I’m also in SSB 1 low volume for first time doing structured training and did Eclipse for the first time yesterday. I found the third interval pretty brutal towards the end, more so mentally. It was really important for me to have something else entertaining that I could focus my attention on during that interval. Have a song or two saved and ready to crank up. Zone in on something else your watching. Break it into smaller mental chunks, just get through 1 more minute, 1 more minute as goals. Make sure your nutrition is on day before, and have something to eat through workout. I chose a banana and granola bar.
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That’s good to know, I have put workouts back to back before, I wonder if that had something to do with it? Thanks for the tips!
I agree with the suggestion of picking the -1 and -2 versions. They are designed to be the same type of training, and triggering the same physiological adapations. Better to complete a properly structured easier variant, than to cut short a tougher variant.
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Just to throw in my thoughts - I’ve just started structured training with TR for the first time. In week 4 of SSB Mid vol 1. On those longer 90min sessions, particularly those involving over-unders - I’ve found the battle to be almost (thought not exclusively) mental. I’ve really had to focus on taking each block at a time - just seeing it as a workout of its own. Then as I work my way through it i just continue to say to myself “just do this one more time”. Then repeat. I have Pallisade to do later this afternoon and I am definitely asking myself the question “Can I get it done, at the requested power?” Having pushed through the workouts in this plan so far - I have to try and use that to give me confidence that I can do it again. Vs 4 weeks ago - I already have a better understanding of the difference between mental and physical failure.
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I’ve lost count of the number of times I purposefully lie to myself on difficult workouts, telling myself that this interval will be the last one. Then the recovery period rolls around and I feel an appetite for one more. Rinse, repeat and it’s done.
Even though I full well know I’m lying to myself it works, for me. I guess that psychological boost of the actual last interval is experienced with each one.
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Yep that’s it’s. 100%
Just saying to my wife there that I almost have a slight nervousness about doing palisade this afternoon. Yet if I can do it I will feel so good 
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Palisade got done! Boom 
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I think you should review your caloric intake. Review the amount, timing and type of calories you are consuming. From my experience, the brain fade either leads the muscle fade or is inline with it. If your muscles are “toast” then something is missing. I would also look at cadence. A low cadence will push you towards the anaerobic range, burn more fuel and “cook” your leg muscles. Personally, I know exactly what this feels like because I experienced it on my final workout of last week. The lower cadence puts me into what I refer to as the “death spiral” with regard to trying to turn the pedals over. It stinks both mentally and physically. Finally, you may have simply stressed your muscles too much even though the workouts are designed around your current FTP. In which case, try taking two days of recovery. Either spin easy (Lazy Mountain) or simply rest.
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Dare I suggest that, if you can’t complete 50 minutes of work at around 90% of FTP with significant intervals between 10 minute work periods, your FTP is far too high. You should be able to complete all of that work in a single work period.
The point in these intervals isn’t to fall of the bike at the end!
Mike
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Ya I potentially thought I could lower my FTP, but on the shorter workouts I feel like I would be getting a lot less benifit as I don’t find them nearly as challenging. I may try it though and see how it works. I guess I could always bump it up to 105% or something for the shorter workouts.
You don’t have to adjust FTP, you can just adjust the workout intensity. So you could even do as many intervals as possible at the suggested intensity and then lower the rest when you get fatigued.
Other people have given good advice with regard to hydration, nutrition and sufficient rest between workouts.
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Yes but the shorter work outs are designed with a specific purpose - and often play a role in ‘acive’ rest within the weekly schedule.
Can I ask you if you think it’s mental or physical failure? When I did my workout today I dropped my cadence slightly vs what I have been doing the threshold stuff at. Still around 90min. I also really focused on belly breathing and both helped. HR sat around low 150s for most of the 9 min over-unders. My legs may have worked a bit harder but I figure as long as I mix it up with higher cadence, more aerobic rides I’ll be good.
Tomorrow for instance I’ve x3 20 min threshold session. I suspect I’ll sit nearer 100 spin in these and will work my aerobic more.
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Ya I think I’m going to slowly work towards higher cadences. I definitely feel like I lean on the lower side but am going to bump it up as it feels me muscle fatigue (to the point where I’m so gassed that I quit mentally) I’m sure physically I have a bit more left (as in I’ve gone much deeper in races and ramp tests, etc, but mentally I just am done).
I’d imagine that’s quite a lot of people go wrong - thinking that to get the benefit of sweet spot training it has to be hard. What’s actually happening is that you’re training at or above FTP and getting less benefit due to the building fatigue as you do more and more workouts at that intensity. Eventually there is a plateau and the improvements start to fade.
According to the typical power curves in WKO4, you should be able to hold 90% of 1 hour power for more than 2 hours. Obviously everybody’s different but it gives you some idea of how the workouts should feel.
Mike
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I just try to remind myself that there is nothing ”sweet” with SSB. Almost all workouts are dam hard. Once I got that in to my head it actually got easier to cope with
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@themagicspanner it’s prudent to take those power duration curves with a grain of salt. The other adjunct is that your power duration curve may suggest that you can keep 90% of your ftp for two hours and you may be able to do so, but that is definitely not the case for everyone. The curve is sigmoidal and will be impacted by a lot of variables. Simply having a higher 5 second power can decrease the curve on the far end and vice versa. It also depends on what ones training has consisted of and what their own physiology is like. Similar to the same reasons that someone may not be able to hold their ftp for an hour.
That was why I qualified my statement.
The point was to reinforce the fact that failure at 90% of 1 hour power should be significantly longer than an hour and that you shouldn’t be failing these types of workouts if your ftp is correct.
@aroeck - a lot of good advice on nutrition and caloric intake has been mentioned here already, if you can - try and take a look back at some of the workouts that Nate has done this time last year when he was doing high vol SSB, a few of them have discussions regarding the amount of food he ate right before/during those rides. I say to take a look at his bc it’s an example of a LOT of food compared to what I have done in the past (and probably most). I started to really fuel for those rides and it makes a difference.
One thing that helped me personally was also planning for those harder/longer rides like I would for a race. Eat at the appropriate time prior, have everything ready to go, hydrate (I average four 24oz bottles), practically plan your day around it if you can and that’s what it takes. My point is - really put an effort into getting that workout done by whatever means necessary. Once you knock one of those out at the prescribed power, you know you can do it, and the rest are that much easier.
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I solved the same problem by reducing my FTP with 5-6% when I do SSB-phases. It might have something to do with the type of rider you are. It works for me
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I also found the 90 minutes workouts on SSB 1 low volume very challenging and sometimes I failed to complete all of the intervals. I’m a time trialist and have a couple of age class USA Cycling state championships in my past so I not entirely unfamiliar with long efforts.
I’m wondering about this whole “ramp, 8 minute, 20 minutes estimates” of your FTP. If your FTP measures out 290 vs. 275 then you’re high end sweet spot power is going to be pretty much at FTP and, as we all know, there is a difference between 90 and 95% of FTP once the workouts get longer.
If you’re the kind of rider who can gut out that last couple of minutes on the ramp test…it’s possible you’re working 3-5% harder on every work interval for the next 6 weeks. Personally I think I’m getting an overly optimistic FTP estimate with the ramp.
Or we’re just wimps LOL!
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