. Did the ramp test today again with open door, trainer worked fine and as a result I could finish the test. Base level 224w FTP before SSBLV1, first ramp test (overheated trainer) gave FTP of 241w and today I could finish the test with a FTP of 252w. That’s a 12.5% increase in 6 weeks. I’m pretty happy with that. At 70kg it puts me at 3,6w/kg.
Well, this was interesting…
Here is my WKO overview since 2017. In september 2020 I did some testing to feed the model. My mFTP went to 285. Currently back to 272w, but that is because I lost some 90-day data (planning to test again within 3 weeks).
So, as you can see, pretty stable values…And within those years, never did a structured vo2max block.
Just watched it; came here looking for someone to reference it. I don’t recall Dylan indicating the total available training hours for the participants in the studies he referenced. I suspect that the 80/20 program he discussed only really works at scale and is not as beneficial when an athlete only has 5 hours a week at their disposal. Purely speculation though, so I could be wrong.
Same here, I’m going to do some VO2 in the new year to try and raise the ceiling for more SST/FTP. My anaerobic and VO2 used to be my strength, but definitely a weakness now as I’ve focused mainly on FTP related stuff for best part of a year.
What are your VO2 weeks looking like? Care to post some inspiration? Am thinking of some workouts like Mist +1 and Mist +3 because they both had me at the limit last time & and some of the hard start intervals from here. I may need to break myself in with some easier 3 min efforts for 1 or 2 workouts though - something like good old Spencer +2. My current thinking is not to sweat about workout completion when it comes to VO2 - it’s more about maximising the stimulus, and if I am truly pushing it, then I’ll probably fail a bunch 
As the saying goes, volume is king. Volume is the stimulus most people respond to best, far more than intensity. That said, be realistic and work with what you have. You’ll be a lot more happy if you’re honest with your personal situation. Also realize that most pro cyclists doing “80/20” are not weekday/weekend constricted, meaning they work in larger time frames than 7-day blocks.
My n=1 is that I need a minimum of 10hrs/wk to see improvements if I’m doing Polarized/80-20. If I only have 10hrs, I’ll do 2x4hr easy on the weekends and 2x1hr hard during the week. That’s the minimum.
Good luck!
