Hi,
I have spent around 3 years with Trainerroad following training plans.
My question is, having in mind there is no A events ahead, just to be strong for weekends to destroy my friends 
and be stronger and stronger every week ā¦ itās better to do base, base, baseā¦ or build, build, buildā¦?
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Lots of base is better than lots of build. Or alternate between base and build, which is what the plan builder suggests now. Lots of build on top of each other will not be good for you aerobic capacity, which will at some point run you down.
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Iād probably suggest Base> Build> Base> Build.
Establish an aerobic base, then improve your VO2Max with build, then go back and consolidate an higher aerobic base around that improved VO2 capability, etc.
And perhaps consider different flavors of build. eg. Sustained Power Build 1st time round, then Short Power Build next time round. Obviously you need to consider this in context of what type of events you are likely to be targetting when they go ahead.
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If I was forced to choose, Base, base, base, specifically sweet spot base.
That said, as said above, Iād rather do Base, build, base, build 
Depending on how much time you have, I would try something like: SSB1, SSB2, Build, SSB2, Build, then repeat from SSB1.
SSB2 is essentially a pre-build - the mid volume plan has lots of short above threshold work as well as loads of sweet spot.
If I didnāt have any specific goals I would also vary the build plan - between general, sustained and short power each time, to give yourself a different challenge.
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I have similar question.
I did 12 weeks high volume sweetspot base plan and now doing general build high volume and i do not have following race. So i will go back base again but which base and which volume?
I do not have time problem, so should i follow high volume again? Or this time mid volume (for changing the stress?
Come back base 1 or 2? As i said no time problem. So come back base 1 will be more beneficial? (I gained a lot during 12 weeks base high volume even though i am not new rider 290w to 320w. So i want to keep improving).
base-build-base-build.
If you have lots of time then consider Traditional Base or increasing volume of Sweet Spot Base
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I could do traditional base but i gained a lot in the sweetspot base. To me, doing lots of %88-94 of ftp (sweetspot) increase FTP but on the other hand doing lots of zone 2 do not make the same benefits (maybe i am not right).
Thatās what i am asking actually. I improved my ftp about 30watts during base and not i am in the build and hopefully i will improved ftp again. So doing the first base period with this new ftp (30+ before the last sbb 1 hv) will be better than starting directly base2?
Or doing base 1 again, is pointless and should i start base 2 directly?
No back to back build for me.
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Itās all about the base, the base, the base, no troubleā¦
3 Likes
Can you expand on that as the description doesnt mention anything about base being an easy intro to skip if youāre returning from build and all plan builders (when afforded sufficient time) include base 1?
Okay thanks 
So the statement qualifier is it being mid season and the lack of full training plan time, which corresponds with plan builder shortening base 1 before the others. But, if you have the time before an event, returning to full base 1 is recommended.
Youāre not letting the roof come back down, youāre building another strong foundation for the next roof to be higher. If all you do is raise the roof eventually you run out of foundations.
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I think base 1 is also good as a break after a full base-build-speciality cycle, to take the intensity down a notch and allow for another cycle. If coming directly from build, maybe going into base 2 is fine. Might depend on what the limiters are maybe.
Oddly, Iāve only had my FTP go up from doing Base 1. Itās kind of hard to say where your roof is until you get to the next Anaerobic effort, but Iām not so sure you would see a significant reduction in your roof height that wouldnāt be built back up by Base 2 pretty quickly. I donāt recommend it every time, or perhaps most of the time, but I think going back to Base 1 occassionally can be valuable as @splash says as a break.
Not sure it would come down materially in a single block of sweetspot and o/u, but so be it if the point of base 1 is to take that higher roof youāve made, build a wider base / solid foundations under it so you can go on to pitch an even higher roof next time. Thatās how Chad & Amber explain it in the podcasts anyway.
because maybe the rider is prioritizing their base more than their roof. Not everyone is at the point to raising their roof. And most arenāt there all the time.
Using Plan Builder and high volume plans, it has me doing SSB1, SSB2, ShortPB, SSB2 and then Specialty. SSB2 high volume has 100% sweet spot workouts for 5 weeks. Iām not worried that all my gains from ShortPBHV will be lost. Iāll be doing SSB2 for a second time at a higher FTP and again raising my floor. VO2 is the quickest to touch up, so Iāll do that in Specialty.
yeah I get that - hence my original query
Iām doing SSBMV1 right now (after doing LV 1 and 2), and it sure does not feel like an āeasy introā to my weak bodyā¦ If Tunnabora, Monitor +1, McAdie and Antelope back-to-back are āeasyā, I dread āhardā.
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