I think what smacked me in the face was the RPE associated with 8-min @ 104% of FTP vs 20-min at 105% of FTP 5 weeks ago during the KM TTE test. Like how did I nail 20-min @ 105% BEFORE a solid training block, and then feel worse after? That’s why I’m scratching my balding head.
I do believe that power-to-heart-rate ratio increases as we get more aerobically fit, and I would say that 5 weeks of a solid sweet spot progression should yield some aerobic gains and a better power-to-heart-rate ratio. Sometimes I think we (me) expect to much and I’m likely over-thinking it.
Chart comparing the last 5-weeks (SS prog block) vs the previous couple months of relatively little structure.
Curious how the rest of y’all have fared coming out of extended sweet spot progressions. The first one of the season is always “fun”. I’ll also caveat that the longest ride I’ve done since September is 2 hr 45 min, so I haven’t really touched up the endurance engine as much as I’d have liked…but it’s COLD in Minnesota.
Here’s hoping the next block goes off with a bang!
Max HR is 196 this season so far. Usually when doing sustained efforts @ 90% of FTP my HR holds at 163-166. 1x60 @ 90% held steady at 165 bpm. That’s falls right inline for the last 4 seasons.
Like you said, you could still be tired or flat. 100 TSS is pretty low, so you’re probably recovering well, which puts the body in a “rest and digest” state where hard work is pretty unpleasant.
I’m currently limping through a very easy recovery week. Not doing anything other than Z1 until a long Z2 on Sunday. I suspect next Tuesday’s workout is going to feel grim.
I’m always stale coming out of recovery. Case in point when I just had that bad TTE test after 10 days of easy riding after VO2max where the longest interval I did was 5 min… then two days after that did 1x60 at 5W higher than last time I did it, and then nailed 3x25 at 7W higher than last time.
For my n=1, I can’t just recover into good performances. My tapers always include intensity. That probably means - as I think you suggested - that my VO2max blocks could benefit from a sustained workout, and I probably shouldn’t test without some kind of shorter effort or opener workout prior to.
I think you’re spot on. Recovery week after the first real block of a new season is always a reminder. I also did a 300 TSS gravel race simulation ride to cap off my 5th week and probably over-cooked myself a bit.
Weird things happen when training, glad it worked out for you. I also enjoy carrying a bit of load or intensity otherwise I go flat.
I’m mid-week recovery week right now and I feel absolutely WRECKED. I just bailed on a 90min endurance ride because i’m just too flat. Hopefully feel OK by the weekend when i was hoping to test ahead of VO2 block starting next week.
I’m not sure how to do this just yet, but I want to start playing around with WHEN I test and HOW I execute recovery weeks. For example, rather than a full blown easy week, after this intensive endurance block, I think I will execute a significant taper week. So, for example, rather than just dialing back entirely to zone 2 for a week, I might step back like this:
Work week:
M: 3x30/3 @ 92%
T: Easy 60-90min
W: Tempo/TAN tempo or FTP intervals
R: Off
F: 3x18 Over/Unders :45s @ 5min power/3:00 @ 92% + 30 min Z2
Sa: Group ride or 4hrs progressive Z2
Su: Off
“Recovery week”
M: 1x30 @ 92%
T: 45-60min Z2
W: 60 min steady tempo
R: Off
F: FTP/TTE test
Sa: 2hr Z2
Su: Off
Theory being a big step back in volume, but maintain some of the similar testing intensity.
For a VO2Max block or repeatability build, I’d probably still take many days of easy riding, then come back in with some SST before doing any kind of relevant testing. But I think I might respond pretty well to this kind of “rest” week considering it mirrors my A race tapers that have worked well in the past - that is, similar intensity but much reduced volume.
This could be another option, keeping the full back off to Z2 week intact then delaying testing until I’ve done some work, but am still relatively fresh.
You can not see aerobic effect direct after a restweek. Its normal that your HR is higher after a restweek because your heart is also a muscle and when you are well rested your heart react easy up and down. Normally in a training block you are a little bit fatique. Thats why it’s difficult to get your real max HR.
I have to introduce some kind of intensity like tempo during rest week. Without that my next week feels horrible. I realy feel better on the bike after some intensity. I have had similar experience with FTP test after being rested - felt horrible and cooked. After one hard workout usually everything back to more normal state.
