Trust the process of getting weaker?

[mcneese.chad]

@tempo36

So it has access to my whole history and my event goals, is that wholly incorrect of me to assume that it would therefore suggest how to…make me better?

• Despite importing your entire training history into TR, it does NOT use that in the way you (and many others) assume. It is not leveraging stuff like intensity, TSS or other history to recommend your future plan.

• Unfortunate for sure since there is potential useful info to use, but nothing I have ever read claimed that TR did that type or retrospective analysis in effort to set future training.

• That shortcoming is part of the reason you get asked the question about time in the Plan Builder process. It will lend a recommendation purely on your selection there, so it relies on you to set that initial volume/time aspect. It’s best to consider that step well to start, but also evaluate the result at the end and adjust if you see something offered that doesn’t make sense with your history in mind.

@tempo36

So it seems like a platform problem if it is giving me a training plan that is literally incapable of raising my fitness because it isn’t sufficient volume and isn’t including enough overreaching.

@tempo36

trust the system and assumed it knew what was “best” for me.

• See above, you are making assumptions about what TR is doing & expecting more than what is claimed & offered.

@tempo36

but they aren’t necessarily the level of exertion I used to put myself through (and with, of course, the acknowledgement that the level of exertion I used to put myself through was causing burn out at least 1-2 times per year with resulting big fall offs in performance)

• This may be erring a bit on the “easy” side but sure seems to be addressing one key point where you used to burn out with regularity. It could be this is overly safe at the moment, but per countless TR podcast mentions, it is usually best to start easy & add to it than it is to overdo & recover from a crash (which sounds like your previous experiences).

• This also likely relates to the TR history where their plans were often claimed to burn people out. Numerous changes over the years by TR (AT, core plan design, masters level plans & more) were made to soften plans at least at the start if not through the entirety for many users. I’d say that effort seems successful to my eyes since we see fewer of those claims these days.

• I get that you reiterate the “trust the process/system” side here, but TR is not a setup where you dump in your info, complete workouts and reap the benefits without some tweaking on your part. Stuff like Alternates or pure deviation from the plan are a few examples of what’s needed (required?) for any users in the system. It is only so smart and blind to so many things that affect us there is no way for it to be “set it and forget it” level of use.

• Your history and the great comments above need to become a guide for you to finesse TR along the way as partnership of efforts, inputs and adjustments.

[SlowMobius]

@ZackeryWeimer

Since you just started out with TR recently, your Progression Levels started at 1.0, which means they should be climbing up pretty quickly.

Is this really what it’s like for new users now? This guy ramped at 4.2 W/kg and he’s doing 1.0 level workouts?! No wonder he’s not seeing any improvement.

I had to dig through my history to see what it was like pre-WL, and it looks like the old SS Base started off at what is now ~WL 4.0, which makes pretty good sense as a starting level. I’m honestly not even sure who 1.0 level workouts are reasonable for. Maybe someone who’s never ridden a bike before?