Hi again. I’m currently on the mid-volume plan and my intention was to just take the weekend ride it assigns and add a lot of saddle time. So instead of 1.5 hours I might do 3 or 4 hours, but I’ve noticed TR doesn’t seem to like that. For example last week, after a ride that did involve the recommended structure, but instead of 90 mins it was 205 minutes, TR didn’t say it was productive, or achievable, basically it seemed like it was more detrimental when compared with the rest of my plan.
So I went to alter Saturday’s ride this week and make it a 150 minute ride (the longest I’ve been able to find) and everything beyond 90 minutes was greyed out and not selectable.
My hope was that by choosing a 2.5 or 3 hour ride for Saturday (it might wind up being 4 hrs actually) that it would automatically adjust my Friday ride in prep for the Saturday ride. I could go ahead and do my Friday ride as laid out on the calendar but it looks like it’ll be a pretty grueling ride and might zap my legs for a 60-80 miler on Saturday.
How do I implement my longer weekend rides into my TR schedule more effectively? Should I scale down to low volume plan and then do “train now” or “adaptive training” for two additional rides or additional time each week?
This is an area where I’m really struggling to figure out optimum use of the software and adaptive training.
I don’t think AT works like that, it only adapts FUTURE rides based on the survey results you give it after performing a WO.
Maybe try one of “Free Rides” in the Library (do a search for them and you’ll find them… they have a range of 3 to 6 hours)? I’ve never used them myself just happened to find them in the Workout Library…
I was doing a MV plan but often substituting outdoors rides for the weekends and TR support advised me that switching yo a LV plan was best to get AT. The only thing it isnt really scaling down as the LV plans have 3 hit workout during the week and the MV plans only 2 about a low intensity workout. I did the LV plan for a bit but recently I have been substituting the middle HIT session for a LIT session as per the MV but I have no idea how that will work for plan builder and AT but it seems to be working for me.
If you’re talking about indoor rides then you can extend the warm up and / or cool down to add extra time. If outdoors just ride longer.
AT currently does not assess or give credit for this extra time. @Nate_Pearson has mentioned a couple of times on the podcast that Workout Levels v2 (part of AT) will, and it sounds like TR employees have been testing it, but is not yet in Early Access (beta) or production.
Regardless, the extra saddle time can help as long as you don’t over train. Increase your time gradually and pay attention to signs of fatigue, soreness, etc.
I follow a mid volume plan and if you look at the notes, although they’re outdated. They have recommended endurance swaps for the sweep spot workouts on Sunday. They have a nice progression built with them if you do follow that or sometimes I just ride zone 1-2 for 3-4 hours on Sunday. You can also add Z2volume during the intense days but be careful how much you add so it doesn’t interfere with the structured intervals.
Also @HLaB has some great advice!
I look at it like I have 3 core workouts todo that are mandatory depending on fatigue and life/ work stress. Then anything I add is endurance and I try to not overdo myself.
I don’t think it works like that. Since AT defaults MV to a SS ride on Sunday, any swap to Endurance is “disconnected” from AT in a way.
There is not currently a way to “swap” a workout to a different zone or training goal. Swaps are only allowed within the defined zone/goal. That means the default SS option will restriction official Swap options to items under that umbrella. That umbrella doesn’t include Endurance rides from what I have seen.
Per above, the only real way to make the change from SS to End is to manually add a workout onto your Calendar and perform it as desired. That applies whether you do it via inside workout on TR, outside TR workout via head unit, or manually link a non-TR ride (like Zwift ride or outside ride).
Importantly, completing any of these Endurance rides and linking (manual or auto) to the scheduled TR ride WILL lead to changes in your Endurance Progression Level. So that is the part that “works”.
But despite the Endurance progress, AT sees what amounts to a “skipped” workout for SS whether you leave it on the calendar (skipped) or delete it. That means AT will most likely downgrade the pending SS workout on the following week since it considers that a miss vs completed. It does that like it does for any missed workout, to try and maintain a progression rate via AT. That’s true even though you did an Endurance workout in it’s place.
Sadly, AT is not currently setup to handle the substitutions made between SS and End. It’s a bummer, since that basic advice has been a part of the TR universe since the time they swapped the default Sunday rides from End to SS in order to try an improve training plan compliance.
I am hoping that the ability for AT to properly handle these types of substitutions (both in setting them on the calendar, but also in handling what to do with respect to the pending plan over time), but I suspect we are quite a long way from that happening.
this is where you need to use human instincts and intuition. The long ride is gold; don’t stop doing those! and it sounds like you enjoy them, keep them going!!
a computer program can only do so much (not a knock, just truth). You prob need to do some tinkering on your own so it agrees a bit more.