Hi all, after good gains in my last two FTP Tests (each time + 10 W) I find myself constantly overruling the suggested workouts, because AI (over)adjusts after gains. Typically i can push up intensity rating by 1 to 2 points. Do i keep pushing the limit until i (barely) fail a workout? So far not fatigued and always ambitious. Thanks!
Entirely up to you. Depends on your goals, training history, etc
I did what your talking about one month, I dug deep 3 times a week, it put me in a hole for an extra week.
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Trust the process. The TR team has been talking about āminimum effective dose.ā Gains can be without feeling wiped out. And long term, better to mail the plan and stick with it than blow yourself up. I get the temptation but with AI, there really isnāt the need to do this anymore.
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I just feel AI is too cautious. Without AI (last year) i kept going through the progressions without those adjustments and it was a little too hard every once in a while. Now it Scales back to a point where i just donāt feel challenged. After a week 1 override AI does ok for Weeks 2 and 3
You donāt say if youāve an event or race that you are training for. If you are then AT will aim to peak you for that and not before, whatās the point of doing otherwise? Overdoing things now will lead to problems in the longer term.
Just what happens after an FTP change seems to vary between users: some see a drastic drop in PLs, maybe all the way down to 1.0; while others, like myself, only see a drop of 0.1 or 0.2 in some PLs.
If you feel that AT isnāt pushing you hard enough then use the post ride survey and mark your workouts as āEasyā or āModerateā (or at least easier than AT probably āthinksā it should be), AT should see that and offer you harder workouts.
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This has been my 5th winter using TR, and the first with all of the adaptive training/progression levels/AI FTP detection tools. Looking back at it now, my training has been easier this year than previous years, and the constant feeling throughout has been that I could handle harder workouts than were being served up. Iāve never failed a workout in base or build In previous winters (although Speciallity often threw up one or two workouts that I couldnāt complete)
For example, my final VO2 session in Sustained Power Build MV this year was Red Lake +8. This workout was usually served up a couple of days after the FTP test half way through build - and the difficulty would only ramp up from there through the remainder of the plan.
Some observations, now that Iāve finished a base/build cycle:
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The reduced training demand has been so much easier for my 48 year old body (and mind) to cope with.
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FTP improvements have been as good, if not better, with the āeasierā training demands
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Red Lake +8 is so much easier three weeks after an FTP bump than it is three days after!
All in all, Iām a big fan of the new āminimum effective doseā approach. Iād suggest that you trust the new tools, and resist the temptation to overrule the suggestions. I just think youāve got very little to gain, and potentially more to lose, by trying to outsmart the AI.
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All through SSBHV and SustainedPBHV Iāve had to choose slightly harder workouts through Alternates. I do this whenever I feel like the ramp rate or workout looks too easy. Iād just suggest be modest and donāt go past 0.5 of your suggested workouts. Also, this should be an occasional adjustment and not every week.
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Just compared suggested values to the original build plan and what is suggested is off by almost 3. Thatās why I am a little confused. Played it safe in week one and did not feel challenged. Then I made significant adjustments to VO2 and Anaerobic while playing it safe with thresholdā¦went smooth.
I think I will give the workouts from the original plan a shot even though that means upping by 2 again. It is build phase after all and I should overload 
Remaining cautious with threshold however knowing that this is a relative weakness.
Even pushing it like that TSS is still 10% below the value I would have had following the original plan. Maybe I should add that I had Covid early January and think that gains are coming faster than they would normally because of this setback.
Keep us updated on how it goes. Iām interested to hear how youāre feeling by the end of build and by your event
Iāve thought the opposite in SSBhv2. I was told by the AI FTP detection to increase my threshold. When I did that my SS zone āresetā from 8.9 to 8.3 and the first workout AI gave me was a 9.4.
I didnāt do it as scheduled but swapped to something around 8.3.
I do like AI overall though. It is nice to now workouts are not static and change be changed around based on what weāve done/getting ready to do/or changes in fitness.
Update: First failed workout todayā¦Threshold of course 
VO2 went well: 3.7 to 7.6 in two steps. But could tell 7.6 was tough the Day after.
Threshold: 3.6 ā> 4.2 ā> 5.3 ā> fail at 6.4 
Albeit with 2 new all time PBs
Anaerobic: 6.2 ā> 8.0 w/o issues
Looking at historic data 6 seems to be my magic number for struggling with threshold.
What did I learn?
- Careful with pushing threshold
- Consider Historic Data / Big Picture
- Trust AI a little more
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Keep us in the loop on what happens with your training over the next several weeks. How do your progressions improve from here? How does your cumulative fatigue change your perception of future weeks?
Sometimes an FTP increase will actually lead AT to adapt a workout to something easier than originally planned pre ftp increase
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