Get yer Polarized training workouts!

I wonder how many people that were so angry for ignoring polarized training, as supposedly far superior, will be actually doing them. Kudos to TR for implementing them - it is always great the company to be responsive to the users.

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Been following a polarized approach for two seasons now and 5 x 8 @ 107% is what works well as a starting point for VO2 (Build)work. This is based on a target HR value that Iā€™m aiming for at the end of the final set. Then weekly I bump up the workout intensity by 1% and monitor HR. I realize HR has shortcomings but itā€™s also a good indicator of how the system is responding to the given load at the time. This has worked great to raise FTP without shattering me with too much high intensity work. Not aiming for ā€œHeroā€ workouts is huge too. You need to live to see the next session.

Just looking at the plans and going from personal POL experience these look solid. I really hope folks jump on and try this because it does work great without over cooking a person and helps with consistency. At 42 years old I could tell I wasnā€™t recovering as fast as I was 5 years before and POL has been awesome.

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They have names now - itā€™s getting close!

E.g. ā€œPOL - 4x8W@100% - 4Rā€ is ā€œSheep Mountainā€

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Well I just finished SSBMV I and II + some extra SSBMV stuff. Did ramp test today and was supposed to start Sustained Power Build MV.

Hypothetically speaking, if I were to throw all my current plans to trash and jump on the polarized plan bandwagon right now, would it make sense to skip the 6 week plan (polarized base) and start the 8 week plan (polarized build) since I just finished SSB and was supposed to start build?

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So they have! Sleeping Deer for me today. Says 106% but donā€™t have levels or AT yet, so will just smash these 4 hard and see from there where the legs are at for the rest of the plan. Was in the middle of build, so used the POL plan to pick up where Sustained HV left off.

Today I have POL workouts for the first time via TrainNow, I know what ā€œ4x8W @ 100%ā€ means, but what does the ending mean, as ā€œ- 2Rā€ or ā€œ- 3Rā€ ?

W(ork) R(est)

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Not surprised itā€™s unofficial. The ā€œpolarizedā€ concept embedded in the low-volume 8-week build seems to be: polarize between one killer threshold workout a week (culminating in Timpanogos - 4x16W @100% R-2) and two really easy aerobic spins :wink:

Btw, Polish dude here. Really curious about @QuittingBikesā€™s Polish jokeā€¦ come on, give it to meā€¦ :rofl:

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describes the rest period eg 2R = 2m rest between intervals

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I actually really like the temporary names. 4x4W@100 -3R says so much more than ā€œHockalugiā€.

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Goodness, I am soooo sick of these polarized discussions. I would have thought that Amberā€™s excellent session would have put this to bed.

And then the next day you love them so much you cant get enough of them?

My attempt at a polarised joke, btw

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i need to watch or listen again tbh. if they could persuade dr seiler to appear in future even better

It depends on the plan.

Theoretically, any Base plan builds your aerobic base, so you wouldnā€™t need to do a different Base. You might find that in a given plan there is a progression there from one to the other, that doesnā€™t exist going from SSB to a polarised Build. So I would have a look at the plans and keep an eye out for interval workouts.

ā€œHockalugiā€ Thatā€™s awesome!! You win the naming game.

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Has there been an update again? I notice the Glenwood workout for Saturday is 2x16min, but if you click though on it, it changes to 4x4min (although test description still says 2x16). Wasnā€™t like this yesterday. I just did a POL workout today, 4x4min, is something Iā€™ve done from that affecting the Glenwood workout, like some AT feature, or is it just a bug?

Thanks for pointing that out! Weā€™re working on updating those visuals as we speak. Cheers. :v:

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No worries!

Shameā€¦ that 4x4 looked a lot easier :sweat_smile:

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As my aging, nearing-sixty body is recovering from SSHVB 1&2, I was keen to give polarized a try. Iā€™ve been dabbling with my own versions of polarized workouts for the past few weeks, but today I had the pleasure of completing my first polarized-by-TR ride, Circleville, which is a 4x8 @102% with 2 minute rest periods. I found it to have a nice balance, hard enough that you know youā€™ve worked for 32 minutes, but not hard enough to have to really dig deep and suffer. Iā€™m really looking forward to a complete TR polarized plan. :+1:

Tomorrow, back to 2-3h of easy endurance on the trainer, canā€™t wait to get outside for the long rides!

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Doing POL outside (Iā€™m new to trying POL too) is a revelation. Honestly feeling so much better than I have done before, I donā€™t feel ground down like I always used to. Still only being small p polarising for a few weeks now, so early days, need to see actual results as well as just feeling fresher.

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