Let me start with my calendar so you can get an idea of what I’ve been doing: - TrainerRoad
Short story is I started SSB1 LV on 1/1/19, then dove right into SSB2 LV, then right into General Build LV for 4-5 weeks before I transitioned to all outdoor. LV was a bit too low for me so I added some endurance rides 2 days a week to get the volume of Mid Volume without the added intensity. Since I got outside I have ridden consistently 5 days a week, no rest weeks, no off weeks, and I’ve not really dialed down the intensity because I’ve been so happy with my results from TR that I don’t want to slow down.
However I’m starting to feel tired. My legs feel stiff, harder to sustain efforts, I went for a few Strava segments yesterday and cut the efforts short just because I felt myself struggling to hold my usual power. I think safe to say that I’ve overreached at this point and need a break but I have not had an off week so just a few questions.
Should I not ride at all for a week?
Should I do a few super easy rides like Pettit this week just to keep moving?
Is this week off a good time to try and lose weight by doing some intermittent fasting or is this going to hurt my recovery?
The plan after this week is to get back outside with the same intensity I had before, ride for another 6-8 weeks outdoors because I still want to do a few big rides this fall before it gets cold, then planning to do a taper week and dive back into indoor only sometime in December. Any advice appreciated, even if its not something I asked I welcome feedback from the people here who are likely all far more knowledgeable than myself.
This is why you’re tired. You need to rest. I would try this. Take 3 full days off. No bike. Good rest then come back with a couple days of 1-2hr Z2. Take a rest day. Then smash. Don’t worry about losing fitness, it wont happen. You need to get fresh.
I would also really question your approach about a taper week before starting in December. You do you, but you might seriously want to consider taking a solid couple of weeks off entirely to recuperate the body and mind. Unless you have some winter event that is necessitating you starting in December. A solid break is reallllllllly important if you want to get faster/stronger, especially if you’ve been racking up the intensity and TSS which it sounds like you have.
I wish TR would do a deep dive on off season recovery…in general, the amateur cyclist is HORRIBLE at this.
Looks like you’re really enjoying time on the bike, nothing wrong with that. However, given what you’ve said about how you’re feeling I think you should give your body some adequate rest and recovery.
It looks like your outdoor rides are really hard, or your ftp is set too low. IF of over 1 for 3+ hours?
I’m no expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but have you thought about doing some of the tr-workouts outside and just continue the ride in z2 or something like that?
Also, agree with above poster, you need some time off
I am in EXACTLY the same boat at present and am discovering the hard way that the other posters are 100% correct. We definitely need time off, my power numbers have been slowly but surely dropping over the last few weeks as I too haven’t had a break/rest week since the season began in March.
Logic dictates that this is obvious but us amateurs really are bad at the recovery aspect. Less is more it seems!
I’m in no means no expert and I rarely take “enough” restweeks but I try to fit in some type of recovery and I’ve skipped two workouts, in exchange for other ones, during the last year with TR. I think that I need to up the training load for next season but I’m not sure. I might just try to rest more. I’m still new at this having started cycling 2017 so I don’t really know what works yet. I do know that prolonged time completely off the bike does me no good either physically nor psychologically. I did however take 5 days completely off the bike during the build of my shed in August after my A-event.
“Training = stress + rest. Most athletes are pretty good at stress. But not so much at the rest part” said Joe Friel. I agree! However, resting is something personal, relative to your level of fitness, etc. Cycling is my job, I spend a lot of time on the bike (more than 20 hours per week), but never ever take a full week off. I recover fast by skipping intense workouts for 3/4 days. Instead of doing TR, I just ride my bike outside, without thinking too much about the pace, just push pedals when I want, or not…
Again, that’s personal, but you should see huge benefits by just cutting intensities for 2 or 3 days. Maybe 4. And keep riding your bike if this is what you like, just stay away from trainer and/or intense workouts
So my FTP was set in TR to 290 because that was my ramp test going into Build phase back in March, I never tested again until a few weeks ago when to my own amazement I did 325w for 20 minutes outside. Needless to say, my IF/TSS has likely been off all summer.
To everyone else, thank you very much for your feedback. I have a few EZ rides planned indoors in ERG mode since I have poor self control outside. Pettit today, Townsend -1 tomorrow, Gibbs on Friday, off Saturday, hope to have a big hard ride Sunday
one thing to remember for the future is that you aren’t getting stronger from the workouts…you get stronger from the rest after the workouts, so technically you could be much farther along if you too a rest week, absorbed the training, and then came back again for round 2. lesson learned, no biggie.
rest weeks can often be:
mon - z1 (REALLY z1)
tues - off
wed - openers (5 x 30s @ 120% FTP with 2m rest between at minimum)
thurs- off
fri - openers
I usually have one double day a week (ride am / strength pm). Should I still incorporate this double day during a recovery week? Obviously keep the intensity Or would this fly in the face of the purpose of this week?
I would think fine to do it as long as the strenght is also at a reduced intensity. like a recovery ride, and a “recovery strength” session.
That’s just my view. I try to get recovered as quickly as possible; you don’t lose really anything by moving a workout back a couple days, but if you arrive at the end of a recovery week NOT recovered, then you have to keep resting! mentally for me that’s much mroe frustrating.
My rest week will look something like this:
Monday = easy recovery ride (not even Pettit level intensity; talking like .45 IF)
Tuesday = off bike, maybe some yoga (hip openers or some such)
Wednesday = easy recovery-level power ride but with some cadence builds, maybe an hour, maybe some yoga or an easy, easy strength session
Thursday, another .45 intensity level ride
Friday, see how i feel. Maybe take another full day off if still feel bad, if not, go out for an easy zone 1/2 ride, but throw in some sprints to test whether the legs are back
If Friday’s ride suggests i’m ready, then Saturday is back to training. if not, it’s more rest.
Or would this fly in the face of the purpose of this week?