Why Does TR Not advices you Which cadence to follow like Sufferfest?

Hi, I al new Here and Come from Sufferfest because I’m interested in The adaptive training.
Unfortunately I miss The suggested cadence to follow like The suggested Watts.

Welcome!

Not all the workouts have instruction text. Some workouts do have cadence recommendations. On you can filter for workouts with instructional text and then put “cadence” in the search box and you’ll get 45 workouts to choose from.

Other than that select the cadence you want to use.

4 Likes

Thank you for your fast reply.
So I understand TR will not always recommand a cadence with each trainingplan in your agenda.

Sufferfest Does it with each training plan to follow. I think this is very usefull, No?

It depends.

The base phase plans, particularly pt1, do target cadence drills aiming to bring up your pedalling speed. After that it’s up to you.

I’ll vary my cadence for different intervals, do some at lower cadence, some at higher cadence, some at my natural cadence.

1 Like

Generally speaking, TR workouts seem to suggest a natural cadence range between 85-95 rpm depending on what feels comfortable for you. Many workouts will specify within an interval (through the instructional text) a suggested range if you want to simulate climbing (sometimes the text will tell you to get out of the saddle, sometimes it will tell you to aim for a range between 60-80 rpm) or speed work (95+)… but the emphasis is almost always on hitting power targets over cadence targets.

I know that personally when I started SSB, 80-85 rpm felt natural to me… after twelve weeks, 90-100 rpm feels much more natural. For this reason, I think sticking to cadence range makes more sense than prescribing something specific. My 2 cents!

3 Likes

I forget if the help give advice (I thought it said 85rpm but Ive not checked) but the in ride text for some rides definitely gives that advice and often tells you when to up it or lower it. Although I must admit for a lot of sessions I find myself spinning higher than recommended, especially if I’m using ERG.

2 Likes
  • Yes and no.

Cadence is a fairly personal thing and can vary greatly depending on the specific rider and their goals. There is no “perfect cadence” for everyone or every situation.

That said, TR does give some cadence ranges for many of their workouts within the instructional text. That usually follows with the ride notes as well, if they have any particular cadence goals for that workout.

As such, they feed those in at the appropriate times and intervals. Even with those, people are sometimes told to “do whatever meets their needs” too, because variability exists.

There are some general guidelines that TR follows. Faster cadence for higher power levels in most cases. But rider needs can surpass those recommendations.

It’s fine to have some guidelines, and in the absence of anything specific, the 85-95 rpm range is a common one, but that still doesn’t suit everyone.

Long story short, cadence guidelines are sometimes helpful, but far from a requirement IMO.

6 Likes

With experience you will learn to target cadence on your own. As is well noted, Coach Chad often suggests at least 85 rpm but sometimes will take you way higher than that and sometimes lower than that. When form sprinting the goal is to quickly achieve a high cadence and seated sprints again the goal is to quickly get to a high cadence. Every now and then I come across workouts that suggest low cadences – 60 rpm or even lower.

Changing cadence is one way I alleviate boredom. I often start long intervals at a very low cadence and every three minutes or so shift a gear bringing my cadence up as the interval progresses and often times in the last minute I spin a high cadence. Other days I’m fine spinning at a constant more natural cadence.

In the end, the power is what is important.

4 Likes

Yes, when I started road cycling and training, having cadence guidelines in the CTS plans was helpful. Now six years later it is still helpful to have general cadence guidelines to continue working on different cadences.

3 Likes

image

5 Likes

Being able to ride comfortably at a wide range of cadences is a useful skill (rapid changes of pace, climbs, descents etc) but there’s no one perfect cadence. Studies show no real difference in gross mechanical efficiency from different cadences.

Just look at the pros, theres a very wide range of natural pedalling styles - e.g., the Yates twins use a very low cadence.

The myth that 90+ rpm is best is pervasive and I think at least partly comes from spurious arguments put forward by Armstrong as to why he was so much better (pedalling at higher rpm made him more efficient than everyone else etc.).

1 Like

Actual notes from free and paid workouts in my TP library:

  • 7 minutes at self-selected cadence, then 2 minutes at 100rpm, then 1 minute at 110rpm
  • be mindful of cadence, over time try different cadences on climbs and see how that effects your…
  • good one to push the cadence
  • If no hill ride in a cadence of 75 - 85 rpm

Most are self-selected cadence with notes to work above or below normal :man_shrugging:

4 Likes

Yeah which is great - exactly what I was getting at when I said being able to work at a wide range of cadences is a useful skill too :slightly_smiling_face:

The TR workout text does give cadence suggestions a lot of times. I almost always ignore them :confused:

2 Likes

Yup. But I think some are thinking giving cadence advice has to be a precise target, and the reality is you can make it both specific and individual by saying things like “first 5 minutes at 20rpm below your natural cadence, then 5 minutes at 10rpm lower, then self-selected.”

3 Likes

do you mean wahoo systm? :smiley:

1 Like

Thank you all for your replies!

2 Likes

That’s because usually it is not a good idea, especially for more advanced users. There are many reasons for this, one of them being that cadence is a personal thing. Some people are on the slower side, others spin more quickly. Typically, the recommendation for road riding is to stay between 85–95 rpm. But my self-selected cadence on the flats is quicker (97–103 rpm), but I can also spin more slowly.

Some TR workouts include cadence drills in the workout text. But these are for extra credit. I usually add cadence drills myself. You should make sure to have a wide range of cadences where you feel comfortable, I try to aim for 60–120 rpm. So on some workouts you should go outside of your comfort zone to extend your range of cadence. Endurance workouts are perfect for this as they tend to be boring and don’t put as much strain on your system.

2 Likes