I’m a week and a half into Sustained Power Build high volume. I did the 20 min FTP to start and was happy with a 10% improvement (over the ramp test I did a few months ago). If I’m honest I think longer duration suits me better than absolute effort.
I really feel the pain & suffering on the efforts that are 95% or above. And recognise the strain (IF) and therefore the benefit.
However within the aerobic workouts e.g. Andrews, Collins, Brasstown these are “easy”. I understand that they are not designed to break me but to develop sustained power. However should I, if I can, raise my game and up the intensity to 105% 110% etc but absolutely make sure I can sustain the effort for the duration as that is the imperative? AND complete the next workout.
(I don’t think this is an error in FTP testing, just I seem to thrive on workouts at 75% or less, whereas workouts at 95% make me cry like a baby)
Do the work as prescribed. The higher you go the more you’re relying on anaerobic instead of aerobic. If you wanted to make the threshold workouts of 95% harder you would do so by adding volume, either through number of intervals or duration of the intervals.
Thanks @ErickVH I need to assess the precise tipping point where I’m maximising the aerobic system’s work but not stepping significantly into the anaerobic - cheers.
Making the 95% + workouts harder would be hell on earth. But I do acknowledge a need to improve my weaknesses - but that’s next year’s goal or maybe 2021’s goal - because it hurts!
Also if I can sustain it for 60 / 90 minutes is that actually anaerobic? 93% (for argument’s sake) or less for that duration is aerobic owing to the fact it’s sustained for that amount of time. I understand that we all have differing power curves and mine is definitely flatter as am not a sprinter. Does that mean my aerobic threshold is further up on the curve and nearer to my VO2 max - which isn’t very high. Therefore my aerobic threshold might be at 93% not 65% - is that a possibility?
This thing I learned during my first week of TR and asked a similar question—
Make the easy days easy so the hard days can be harder if you want. Even if I feel great during Pettit, I will not increase the intensity at all. I may do an extra 15 minutes at 50-60%, but that’s all. Then on the following hard day, if I can, that’s where I increase the intensity.
Yes I can see that @bherbers , I guess they feel like active recovery and I’d rather be benefiting from the time as much as possible, by working as hard as is effective - oh look at me a prime example of the cyclist’s disease!
Meaning it would be more like polarized training? It doesn’t change the volume of each specific type of training. And I’m with you on the masochist nature, which I like
Another view of the same picture, just taking it as prescribed on the easy days just allows you to complete that next workout versus failing on the last interval.
You’re right the volume/time doesn’t change so yes it won’t be polarised-training. I guess its the feeling of “easy” days being really easy that I associate with polarised. I’ll add time or intensity to the hard days and keep the easy days easy. I’m finding the SPB Hi-Vol do-able, challenging but achievable.
or maybe 2021’s goal - because it hurts!
