Taking the advice from this thread, I’m working on extending my SS intervals (@ 90% of FTP). My primary event these days is 70.3 triathlons, so long sustained efforts are my main focus.
As of 3 weeks ago, all my rides are looking like this: warm-up, 1x__min @ 90%, cool-down.
I’m doing these rides 4 times/week (w/no other rides during the week). This week is:
1x60 @ 90% on Tues
1x60 @ 90% on Wed
1x90 @ 90% on Fri
1x60 @ 90% on Sat
I think I’ll cap my mid-week rides at 60 to (max) 75 min @ 90% FTP and continue to work on extending the Fri or Sat ride. I typically do brick runs after all of these rides (w/exception of the longest ride of the week due to available time), which has worked out fine.
So far, I’ve found this approach to be challenging but doable. I’m hoping to work my way up to 1x120 @ 90% of FTP. After that, I’d consider a recovery week and then a Kolie Moore FTP test—and then restart the 1x___min cycle @ 90% of new FTP (starting at 45 or 50 min).
I’m hoping this approach helps me improve my TTE and overcome the FTP plateau I’ve been experiencing for quite a while. As a time-crunched athlete, this 1x___min @ 90% of FTP feels like the best bang for my buck, but I’m certainly open to feedback!
I’m by no means an expert, but this seems like a bit too much of the same thing to me. You could maybe get better results by adding in some different stimulus
I’d replace 2 of the 60min rides with the following:
Over/Unders: improving your ability to handle lactate is of great benefit when doing TT style efforts. Unless your TT is dead flat and straight there will be times where you’re going close to or over FTP, such as short uphills, bridges, accelerating out of corners and turns. O/U also have the benefit of raising your FTP, which in turn raises the watts you can put out at 90%.
A long 3+ hour Z2 ride: long Z2 rides have a significant benefit to your endurance with a limited impact on recovery. In my opinion they are also a nice mental break from constantly chasing power numbers. Discover new areas, enjoy the scenery and chat with your riding buddies.
Every once in a while you could even do a 3 day block to boost your fitness:
Day 1: O/U
Day 2: 60min @ 90%
Day 3: Long Z2
Day 4: Recovery
Day 5: Depending on fatigue go for recovery or 90min @ 90%
Day 6: 90min @ 90% if day 5 was recovery, otherwise go for a Z2 ride.
Day 7: Recovery
Good luck getting to the 120min of continuous work, that’s a great feat to accomplish
I’ve experimented with back to back hard days. And I’ve also done weekend rides where two hard days in a row happen. With life stress and work I find it best to have my first weekly workout to be really hard, followed by either an easy day or a slightly less hard day depending on my fatigue.
So for example, yesterday I did a 1h 45min ride that had a block of 4x15 threshold (5 min rest between sets) in the middle. Roughly ~150 TSS. Hard ride. My plan for the following day (today) was to do 75-90 min of Z2, keeping my HR around 135-140 (Max is 193ish).
Now, if I was in a Sweet Spot block, I might have done another Sweet Spot ride, but mixed up interval duration. I wouldn’t repeat the same workout as the prior day. Generally though, it depends on what I’m training for.
Thank you for your reply. I’ve been experimenting with consecutive hard workouts and the progression discussed in this thread. Mixing up the second consecutive day is much more interesting.
Currently, I’m probably not doing what I think I’m doing (which is building up the area under my power curve) but I seem to enjoy the sensation of finishing two consecutive days workouts with progressively longer/more difficult intervals.
This week’s plan is:
Carillon (2 sets of 2x10m, 1/5 rest)
Tallac ( 3x15m, 5 rest)
Galena -2 (2x20m, 5 rest)
Whorl tomorrow, then Palisade (5x9m O/U) on Friday.
Plan builder created my schedule (for races that hopefully will be next year) but something tells me I should be adding progressively longer intervals next to another hard day. So basically 3 hard days in a row. Should it be 2 hard days, then 1 easy day? I don’t know, but I’m going to try both ways to find the balance point for maximum effect.
Thank you for getting me thinking, I would have given you two thumbs up if I could!
This “sweet spot progression” is just what I needed. I swear the forum is just as valuable a part of TR as the workouts. My best 20- and 60-minute efforts are now roughly 10-11 watts (5%) better than last year: better endurance rather than bigger power.
I’m going to work my way up to 60 min @ 90%, then try my hand at my first real Build cycle. Very exciting stuff.
