I’m about to start my speciality phase and can’t decide between the mid volume or high volume plans. I’m confident that I can handle the TSS of the high volume as I already tend to do more than that each week by adding in extra time outdoors (I’m usually around 550-650 per week). I’m more curious to the slightly different approaches the plans take.
The high volume has longer duration threshold interval workouts, but at a slightly lower percentage of FTP and the progression workout at the weekend again is longer but starts off at a much lower intensity than the mid volume’s sweetspot workout. I’m wondering if anyone has done both plans and how they found the differences?
Also, I’m racing most weeks now, so which is the best workout to drop to accomodate racing? I’m thinking for anything of 25m (40k) or over, I’ll drop the practice TT workout, but for anything less than that I’ll swap one of the interval workouts. Again any advice welcome.
Ok @Greased_Flea I am in a similar boat, here is what I am doing/have done… having started by following 40kTT special Mid-vol and then adapting it. I am in effectively in week 8, but adapted things considerably as the season started and I worked out what the programme was trying to help me with.
I don’t have a feel for the mid vol vs high vol versions. I decided that my long outside rides would tip me over my TSS capacity with the high vol, so I stuck with mid-vol.
I do a mid week local club 10 (Thurs) and am racing TTs most weekends from 10 to 100m. (14TTs so far this season and 2 cancelled). So I include longer TT rides outside at a planned intensity as well as sweet spot sessions. In my mind, there is no substitute for being out there and also pacing and racing. My TSS is around 630 but I have done a couple of higher weeks 730 and 850 that resulted in the need to drop back (400 or so) the following week to recover. (I am 60 but think I am still 45 - sad to say)
My observations on adapting the 40kTT speciality
0) Basic principles sensible but definitely heed adapting to real world.
- The last two weeks are really taper weeks and so can be scrapped from the build and added around your A races. Though, given racing every week I am simply using a couple of the sessions in the week prior to longer A races
- Given the last two disappear and the pattern then becomes rinse and repeat the wks 5 & 6 (with a higher intensity) I found that did not feel right.
- I decided that with at least two races a week a 10 and a 10 or possibly longer, like you, to drop the race simulations.
- I added a VO2 max session early in the week as I though these were missing for me. Doing variants of Acrodectes seemed to work. These I do alongside a 100/105% FTP session an adjacent day.
- I liked the idea of long sweet spot sessions 4 and 5 x20, as this is much more structured than outside.
- I’ll be racing longer TTs at 70-75/80% so sessions like Polar bear seemed useful, if I am not able to get out.
- I dropped the FTP ramp tests. I think a flat out 10mTT or a 25 gives a better indication for me.
- and I have a rest day as well.
By the time I had done this I realised I had taken the 40kTT speciality apart and reassembled it to suit what I needed. Given I have long A races around 5 weeks apart, my challenge will be build, race, recover, rebuild, race recover.
I hope that makes sense. I realise you were asking more about the mid vs high vol variants. To me the trick is getting the appropriate type of training in for the races I will be doing, using the principles that the 40kTT approach is trying to develop (whether mid or high volume).
Does this help?
Thanks, that helps a lot. I did something similar last year. Agree on the Sweetspot and Polar Bear type workouts, they helped me a lot to prepare for my longer races last year. Think I’ll try the high volume but adapt it to accommodate some longer durations outdoors.
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Sounds sensible.
Of course I may be doing this all wrong, which is why I framed it as “this is what i am doing” rather than, “You should try this”. However, I PB’d by over a minute on a 10m TT last weekend, so something must be working. 
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