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 Iām 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 itās 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 āHeroā 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 wasnāt recovering as fast as I was 5 years before and POL has been awesome.
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They have names now - itās getting close!
E.g. āPOL - 4x8W@100% - 4Rā is āSheep 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 donāt 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 ā4x8W @ 100%ā means, but what does the ending mean, as ā- 2Rā or ā- 3Rā ?
W(ork) R(est)
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Not surprised itās unofficial. The āpolarizedā 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 
Btw, Polish dude here. Really curious about @QuittingBikesās Polish jokeā¦ come on, give it to meā¦ 
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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 āHockalugiā.
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Goodness, I am soooo sick of these polarized discussions. I would have thought that Amberās 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 wouldnāt 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 doesnāt 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.
āHockalugiā Thatās 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). Wasnāt like this yesterday. I just did a POL workout today, 4x4min, is something Iāve done from that affecting the Glenwood workout, like some AT feature, or is it just a bug?
Thanks for pointing that out! Weāre working on updating those visuals as we speak. Cheers. 
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No worries!
Shameā¦ that 4x4 looked a lot easier 
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As my aging, nearing-sixty body is recovering from SSHVB 1&2, I was keen to give polarized a try. Iāve 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 youāve worked for 32 minutes, but not hard enough to have to really dig deep and suffer. Iām really looking forward to a complete TR polarized plan. 
Tomorrow, back to 2-3h of easy endurance on the trainer, canāt wait to get outside for the long rides!
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Doing POL outside (Iām new to trying POL too) is a revelation. Honestly feeling so much better than I have done before, I donāt 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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