I know similar questions come up here often, but I could really do with some advice (and encouragement). I started training with TR at the beginning of January (MV century plan). For the first ten weeks I didn’t fail a single workout and found everything very achievable. I felt totally on fire in the first Build block, did a ramp test, with an anticipated jump in watts. Now I’m into the first week of the second Build block and I just cannot hold the required watts. In fact, I’m struggling to stick to the watts that I could do easily two weeks ago in similar workouts. Argh. I’ve had some personal stresses last week and haven’t slept well all week, so I thought I should just be patient until I get back into the swing of things, but next week’s workouts just don’t look achievable. Should I dial down the FTP and accept that my adaptations from the first Build block just haven’t bedded in? 10 watts in 3.5 weeks is a lot. I’m not sure my muscles have really grown that fast. Or how else do I get myself back on track?
If you make your account public we can look at your training and provide more accurate advice.
Ooops, sorry, changed it now.
Looks like you didn’t have a proper recovery week prior. That with additional stress, poor sleep and a decent FTP bump is too much for you to handle at this point. I’d make tomorrow a z2 ride that you do by feel. Meaning adjust intensity to ensure it feels closer to a recovery ride and lower power when it feels like work. In fact, my recommendation is to make every Sunday a long z2 instead of SS, but that’s another discussion. That with Monday’s rest may get you ready for Tuesday’s work. If Tuesday’s workout is too much (remember you’re supposed to adjust intensity to a repeatable power), then you’ve dug a bit of a fatigue hole and its time for a recovery week followed by a restart of the training block.
Thanks! This is very helpful. These recovery ‘weeks’ (actually 8 days) just seem really long, but I guess as the intensity goes up they will be more necessary. I agree with you about long Z2 Sunday rides. That’s what I’ve tended to do unless I’ve had very little time in which case SS seemed more efficient than a super short Z2 ride.
This is the trap 
Thanks a lot for your advice last week. I think I’m back on track. Pretty much completed today’s VO2 max workout without adjusting. I just conked out in the last minute of the last interval which is a lot more than I managed last week.
