How do I best lay out these 3 workouts?
Vo2Max / Threshold / Sweetspot
If I only want to workout mon/tue/wed/thu…
Saving a longer endurance ride for saturdays.
Thinking like:
Monday- Vo2Max
Tuesday- Sweetspot
Wednesday- REST
Thursday- Threshold
Is any other lay out more beneficial?
I’d ditch the sweetspot in favour of endurance
I think that is a reasonable way to structure such a week, but that is a lot of intensity in a short time span…would be pretty easy to burn out.
That’s the way I’d do it. Just bare in mind the fatigue build up. VO2 first to get the most value out of it, Threshold last after a day off gives you the best chance of success. Sweet Spot in the middle is the one you’d most likely be able to do while carrying fatigue and would be the one I’d try and adjust once you’ve had a go at the Threshold work a few times.
You can either dial up lower WL i.e more shorter SS intervals. Plus, I’d try to stick to the SS that is more around the 88-90% than the ones that creep up to 94%.
Type 1 block:
Vo2 max
Vo2 max
Vo2 max
Rest
Type 2:
Vo2 max
Rest
Threshold
SST
Type 3
Threshold
SST
Rest
Threshold
Type 4:
Threshold
Endurance
Threshold
Endurance/Recovery
Type 5:
SST
SST
Endurance/Recovery
SST
Choose whatever fits your training phase
What are the five block “types” for?
My first question is: what are you trying to achieve?
I would do SS before the vo2 max
The idea is the vo2max is shorter in duration and should be able to push for a minute or 2 at higher levels…
while SS is usually steady state and probably harder to keep power after a good vo2 session
Obviously it depends on the VO2 workout, but from recent experience I would suggest the slightly longer intervals are more effective. Despite that I really think it’s best to maximise the input into the VO2 workouts (kind of ignoring power targets) and that’s really hard to do with sore legs.
Just some different modalities to choose from. I do not like TR style of mixing focus during the week. I would rather focus on energy systems and maximise the work there. For example (personal experience only) - doing vo2 max workout will impair ability to maximise threshold workout. Threshold and sst work the same thing so they match nicely during the week - you can focus on progression. With vo2 - smash the block, try to survive but the duration of intervals nor the power are secondary as long as you breathing hard and elicit that state.
So with threshold and sst you can focus on duration and tte, and with vo2 max on maximise power and the proverbial roof. By mixing them you always impair something. Just my personal perspective, as I like the approach that blocks your energy systems into blocks.
Just my personal proposition - no detailed science there.
I’d love to see three more “Build” phases VO2, Threshold, and Sweet Spot.
Having just done a VO2 block, I agree that doing it to it’s best effect is really hard to do with other workout fatigue.
Agreed - what I was getting at with my question - what’s the aim of the block (FTP, central p@VO2Max, TTE etc)…
Ahs, ok. My idea is:
Vo2 max - rise the roof, increase FTP, prime before races if done closer to racing, specificity
Threshold - increase ftp (if you have space), improve tte, maintain vo2 max
Sst - increase muscle endurance, improve tte, stress you aerobic system a little bit more
Z2 - improve endurance, improve metabolism, create more room for ftp to grow through volume, improve lactate clearance
So vo2max is one bucket, threshold, sst is second bucket. Z2 - bucket you should use no matter you do with other buckets.
If not racing soon - keep the buckets separated, closer to racing - focus on specificity and mix the buckets to work on things you need the most.
I meant the OP’s block - what is he trying to achieve by sequencing those workouts together in a week? 
It is Sweet Spot Base low volume 2…
So it is Trainerroad that has those 3 sessions but in different days…
Now that’s funny!
Is there no way to do a couple of SS climbs during your endurance ride?
Your suggestion isn’t really that bad, maybe I would do threshold Monday, SS Tuesday, V02 Thursday and endurance Saturday. That’s if your endurance ride is really endurance, I know I have a habit of going a bit too hard outside if I’m feeling good.
Exactly - SSBLV2 is just that - VO2Max, SS, Threshold, rinse, repeat. I do those Mon, Wed, Fri.
Only doing 2 workouts would be the smartest for meaningful progress. I would do something like this
M easy
T key workout
W light endurance
R key workout
F off or easy
S long endurance
S off or easy
I think an even better sequence is key workout on T and Saturday but if you need it during the week then above works. I had a coach that sometimes scheduled me with
M easy
T key workout (vo2)
W key workout (threshold)
R endurance
F off
S longer endurance w some SS
S off or easy
Thanks - I’m an ex-TR user so don’t have access to plans.
how much time do you have for each workout?