I am a regular user of TR over the winter period. I am targetting my first half IM in June. I am averaging around 100-150 bike miles per week plus 3 swims and 2 runs plus a strength and conditioning session.
I have completed base training. I am in the second week of sustained power build. Last night I had Bashful plus 1.
For the first block of 7 intervals I dropped the target down to 95% and just about got through that block.
On block 2 I worked at 96%. After 3 intervals I had to miss the 4th beofre coming back and doing the remaining 3 intervals.
I bailed the 3rd set as my legs were destroyed.
I am good on long efforts around threshold, but struggle with the Vo2 efforts.
My plan is to abandon the build plan for now and do a 2 week block where I do gradually harder Vo2 efforts-3 a week.
After that I plan a recovery week (from cycling at least), and then start sustained power build again
Does that sound a good idea? Mty reasoning is if I cannot do Bashful plus 1 right now then the efforts are only going to get harder and I am likely to fail them.
I think you might find a lot of good suggestions in this thread Catch 22 on VO2 work
Just remember that VO2 Max work is tough and you’re right, some of the sessions do get harder to complete. The more you face this challenge, the easier it becomes, I promise you that.
Quick suggestion – if you are struggling with Vo2 work currently try this…it’s worked for me in the past:
Every time you have a Vo2 workout coming up in your calendar, replace it with either Huffaker (my preference) or Mills. The reason is as much psychological as it is physiological.
In the case of Huffaker, the intervals build for the first 30 seconds of each interval, which is nice. Then the individual intervals build from 110% → 115% → 120% and then come back down. to 110% to finish – and it helps to know that watts are going to start coming down. Helps me hang in there. Once I nail Huffaker at a new FTP, I move back the the prescribed workouts of the plan and I can usually hit them more regularly.
Mills has a peak-and-fade component to each interval that helps you hang in while not compromising the adaptation you’re going after (Chad as posted on Mills before – that’s his opinion, not mine).
I did Mills during base and completed it ok. I think it was the short 30 seconds recoveries on Bashful plus 1 that made it too hard last night. I have donec Gendarme too which is same recovery but only 30 seconds work effort and slightly lower intensity-120% of FTP.
I would suggest not doing them in erg mode, don’t worry about what power you’re hitting, just focus on a solid effort for the duration of the intervals, after about half of the intervals in the set you should be pretty gassed and needing the full recovery. Think about how you do your running and swimming intervals, you have to self-select the pace that is appropriate for the distance/total number/rest interval. The power target is just a target and won’t work for everyone. So maybe you start at the 96% target, but then hold on as best you can for the rest of the workout.
Good point about disengaging erg mode for them. I might do that next time I co,e to this one, but first I think I will do the pre build block of Vo2 efforts as per Chad’s suggestion.
I have traditionally thought that I simply sucked at VO2max efforts. I was recently reading the workout description for Mills and have come to realize that they are simply extremely hard efforts for everyone (you are supposed to be gutting it out for the last 30-60sec). So just because they are really hard doesn’t mean I’m doing them wrong, I just have to keep suffering towards the end because that is where the adaptation ocurrs.
Well I did what I said I would and did a 10 day block of Vo2 work gradually building the duration of the efforts from session to session before re-starting my Build block.
Yesterday I did Shortoff +1 which is 6 sets of 3 minutes at 120% FTP.
In previous years I have found my repeatable 3 minute power to be around 115%. Yesterday I completed all 6 at the full 120% so that short Vo2 intensive block seems to have worked for me.
Did Bashful +4 last night and had to drop the intensity down to 97%, half-way through. Even then, I’ve paused it to get that extra 20 seconds of rest two or three times.
I mixed up Bashful+2 with Bashful+1. +2’s first interval killed me, realised the errors of my ways, switched to +1 and completed it. However these are hard core, there’s no disputing this.
