I would like to get an advice from more experienced cyclists for my “custom base plan”. I would like to do 2 sweet spot workouts a week + 1 x 2 hours long ride. Currently i can train only early in the morning. Last season i did low volume General base 1,2,3 with great successes. This time i would like to increase my endurance for longer rides when weather gets good next “season” April to October. My life changed a “bit” , i am a father now and getting good recovery is trickier. So basically i want to do General base MV 1, but without Threshold workout and endurance ride (1h). I think that 2x SS workouts will somewhat increase my ftp and sst ( realistically of course). Also i do 2 upper body strength trainings a week. I do not train for an event there might be one i can attend, but its so long ahead that i wont plan it as it isnt important for me.Here are my questions:
- Will i still benefit in terms if increasing ftp/endurance/sst if i substitute the Threshold workout? I think that last season TH workouts helped me a lot to lift my FTP.
- Will 2h zone 2 ride be enough to increase my base?
- If i have enough time is it worth to add 30-60 min zone 2 ride after SS workout (if i can recovery properly of course)?
- Is it a problem if i introduce Threshold and Vo2max WO 8-12 weeks later or it will hit me hard?
- Will Adaptive Training work if i delete manually the mentioned workouts?
Thank you in advance!
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Congrats on becoming a father! I’m sure that’s been more than just a “bit” of a change. 
I think you’ll still see good results even if you sub out that Threshold workout. You might consider making your next plan a Masters Plan, which changes your plan from 3 “hard” days per week to 2. That would allow for a little more recovery, which may be more agreeable given your new life situation.
As for the Z2 rides, 2 hours is still solid, especially when paired up with the Sweet Spot sessions you’d be doing. If it’s possible, I think it might be even better to add on those 30-60 extra minutes you were thinking of for your Sweet Spot workouts to your Z2 rides instead. Doing so would make your long rides each week a bit longer if building endurance is an important goal for next year.
That said, if doing so wouldn’t work out because of your life schedule, then adding on those 30-60 minutes to your Sweet Spot workouts would still be beneficial as you’d still be bumping up your overall volume. As you mentioned, though, just be sure you can recover adequately! If you start to feel a buildup of excess fatigue, don’t be afraid to back off a bit.
I don’t think it would be a problem if you wanted to add in VO2/Threshold workouts 8-12 weeks into your plan, either. By that point, you’ll have gone through at least a couple of Base blocks, so your aerobic fitness shouldn’t have much trouble with those higher intensities by that point in your plan.
Finally, yes! AT will continue to work, even if you manually delete some of your workouts. If any changes in your future workouts are necessary, AT will propose adaptations for you to make sure your plan stays on track.
Hope that helps you out – feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions!
Thank you for the lengthly and informational reply.
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