I am new to TrainerRoad (and/or any form of indoor training). I am following the recommended plan and have improved my FTP from 133 to 142 over 15 workouts in about 25 days.
Over the past 4 sessions I was assigned Endurance workouts (by plan) and have exceeded TSS and IF targets in all 4 - e.g., Gaoith: TSS-35/29, IF-0.68/.63& Olympia: TSS-51/40, IF-0.64/0.56. When doing the past few Endurance, my average Cadence has been 90-95 and my power has been consistently above target.
I am motivated to continue on, am not tired after each 1 hour workout and can continue daily life-activities as usual (when doing Endurance). After advice from Shawrx last week, Iāve stopped taking breaks (at all) and have learnt to drink water while riding (at Endurance interval-level)
Questions:
Am asking as I donāt wish to mess-up with TR methodology and thus have negative long-term impacts:
Is it good-practice to exceed Interval target?
Is it good-practice to have TSS & IF exceed overall workout target expectations?
Is it ok to ride āhands off hoodā for a few minutes or should hands always be on the hood?
Please advice as I wish to get better and use TR optimally. Please do not give an āit dependsā answer.
It is not really my back. It is the pressure of the hood against my wrist ā constantly for 1+ continuous hour ā that bothers me some times. Hence my question.
If your bikeās axles are level, try raising the front axle about 25mm [1"] higher than the rear. This will take some load off your hands. Itās a trick Iāve used for a decade and many Iāve mentioned it to like it as well.
Moving your hands to different positions on the bars (hoods, tops, drops, or even sitting up) is a good general habit to develop.
Also, can you expand on riding above the target wattage? Are you not on a trainer with ERG mode? Iām not sure what the TR logic is for adaptive training, but I think Iād be more inclined to do the workout āas prescribedā and then just rate it easier, and then let the TR AT work itās magic. Alternatively, you could look for something harder in the āAlternatesā section and do that, instead.
I do have āErg mode onā, and I also make sure that I always do the spin down Wahoo Kickr Core) before I start my ride.
At this point, Iām leaving all the Settings as prescribed by TRās Workout plan assigned to me. This is because I do not have a good understanding of all the parameters and expected outcomes. Iām waiting for my first round of planned workout to come to an end within two weeks and then when I do my next round, I suppose Iāll have to do the ramp test once again and that would give me a better idea about where I really stand. So at this point, Iām just trying to understand the system and not tinker around too much with it.
If you have erg mode on, how are you āover performingā all of your workouts? If youāre supposed to be at 150 watts, erg mode will keep you at ~150 watts. Itās normal to fluctuate up or down a bit, but in general, ending a ride with that was scheduled for 50 TSS having 60 TSS doesnāt seem right if youāre doing everything as prescribed. Are you maybe extending the workout duration?
@Qiskit It might be worth checking out this link. Itās possible thereās a lower limit on your trainer so easier, lower power sections of you endurance workouts end up higher than intended. This will be less of an issue as you progress and probably isnāt too big of a concern if youāre recovering well now.
I am not extending my workout but performing at a higher Cadence. I am trying my best to be light-footed to reduce reduce power but have a bit of difficulty below a certain limit (which is still over Intervalās Target Power). Otherwise I am strictly following the TRās prescribed WO plan for me/myself and am operating in Erg=On mode and spinning non-stop for the duration.
FYI: That was the reason I asked my other 2 questions
You do have a point there about āchecking linkā and possibly running āover limit.ā I thought about it and called Wahoo. They checked it out and said that all was good. That is also one another reason that I aways spin-down at the start of each WO ā¦ just in case Wahoo/TR are off spin-balance. I spin up to 22-24 and then cruise until it is done.
Iāll take your wise-word/counsel and hope that this is not an issue as I progress.
Am not sure if TRās AI model read your response :- It āupwards adaptedā me this morning. I hope it does not kill me now since I am still a relative novice at biking (2.5 years) and indoor biking (~ 1 month)
Iām still confused as to how youāre going over the interval power target if youāre using ERG mode. In ERG mode the trainer should adjust to your changes in gearing and/or cadence by adjusting the trainer resistance and keep you at (or at least near) the power target.
All that I know is that if I reduce my cadence to a very low level, then I go into a āspiral deathā ā¦ and find it impossible to spin back up to 90 RPM. This is what happened when I did my first ramp test. I learned my lesson.
I just got of the phone with Wahoo and their (Training) support person said that it is ok to over the target power as long as you feel good/comfortable and are working toward my (training) goal. So, Iāll not worry too much about it for now.
BTW, TR adjusted me up a bit earlier today. Will see what happens in my next TR ride.
It āupwards adaptedā me this morning. I hope it does not kill me now 
since I am still a relative novice at biking (2.5 years) and indoor biking (~ 1 month) 