See screenshots, my SS PL is at 3.0 but TrainNow is recommending a 9.0 - this feels like a huge jump. Is this expected?
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I also feel like TrainNow is trying to assassinate me with both Sweet Spot and Anaerobic workouts sometimes. I’ve never really tried a workout I felt I had no shot at completing though
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Go for it. The AI knows. We’re going to keep seeing posts like this until TR fixes their PL system to better mesh with their AI recommendations. Right now it’s super confusing for so many TR users. I’m surprised Jonathan hasn’t addressed this in the podcast.
Even though users can do these workouts, the PL system puts users mentally on the back foot before the workout even starts.
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Just seems strange I am getting a recommendation for an 8.2 Sweet Spot workout (Westby) when I did a 6.2 (Truchas, rated Hard) and then a 6.4 (Geiger +2, rated Moderate) just last week. Seems like I should go for something in the 6.7ish range next and it would be appropriate difficulty. I just don’t think an 8.2 is appropiate quite yet, especially since I just rated a 5.0 Threshold (Cookro) Very Hard. Adaptive Training is great overall but sometimes I think that TrainNow feature is a little funky
Threshold and SS effort workout levels don’t match at all. The threshold workout you did is about the same difficulty as Picuris +3 (this is one of the nuances that throws users off the most - you have to add 2+ PL points when comparing Threshold to V02 and SS). Given that you marked Geiger +2 Moderate, my guess is that if you come in fairly well prepared, you would complete the prescribed workout and rate it hard or very hard.
The AI recommendations have gotten MUCH better. You might surprise yourself. Another key to remember is to rate your ride immediately after finishing (your recalled RPE changes after recovering) and to err on the side of marking it more difficult.
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Maybe its me but those workouts all seem in the same ballpark. If you successfully completed the workouts you mentioned it will be tough but nothing would make me think you couldn’t.
That said be careful with Train Now. It will give you what you can do TODAY but doesn’t look forward. Sometimes after a hard SST workout stopping back and doing a more manageable one might be the right thing to do.
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As far as your point about adding two points in PL to threshold, I have noticed as well that the VO2 and Sweet Spot PLs trend higher than Threshold when I’ve been working on all three. Any idea why that is?
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It’s just the scaling, and it kind-of makes sense.
With SS, you can push the WL way up, even over ten. Beyond that may mean your TTE is getting better, but not necessarily your FTP.
With threshold, once you’re hitting 8+, it’s probably time for a new, higher threshold. Interestingly, I think that AI FTP has really limited the utilization of the 8.0+ WL library.
Similarly, with short duration V02 intervals, you could theoretically be hitting really high WLs if you are relatively strong anaerobically. Long suprathreshold is a different story. An 8.0 on/off V02 workout is very different from an 8.0 long suprathreshold V02.
I have also noticed after 1,500+ TR workouts that a little too much credit is given to workout duration. In other words, I find a 90min 6.0 threshold workout is noticeably easier than a 60min 6.0 threshold workout. Maybe it’s because I’m pretty good at fueling and I don’t mind long workouts, but I still think it’s a bit off.
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As a few have mentioned, the way TrainerRoad recommends workouts has changed a bit. The system looks beyond Workout Levels, factoring in your fitness, recent training, and overall trends to pick the right workout for you that day.
If you end up trying it, please let us know how it goes! People tend to be pleasantly surprised 