update - I’m in week 9 of SSB HV, so 3 more weeks left after this one.
Some observations
the SS sessions are quite manageable - no struggle at all. I seem to be able to hold the power for extended periods of time - on Sunday, I paced a group ride for nearly 3h - IF for the ride was 86% (241W) - 210 TSS. It was hard work, but I never faded.
my recovery rate seems to improving - ie I feel pretty good all the time - I did Galena+3 today with a TSS of 139 - it feels as if I did not ride today
despite the recent volume build-up (eg last week I trained every day - 873 TSS) and without any real recovery periods, my RHR is pretty steady and has even dropped
this week I noticed that my pwr/HR ratio (efficiency) has significantly increased for the sweetspot sessions
my Garmin body battery does not deplete as much as it used to, and I am able to get back to 100% during most nights
my Garmin shows that my VO2max is improving
I have been doing 3x 30 minute strength training sessions a week - mostly focused on functional strength and core work, as well as daily 15-20 minute yoga sessions
I do feel flat from a power perspective - as if I don’t really have a punch left to sprint up some hills repeatedly, which I assume is expected, and will come back during Build and Specialty
Question
I’m wondering what to make of the improved efficiency this week for my SS sessions? My HR used to be in the high end of Z3 (Tempo), low end of Z4 (Threshold) for SS sessions, however, this week my HR has been staying mid Z3. Either I’m building up way too much fatigue and not able to recover properly, impacting my heart’s ability to go up, indicating overtraining. But if I were overtraining, I would expect my RHR to be significantly (>10%) elevated as well for days in a row, which is not the case, on the contrary even… Or could I be overtraining without any RHR increase? Or, are these just the desired adaptations following the training regime of the last 9 weeks? How can I tell which one it is?
Update: I’ve completed SSB HV 1&2 - last week was my recovery week
I did my ramp test on Sunday and got an FTP of 284W or 3.84 W/kg.
My previous high was 283W after which I had dropped to 278W.
I think my FTP is actually higher. My trainer in ERG mode suddenly failed to reach the required power targets half way through the ramp test.
Today, I did a threshold workout of 4x 15 minutes at around 97-99% of my FTP with brief 5 minute breaks in between and managed it quite well. It did not feel too hard until I hit the last interval where I average 282W for 15 minutes.
Overall, I think the SSB HV definitely made me stronger in a number of areas. I think my aerobic and muscular endurance increased quite a bit. My work capacity increased. And I’m sure my FTP got a bump, getting me closer to 4W/kg.
All that said, I decided to hire a personal trainer and give that a go. I am really excited how a more personal approach will work and how it will help build me up. We’ll see how that plays out…
I use the TR ramp-test generated FTP primarily as a measure of progress and a number I can use to anchor my workouts properly to have the intended effect to (hopefully) continue improving.
I know FTP is supposed to reflect the power level which you can sustain for an hour.
I also know that FTP tests (ramp, 8 minute, 20 minute) are estimates. For some it overestimates, for others it underestimates, for some it is spot on. I don’t know where I fall, however I’ve been using it for the last 16 months for measuring progress and anchoring my training.
I don’t use it for ego, just a measure of progress as that is what I care most about.
I initiated this post originally because my progress (ie this number and how I felt riding) was stalling and was looking for guidance to break through. Following SSB HV 1&2, it finally moved up again, and I felt better than ever doing a ramp test, which to me means I progressed on a number of other areas, aside from that number. Given several folks here provided suggestions and recommendations, I wanted to make sure I close the loop on the result.
You said you think your FTP is higher than what it’s come up with. Therefore you must mean your workouts are too easy or some other measure shows you the figure isn’t appropriate. If it’s appropriate then it’s just right and talk of it being too low or indeed too high is meaningless…
Good to hear. I agree, I came out of SSBHV feeling like a diesel. I’ve reached life time power PRs and felt so durable after. What’s your training plan going forward?
My coach is working on it, so not sure yet. Focus is building up and I believe he takes a more polarized approach, focusing more on work above threshold, and lower intensity (minimizing work in de middle). But not sure yet. I hope to get a better view of the overall plan next week, as well as where he thinks what the focus areas should be.
He will develop weekly plans and adjust as we go based on how the sessions went the week before.
This week I’ve done some sprint training and threshold work. I’ve got two VO2Max sessions scheduled and a long weekend ride.
FYI- a few weeks after completing the SSB HV phases, I set new quite a few new PRs incl 1m and 5m, and my estimated FTP as per intervals.icu has gone up to 292W, or 3.98W/kg. If this is true SSB HV did result in significant progress (+ ~15W).
@MI-XC - my coach is following a polarized approach. So we will see how that goes. I feel more rested than ever and my legs feel fresh most of the time, which is a nice change. We will see if/how this translates in progress over the coming months.
[update] - I’ve been working with a coach/trainer since April 19. Three months later, I did another ramp test on July 23 and got 307W, up from 284W on April 18. This brings me to ~4.2 W/kg (up from 3.89 W/kg).
However… it looks like my muscles and tendons could not really coop with this significant increase. Now, about 6 weeks later, my left knee is killing me due to an inflamed tendon. I guess I was too stubborn to listen to the signals my body was giving me… from a cardiovascular perspective, my recovery has never been better, however, over the last few weeks my muscles started aching and I was sore after workouts, a first since I’ve started riding the bike. I guess I should have taken a slower approach by only gradually increasing my FTP and workout intensity to get to my new tested FTP… I’ll have to take some rest off the bike now to recover. Hopefully, I won’t lose too much of that fitness I had…
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