How long to recover from training camp? I feel I need to recover but I also want to ride the fitness wave. Advice please
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Some recent discussion on training camps & recovery here in the last TR podcast (link goes to the start of the camp discussion):
Based on my experience - it’s going to be pretty personal: the type of riding, your experience with this much TSS, your average TSS leading into the training camp, etc.
Last summer I had a similar training camp style 5 days of riding, I ended it on a Sunday and tried to get back into VO2 work (where I was in my plan at the time) by Thursday… I ended up burnt out quickly after that, it was just too much too soon and ended up setting me back from an otherwise really good potential fitness bump.
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I did a 1200 TSS week “camp” (20hrs all indoors on the trainer).
Followed up with a 10hr 550 TSS adaptation week last week and feeling good jumping back into a big week this week. It does depend on your typical chronic training load though as far as what you can handle. What’s your CTL?
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Just finished a three day mini camp. Averaging around 220-225 TSS per day. Spoke to the camp leader and said that I hoped to race on Sunday. He advised a steady tempo ride on Friday and then I should be good to go, reaping the benefits from the past few days.
My average TR TSS since January has been around 350-425.
Beginning February I had a training camp with just over 1400 tss (all outdoors), took 2 days off, 3rd day easy group ride, 2 more rest days and then back to normal training regime. Felt good, I completely went by feeling…
edit: most weeks i am between 350-600 tss
Everyone responding with their massive TSS numbers from training camp; they are useless unless you also state what your 6 week avg TSS is, or your CTL (if you use something like TP), because it is all relative.
I just came back from a 1300TSS week, having carried 420TSS rolling 6 wk average on my way into it.
It buried me, and I got sick. I can blame travel for the sick, but my immune system was definitely compromised. Forced me to take 10 days off the bike while I properly recovered and got over the travel cold.
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I think you need to see a shrink… 20 hours indoors!!!
@RONDAL Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Not sure I’d tackle a 300% average week myself.
My CTL is 101 coming out of my 550 TSS rest week, so a 1200 TSS week was a nice bump but it’s not even double a regular build week for me.
@IsaacBB I just may. I’m actually starting to enjoy indoor training. Not as much as riding outside, but it’s not an option right now, and I’m definitely getting faster.
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My 6 week average before the training camp was 305, as I had had a cold for a few weeks before the camp. So it was quite a boost
Just feel it out. Listen to your body and be honest with yourself. If you feel fine, jump right back in.
All the numbers and prescriptive training advice can be counter productive if not taken with a grain of salt. If your body is telling you something that disagrees with your numbers, I’d always listen to it. RPE is the best gauge more often than not.
I had a 465 6week average rolling into it…
Did a three-day team camp over the weekend. Something like 650TSS in 3 days. 6-week average was 421. Took monday off, did v02 work on tuesday as planned but bumped down the intensity to 95%. I am racing a crit saturday and a hard RR on sunday with lots of climbing. Will do something easy today and pending how I feel, some threshold/sweet spot on Thursday, complete rest on Friday and race the weekend.
I cancelled my training peaks, but am using the strava chrome plugin Element to measure fitness, form, and fatigue. Fitness is something like 63, fatigue is up, and form is creeping back to optimal. It’s a been a slow build for the fitness. Over three days it went up 7 or so points.
Also, to the OP, it matters how the TSS was carried over the week. How many hours, etc.
I would base it on feel, everyone is different and some people can sustain higher training loads than others. Listen to the body, target some intervals and gauge where you’re at.
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What are you using to keep yourself engaged that long?
I did all of it on Zwift. For the 4+ hr rides I’d enter an A or B class 120km ride/race and then keep going for ~300TSS in 4-4.5hrs. Or I’ll do a couple hours of sweet spot over unders and then hit a couple big (20min) climbs at just under threshold. Threw in some short hard races for intensity followed by Z2.
It was lots of SS and high Z2. I find I can ride longer if I’m keeping the effort up a bit and some pressure on the pedals. Funny to see avg watts that high for that long.