Considering comming back to TR especially now after Zwift integration is up. Good job TR!!
Currently following CTS low volume plan which is approx 5-6hours per week (my max amount of available time). As Im 47yo I also try to include weight training twice a week for core. Main exercises are squats, deadlifts, Bulgarian squats and bench press.
On my current program in ābase phaseā it includes 2xsweet spot sessions per week 60-90min and 2 endurance rides. Comparing this to TR generel base it also includes threshold and vo2 session during base. Why is this?
And then no endurance rides but I guess that there is room for 1 zone 2 ride extra per week to get some adaption benefits of z2 that I donāt get from sweet spot?
at 5-6 hours a week, I wouldnāt expect much time at or below Z2 (except rest time between intervals). There are no magical benefits of Z2 riding you canāt get elsewhere, the biggest benefit is that more of it can be done without building up as much acute stress compared to higher zones. Everyone is different, but itās unlikely you are going to overtrain with 5-6 hours a week even if most of the workouts include sweet spot (and higher zone) intervals. It might take a while to build up to that, but it should be manageable for most. It also depends on how hard you are hitting the weights, that may end up being too much. If in doubt or if you start getting beat down, just swap in an easier day.
The reasoning behind the Threshold and VO2 Max sessions is that most amateur athletes when training at a low intensity (i.e., the lots of Z2 approach) will run out of time in their schedules before they tax their endurance muscles to the limit. Through Sweet Spot and a mix of higher-intensity work, you can attain sufficient training stress to initiate adaptations in your more limited training time.
Keep in mind that Sweet Spot work still does an excellent job at increasing your capillary density, meaning more tiny blood vessels to deliver blood (oxygen & nutrients) to your muscles. You will also increase the strength of your mitochondria, resulting in higher aerobic performance. Youāll also strengthen your heart, improve fat metabolism, and increase muscular endurance. All of those adaptations blend to achieve a shared outcome ā you get oxygen extraction at the muscle. The more oxygen the muscle can utilize, the more work it can do aerobically. As a result, you can produce more power without going into the red, meaning a higher FTP. All of this makes you a faster cyclist.
When choosing a Base plan, weāve found General Base (GB) is the best choice for most athletes who donāt have enough time (less than 10 hours/week) to complete a full Traditional Base.
Z2 rides are, of course, still useful! If you have enough time on the weekends, for example, to get out for some longer rides, then you can āfill outā some extra training time with those longer endurance workouts. Just keep in mind how they may impact the rest of your plan ā if the extra stress starts to impact the rest of your workouts, donāt be afraid to take some extra rest/recovery if needed. Red Light/Green Light is an awesome tool that can help you out with that.
Hope that helps you out ā feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for the reply.So if I understand this correctly, in short you are saying that I get the same adaptations but better fitness following General Base, as itās more TSS on the time I have available, instead of what I am doing now? As long as I can fully recover on 3 intensity days per week, that will be my best options?
Iām tempted. This makes sence with more training load, but just concerned I do miss something here.
IF I dont recover enough, what intensity day should be replace with a simple z2 ride? SS, Threshold og Vo2Max?
You can edit your plan so that you only have 2 intensity days a week. No need to doing any replacing TR will re do your calendar with the right workouts.
