I handled SSB1 relatively well. The over-unders were hard but at least it was only once a week.
SSB2 just kicked my ass. Every workout was brutal. If it wasn’t short and painful (Vo2max) it was long and dreadful (Sweetspot).
Now I’m not really looking forward to the build phase. Should I just lower the volume or go back to base?
Did your FTP increase a lot in the initial test for SSB2? Happened to me and I just couldn’t manage SSB2.
If that’s the case. Either correct your FTP manually a bit down or what I did was lowering the difficulty of the workouts to 90 to 95% if necessary whilst doing them. (I did that after the first interval when I realized that there was no way for me to finish otherwise).
The RPE of sweetspot should be much easier. You probably over test on short FTP tests.
I’ve done SSBII a couple times now and each time it has been a major shock to the system. The sweetspot intervals are often more like threshold intervals because you’re spending your time at the top of the zone rather than the bottom like in SSBI. And the jolt to your VO2 system can make those interval days insanely hard to get on the bike mentally. I found that SSBII is a giant mental slog because of how daunting each workout felt.
That said, these intervals require a ton of fuel. If you are not adequately fueling for the work (both on the bike and off) it makes the RPE a lot higher. Those long sweetspot/threshold days burn a lot of kcal in particular and that hunger can stick with you to the next day, too.
Biggest thing I ever did for improving my workouts was improving my diet and eating more, specifically eating more carbs. During my last SSBII pass, it was a million times easier to get through because of better nutrition. I cannot stress enough how important it is for this portion of the plan in particular.
Same thing happened to me. I finished my build phase and went back to SSB2 and the long SS days are having the reverse effect almost making me feel like I’m losing fitness because I just can’t make it through some of these long SS intervals. This is my second go of SSB2 since May and it’s much harder this time around.
I’m going to try what others have suggested above. I might bring down intensity and maybe top off the tank a little more.
You’re not alone in this!
I think this is pretty normal. SSB2 is hard. I wouldn’t worry about whether you test high or not at this point. Build will be hard. No denying that. However, one thing to note is that the Intensity Factor (IF) of the first couple weeks of build is actually LOWER than the IF at the end of base, so you will get more manageable work at the beginning to let you grow into your new FTP or grow into the build phase. If you are feeling run down, maybe you need an extra couple of days of recovery before starting. If you are new to this type of training, it make take you a while before you tolerate it a bit better. If you start build and flounder, that’s okay, you can call an audible and go back to base, but I would go for it with perhaps a bit extra rest beforehand and see you might be suprised what you can do.