Thank you. Had to take an extra minute of rest between intervals (due to pause, not shown in the graph) and another extra minute of rest (backpedaling) about 20 min through the second interval… but I’ll happily take 49/50 and just try to do even better next time.
Three days in a row sounds great, in theory. It’s an experiment after all.
In my case, my HRV was shot after the third day. My RHR was 10bpm higher than normal. Worst of all, when a rare chance to ride outside came on Sunday my legs were ‘not fresh’. As this week is a rest week, I cast care into the east block headwind and dismantled myself to the tune of 200 or so TSS. I may need two recovery weeks.
The plan is now to do a block of two-in-a-row SS workout with a progression.
Never mind what I said earlier. I’m chomping at the bit to get started -one rest week is more than enough!
Perhaps even a bit epic? HTFU and all that. In Dec 2017 I was coming off a really big base, joined TR after a three week break from the bike. Of course I immediately loaded SSB-1 HV (turn the volume up to 11 LOL) and that plan has Tue/Wed/Thur sweet spot. Mostly followed the plan, had my best HC climb at the end of week 5. I’m no spring chicken, but born a diesel and it was pretty straightforward. However all that work in the garage caused me to lose interest with indoor training, so I’d chalk it up as a “one and done” experiment I’m good with two day blocks, say Tue-Wed and Sat-Sun, but have learned I can get faster doing less hard work and more aerobic endurance work.
Definitely trying to find the iterative training that keeps my interest. Any more weeks like last week might be doable, but I would compare it to a training bender. Three in a row, why not four? Five? All the days?
Quäl dich, du sau!
Not trying to be a hero; I’m ambitious and a bit of a gambler. You’re right about balancing the gamble of consecutive days of SS with the gains riding in Z2. I know you’re right, so I think my underlying plan should be to increase weekly TSS in a way that is sustainable.
My base plan for next season (start Dec) is the HV plan but 1 ride swapped for outdoor endurance
Mon - SST
Tue - SST
Wed - SST
Thurs - Endurance
Fri - SST
Sat - outdoor endurance / tempo 3-4hrs
Sunday - rest
If this proves too much is there any suggestion on best way to pull it back slightly. My thoughts are:
Swap Tue for tempo (Or endurance I’d really struggling) or swap Thurs for recovery.
I’m kind of thinking of doing an extended base phase starting in Sept, doing SSB1 and 2 HV as designed like I normally have, and maybe try and make my own SSB3 HV to try and build more uninterrupted time in zone into like 45, 60, 90mins and maybe up to 120mins, we’ll see!
I just read the following about Z2, never thought about it in those terms before:
Aerobic metabolism has essentially no fatiguing byproducts (water, heat and CO2)
— Tom Bell
The reason why a big aerobic base is a good thing to have. And essentially why you theoretically should be able to do very long Z2 rides (and even longer if you train to be truly “fat adapted”). I mean, the classic Coggan chart puts a duration cap on Z2 at 14 days…
“Honey, I’m going for a ride. I’ll be home by 2 weeks from now.”
Confused by that quote. What are ‘fatiguing byproducts’? Do we actually know what causes fatigue on a molecular level?
Also, isn’t the limiter more the amount of fuel, and how quickly you can refuel (which might be slower than you burn it, especially if z2 is comperatively high power)?
…and also of course, cycling is rarely pure aerobic, especially outdoors.
in anaerobic metabolism, lactate production is associated with an accumulation of hydrogen ions, which cause rapid fatigue due to acidosis and resulting contractile inhibition.
Yup. Fuel — carbs and/or fat — should not be a problem when riding Z2.
Gotta train your “intensity control”.
Besides, if you go for long enough, it’s gonna be pure aerobic.
‘pure aerobic’ might be a little strong, as your body is always producing lactate via anaerobic metabolism. The aerobic metabolism mainly burns fatty acids at very low intensities, then as intensity increases the aerobic metabolism uses both fat and lactate as a fuel source. Some well trained athletes have very low lactate and hydrogen accumulation at higher intensities, without looking for data I believe some show low lactate up into lower sweet spot power zones.
I don’t know, wouldn’t that depend on your ftp? Z2 could be fairly high for some people, and not neccessarily be correlated with how fast you can digest food and make it available.
Anyway. I just doubt riding forever in z2 isn’t as practically achievable as that quote makes it sound.
I’m good with two day blocks, say Tue-Wed and Sat-Sun, but have learned I can get faster doing less hard work and more aerobic endurance work. 
