2022 was my first year using TR. Like all tools I don’t think I fully understood what I was doing, so I thought a thread about what people learned, mistakes and all, would be helpful for new and experienced users. I can think of three things I wish I knew last year at this time
You need to schedule mid-season breaks into Plan Builder. I thought TR would take care of scheduling adequate rest periods, but I found the rest weeks were still too much to recharge the batteries by mid summer. I planned a late May and early August breaks.
Switching bikes can be tricky. I trained mostly on the road bike early and then switched to the TT bike around May. My FTP on the TT bike is about 15 watts lower than the road bike, so sweat spot efforts were turned into threshold efforts and I did threshold efforts on an uphill grade to try and hold the wattage target. AI FTP detection started to drop my FTP after six weeks, but that is too late. If I switch bikes again this year, I will ramp test the new bike and start with the revised FTP.
So any suggestions on what I might do differently or better would be useful and feel free to add other things that would help newer users like myself.
That’s a very good one, and one I am struggling with. Like the big dum-dum that I am, I often simply forget and just schedule essentially 10 months to a year’s worth of training.
Last year I did the LV plan + 10-12 hours of outdoor riding per week. I think this year I might drop 1 of the 3 TR workouts (SS) to keep me a little fresher. I found an hr of SS on the trainer to be more mentally taxing than a three hour outdoor ride. Either that, or I will just try and incorporate the SS workout in an outdoor ride.
After really enjoying a consistent mid volume couple of years, restrictions lifted means at least 2 days a week in the office, which meant mid volume was a bit more problematic (I generally dropped the moderate for an outdoor group ride/ race/ solo ride depending on restrictions and weather!). Also change in family schedule means less time pre-work. So this year I’ve gone low volume, plus the weekend spin and 1 commute (16km each way).
I actually enjoyed the off season running, so I may keep a couple of runs going until run niggles p*ss me off!
I learned … that TrainerRoad isn’t for me. Sorry, I couldn’t resist, but I feel it’s also important to say it since others may feel the same way - and that’s okay. But they’re still a company I’m watching, and I’m still here on the forum.
I will echo taking breaks though. I took a month off and it was just what I needed.
The break is a huge one, that I’ve just sort of come to realize recently. I focus on cross…and routinely burn out late summer and start losing fitness going into cross season. Worst possible timing.
This year, going to train up to Barry Roubaix in april, take 2-3 weeks off/easy, then start up again late april/early may.
Oh. And no hard group rides in addition to trainer workouts. VO2 max in the morning, then racy group ride in the evening is…no bueno long term.
I think the two things above may be linked honestly…
Mine is a bit different but just need to complain. I learned to just stick with TR and trust the process. I get so in my head about what platform is the best that I never actually stick to one. Bounced around from TR to Zwift to Dylan Johnson’s plan to Wahoo because I thought one offered more than the other.
My big lesson learned is just be consistent with TR this year. So that is my plan.
A few months back I dropped the intensity level of the middle workout for an endurance one. I was relatively flying in 2020 and 2021; 2022 just seems to have be a slow decline for me. Touch wood dropping intensity is working but it could be a case that now things a getting more normal I’m riding with groups more
I hear you @ryanmc06 . I just tried zwift this week. Man, I hate it! All the damn chats bouncing around (which I can’t read due to not wearing glasses), trying use my laptop to grab a powerup, and then there’s a companion app you run on another device. It’s just too much. Frankly, it was relaxing to fire up TR this morning and watch some TV while knocking out an endurance ride.
I agree with your comments there. A number of years of using TR. 2022 was likely my best year for consistent improvement. I did low volume, maintained two workouts a week(inside), typically vo2 and threshold were what was scheduled, and did 2 endurance workouts(either inside or out). I would mix in sweet spot from time to time. If I have a build phase I limit it to 2 weeks workouts, 1 week endurance, rinse and repeat. I focus on staying fresh.
Assuming this is a serious question. For me, about 53-54 was when recovery became more difficult and the whipper-snappers could really put the hurt on me.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist, but I feel it’s also important to say it since others may feel the same way - and that’s okay. But they’re still a company I’m watching, and I’m still here on the forum.