Forgive me for jumping in here as I haven’t been in this thread for quite a while, but have an observation to share…
The same happened to me after doing my long SST progression block in Nov-Dec. I made great progress up to 100 mins @ 90% and then thought I’d do some 100% efforts after a few days rest…it really didnt go well at all and I questioned whether I was burned out or had somehow just wasted 12 weeks of training?!
Long story short, it just took a little time - some z2 work, less intensity for a couple of weeks and I was able to get back to the harder work and lower RPE. Started hitting 10-12m 100% efforts and extending TiZ quite comfortably. So my takeaway message…“don’t panic”. I think doing single focused blocks for any period of time just means we need an adjustment phase when we start to mix it up again.
I bailed on a ramp test yesterday because i just felt flat around the 15min mark, gave it another go this morning and was up another 15w from my 4 weeks of threshold work.
Also (stupidly) decided to go out on friday and do a short power test to make sure that I have a good 5min max effort for my PDC heading into the VO2 block. Smacked down 5w shy of an all time PB of 430w, which for not having touched any above threshold work since the fall feels pretty damn nice.
I will say, the confidence that comes from doing all of this SST and especially threshold work the last few weeks is amazing. cruising along and knowing that if you want to sit at threshold for 30+min without issue is extremely confidence inspiring.
Two observations, which might help for future recovery weeks.
1 100 TSS is remarkably low, unless you are on a low volume kind of plan. I usually aim for recovery week TSS of about 50-60% or the average TSS for the previous couple of weeks.
2 I don’t know what the structure of your workouts was during the recovery week, but I take an approach in which I mimic the structure of the phase I’m in. Currently I’m doing an intensive phase, so my recovery last week included 5 rides:
a single interval of 15 mins @ 102% of FTP [instead of the usual 3 intervals] + endurance riding to 1 hour
one hour endurance
two 4-min intervals @ 105% FTP [instead of the usual 9 intervals) + endurance
one hour endurance
one 9-minute over-unders [instead of the usual 3 - 4] + endurance.
That structure – some intensive work, but of short duration – meant that the first intensive workout back was not too bad, though I did struggle with the third 15 mins @ 102% of FTP.
Good feedback, thanks. I’m going to do this with my next recovery week and see how it goes. I generally race well after these kinds of taper weeks, so perhaps during parts of the year this is the format of recovery week I will use too.
On another note: anyone looked at the polarized plans yet? First thing that struck me is that one workout is high zone 2 (three zone model) or borderline 3. I’m sure they’re hard, but not sure what the goals of those plans are other than just being “polarized.”
Had a look earlier. Thats what people have been asking for, but I think not even the TR guys really know what the aim of these plans is. I’m also not sure how you progress them (and especially how AT will!) - just more TiZ? Then you’ll quickly hit the limit of time that people have for their training.
To be honest, I’ve never really understood what the big deal is about needing a polarized plan - just ride a lot in z2 (z1 pol) and smash yourself occasionally. It just doesn’t seem very complicated to me.
I do get why you’d end up training polarized, for example if you were focussing on sprint workouts - you can only do so many per week, so you’d need to fill the rest of the time with easy pedalling. But then the focus really should be on progressing the HIT workouts.
not to derail this thread, but i think different people view polarized as different things which leads to part of the debate around the topic. “which god is the right god”.
My VO2 block will be polarized for the next 3 weeks. Its either VO2 work or its z2. There will be no middle ground. But its certainly, not something i intend to do for all of my blocks.
This was a weird rest week, in that it didn’t fall in the typical M-F span.
I went into the final week of my sweet spot block knowing that I would be delivered an ass-kicking for my last ride. And it was. And it happened on Friday instead of the usual Saturday or Sunday. This forced me to take two days in a row off the bike during the weekend, which is not something I normally do.
So the remaining 3 days of the 5 day rest period were filled with easy rides (Bald Knob and Collins -1) and I then introduced some intensity late in the week in prep for this week (start of a new block). Again, kind of unusual programming.
I do like the idea that you propose, it’s sort of like a race-week taper.
Kurt, I was a little thrown off by them as well. In addition to your observations, the 4x8 @ 102% sessions are likely no where near hard enough to elicit the type of stress you’d want from that session. I think people will ultimately have to make some personal adjustments–fine.
I do appreciate TR taking time to develop a blueprint for those plans, (even though many of us have been programming our own blocks for a long time) but I wonder if they are lacking.
