I recently took a Ramp test, and my result was higher than expected on my Tacx Neo. It’s making it very difficult to complete the Sweet Spot workouts, as my heart rate is off the charts, and definitely not in “sweet spot” zone.
To help me over the hump (and instead of manually bumping down my FTP), I’m switching to Traditional base High Volume I through III for 12 weeks at current FTP, and afterward, going to Sweet Spot High Volume i & II for a combined 24 weeks of base.
That will leave me 8 weeks for Build, and 8 weeks for Specialty, and a few days to rest before my “A” event in mid-July.
I would like to get your thoughts on this idea, as my plan would start next week. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and/or feedback.
How much training do you do as the high volume plans are pretty serious in terms of time and sustained TSS. Do you ride with a power meter on your bike and is the power from the ramp test comparable?
If you are unable to complete a sweet spot workout I would retest or drop your power to a level where you can complete them otherwise you risk not getting the most out of the plans, or injuring yourself, over the coming weeks as your FTP will be wrong.
Agreed. I’d worry about over-training or burning out by extending the plan longer (I have done this before and I lost motivation). I would just lower your FTP a bit (or the workout intensity) to get through the first few weeks of SS. You might also consider dropping down to mid-vol at least at the start to give yourself some extra recovery.
Since the forum opened, I’ve been surprised to see how many users seem to go with high volume plans, particularly listening to Chad talk about how those plans probably aren’t appropriate for most people. I wonder how many of those folks who opt for the high volume plans wouldn’t be better off following a mid-volume and simply adding an easy cross-training session or an easy ride on an off day. Then again, at 41, I need the time off to recover and maybe all these guys are younger bucks who can get away with burying themselves consistently without much issue!
I suspect we will learn some cool details like you question, as part of the big data dump and training analysis they are planning to cover on the podcast.
This is my fourth year on Trainer Road, and the high volume plans just work for me because they more accurately reflect the time that I would normally cycle outdoors. I ride approximately 10,000 miles annually, so the high volume plan feels like a good fit.
I could be wrong. That it has worked for me in the past is not an indication that it’s appropriate, only that I haven’t died from it.
Typically, I will ride between 200 and 250 miles per week, with some long rides on weekends, usually in the 6 - 7 hour range. I ride a lot of century rides, for absolutely no reason.
I do have a PM on my bike. The power is very close: the ramp test only had me 10 watts higher than what I was expecting, but 10 watts over a two hour sweet spot workout is brutal. I can finish it, but I’m at 90% HR with very little overhead for sprint efforts, etc. It just feels more like VO2 than SS, so I’m not sure I’m getting the proper training effect the workouts are intended to evoke.
Normally, my Autumn routine is 6 week of SSB High Volume, but I drop my FTP manually, finish the first set of workouts, and then start over SSB High Volume with my expected FTP. This year, I thought I would try Traditional Base instead, partially because it just happens to fit the calendar perfectly with my “A” event.
Probably so for you, and I’m sure many others here. I’m just surprised how many threads I see talking about high volume, etc. This is my first go-round on TR after committing to it after the race season. I’ve done plenty of quality training indoors in the past, nothing quite like TR though. So, obviously a low volume start is appropriate. The TSS is way lower than I’m used to in multi-sport training, and even just the cycling training alone. Heck, I do single rides with regularity that have more TSS than a week of SSBLV1. That said, not all TSS is created equal, so I think I’m in a good spot for now. Can’t see myself going above a mid-volume plan even singling up, but that’s just me!
