Hi, I’m currently in the middle of the LV build, about to start the recovery week. I try to complete each workout in the plan, and supplement with a weekly outside ride, but to be honest it’s a bit erratic. I’ve always wondered if the recovery weeks are really necessary with the LV plans. My average TSS tends to be between 200 and 300 and I’ve been cycling regularly for over 10 years. This is my second year of TR. I’d appreciate any thoughts on this. Many thanks, Michael
I’m sure you can get away with it during base, but good luck during build without any kind of rest week.
That being said I’m sure when the podcast covered this a few weeks back they said something along the lines of - take off as much time as you need.
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Agree with @dhaines83, if after 1 or 2 recovery rides and you feel fresh, then you can certainly swap out the weekend workout with some sweet spot or whatever you like. With LV, a full week is likely not needed, but listen to your body and make sure you’re recovered enough to hit it hard the next week, both physically and mentally.
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Must admit when I’m on LV (I usually aim for 4 rides a week, so LV plus one other) I tailor the recovery week as don’t need it all. Maybe 2 endurance (Pettit type) ride per plan and one with few sweetspot intervals. Also learnt to do a race opener workout (like Truuli -1) at end of recovery week day or two before new ramp test and find ramp test goes far better. Otherwise a week of low intensity stuff means legs shocked at ramp test!
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Agreed, if I take a full week of recovery my legs are terrible the next ramp.
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I’m 44 and do low volume plans as well – I supplement with outside rides when the weather cooperates.
My 2c is – first and foremost, listen to your body – you don’t need a full 7 days of rest. But I would take it easy for 4-5 days in one form or another. I take the first day of endurance work, and change it to a sweet spot workout. After that, I stick with the other 2 endurance rides. Sometimes I do an opener the day before the ramp test as well.
When I’m doing trainer only work, my TSS is generally between 300 - 400. I don’t need the full recovery week.
If it summer and I’m getting in 2 outdoor rides over the weekend my TSS will go above 500 regularly. I take the full week and look forward to it.
Thanks for all your advice, I really appreciate it