I’m currently doing SSB MV1, and had planned to move to SSB HV2 once I’d finished. I’ve just compared the MV and HV versions of both 1 & 2 though, and noticed that for some reason HV never once goes above FTP.
As someone who ultimately wants to develop more short-burst power rather than endurance, it seems like the MV program with it’s short sharp intervals would suit me better than HV, but at the expense of less TSS.
After SSB I plan to be doing short power build and then the gravity speciality.
(The gravity speciality is all I’ve done on TR before, doing that (and only that - I started late) last winter.)
Going back to my SSB query - I feel I’d rather stick with a pre-designed “plan” than try to guess at creating/adapting something myself… what should I do?
The usual advice (which I agree with) is that, if you’re unsure which one to choose then go for the lower volume option and add in extra workouts as/when necessary.
I’m not an expert, but I wouldn’t worry about hitting threshold in your base phase as the aim in this phase is to create an aerobic base that you can build on top of in the build plans.
EDIT
I just took a quick look at the plans. I would guess that mid volume goes slightly above threshold as a bit of a shortcut. Time crunched plans often have to introduce a bit of intensity to make up for the lack of training time. So the more volume you have in base phase, the less reason there is to cut corners.
From quite a few podcasts, Chad typically seems to recommend doing the lower volume option and adding rather than HV and then frequently skipping things. Personally, I like adding in West Vidette +1 to MV as it’s a good endurance ride and the couple sprints are a nice change of pace.
It does this because it’s HV. It’s the volume which creates the additional TSS/adaptations. The lesser volume plans require more higher intensity in order to develop those same adaptations. HV will definitely make you stronger (if your R&R plan is also adequate).
Please, never forget that your endurance underpins ALL your efforts, including short-burst power. I forget the exact duration, but the contribution of endurance comes into play rather quickly.
Also, you are currently in BASE phase…used to develop BASE, not race specific efforts. Doing SPB and Gravity should take care of all your short-burst power needs.
To be honest, I think that going from HV base into short power build might be a bit of a shock. I haven’t done HV, but I wonder if it’d be better to replace a few workouts with anaerobic or vo2max style workouts towards the end of base. Or maybe have some sort of intermission with a mix of sweetspot and vo2max before going into build.
