The training thread: How was yours? (today/yesterday/etc)

[Cul]

I have had a bit of a mixed bag lately; a few inconsistent days due to needing to be interstate, moving house, etc... all on the same weekend!

Anyways I managed to get back on the bike on Sunday for our groups usual jaunt, basically it's an easy ride with a few small bergs that a select few hammer up; the legs felt so good I big ringed up a climb I’ve never been able to before, caught a few quick climbers and crested the climb first despite starting ways back – the knee is obviously on the mend and can’t be used as an excuse for poor performance anymore!!!

Monday was fairly foggy, so 2hrs of Z2 laps around town.

This morning 3 x 10mins (AT) 95% FTP on the trainer – it still hurt but it was much more comfortable than last week's 3 (AT) 90% FTP!

[kb]

Was planning on a 200k ride Sunday but only managed 27. No idea why my RD hanger snapped but glad I was going up rather than down.

[g-boaf]

I did 4x9min Z4-Z5 today and felt pretty good. Nicely rested and legs felt great. All of the coughing, and other rubbish from the last two weeks seems to be gone as well.

[Cul]

Wednesday: I had hoped to get out for a longer easy ride but found myself training indoors again due to wet weather, this time 3 x 10mins (AT) 100% FTP; I was surprised that I could knock it out as jumping on the trainer in the evening I just wasn’t feeling the love but when I looked down and saw the average wattage for the first interval I knew I was onto something. Ended up completing all three intervals with only a 5watt negative split between the first and last.

Today: Our usual fast Thursday was a pretty poor turnout as it has been the past few months, two of us tried to make it a quick one but halfway around our out and back loop my legs decided that two days in a row of FTP work was enough, and three days was just pushing the friendship… I rolled back to the coffee shop at an easy tempo!

[g-boaf]

this time 3 x 10mins (AT) 100% FTP; I was surprised that I could knock it out as jumping on the trainer in the evening I just wasn’t feeling the love but when I looked down and saw the average wattage for the first interval I knew I was onto something.

Good, good!

I had that on Wednesday, felt really good doing 5x5s and smashing out watts. I did get a little greedy on the 4th one and let the rpm drop a bit too much, but it was okay. Good fun. Thursday reminds me why I need to get plenty of sleep, did HIIT, and struggled through it, just. Even so, it's a great way to finish the working day. Today I'm doing nothing.

Tomorrow I might get a 50-80km ride done, depending on the weather in the morning and if I'm on official duties (which is weather dependant).

[boss]

3 x 8's last night in Z5, felt heaps better than last week. 286w, 287w and 297w.

I'm starting to get pretty interested on how this is going to affect my FTP. I'm actually starting to get a bit more structured in my riding and actually... enjoying it. I've had a few shots at structure but I always fall out of the rhythm cause I end up hating the lack of freedom.

At the moment my training load is something like:

- 1 x 20min at 98% FTP (should do 2x20 at lower but don't have enough time) - Tues arvo
- 5 x 5-10sec sprints - Weds arvo
- 3 x 8min at 105-110% FTP - Thurs arvo.

Over about 6-7 hours of riding, so there's a bit of base in there.

And then on the weekend I do a longer ride and then a crossy ride, keeping a lid on any efforts that are too crazy and just focusing on time in the saddle.

[jack11]

Interval sessions on the trainer on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 'Junk' ride this morning.

[g-boaf]

3 x 8's last night in Z5, felt heaps better than last week. 286w, 287w and 297w.

I'm starting to get pretty interested on how this is going to affect my FTP. I'm actually starting to get a bit more structured in my riding and actually... enjoying it. I've had a few shots at structure but I always fall out of the rhythm cause I end up hating the lack of freedom.

At the moment my training load is something like:

- 1 x 20min at 98% FTP (should do 2x20 at lower but don't have enough time) - Tues arvo
- 5 x 5-10sec sprints - Weds arvo
- 3 x 8min at 105-110% FTP - Thurs arvo.

Over about 6-7 hours of riding, so there's a bit of base in there.

And then on the weekend I do a longer ride and then a crossy ride, keeping a lid on any efforts that are too crazy and just focusing on time in the saddle.

What a couple of people I know were doing was increasing the volume of high intensity training/intervals.

So doing 2x 4x9min (Z4/Z5) with about 10min break in between the two sessions. Those two were already very strong/fit riders, but over the period of a month or two, they got some big improvements.

Someone else I know has been doing 7 hours per week of trainer intervals at high intensity and a Sunday ride of 200km with some huge elevation to go with it. She's getting very fit.

[Cul]

What a couple of people I know were doing was increasing the volume of high intensity training/intervals.

So doing 2x 4x9min (Z4/Z5) with about 10min break in between the two sessions. Those two were already very strong/fit riders, but over the period of a month or two, they got some big improvements.

Someone else I know has been doing 7 hours per week of trainer intervals at high intensity and a Sunday ride of 200km with some huge elevation to go with it. She's getting very fit.

That’s the beauty of it there is no right or wrong way to train; only what is right or wrong for YOU!

3 x 8's last night in Z5, felt heaps better than last week. 286w, 287w and 297w.

I'm starting to get pretty interested on how this is going to affect my FTP. I'm actually starting to get a bit more structured in my riding and actually... enjoying it. I've had a few shots at structure but I always fall out of the rhythm cause I end up hating the lack of freedom.

3 (or 4) x 8mins at Z5, should improve the FTP and even Vo2 Max a good bit! Hell just training with structure will generally improve ones’ fitness / FTP.

I am finding lately that I am better at keeping to a loose structure; so rather than prescribe a specific workout on a specific day, it will be “work on FTP on Wednesday”.

[boss]

Thanks for the insight guys.

4x9's sound interesting. What sort of a rest do you have between the intervals?

[g-boaf]

I think there is about 2m:30sec between them at 50%.

The intervals for me are 5min@300w, then it steps up for 3 increasing bursts with "easier" bits back at 300w, and a final surge for a minute at about 380w. Each set makes up 9min. It's pretty hard. The 4th set you do at higher percentages than the other three.

I've been trying to increase the training load as the others I know did. I did get sick for a while so I haven't noticed the benefits yet. However, just that I could handle two hard interval sessions back to back is different.

It doesn't hurt to try. I've usually got company too, so it is nice enough.

[toolonglegs]

Two days off after a really crap ride Tuesday night with the club. Sitbone pain again ... obviously been ignoring the stretching etc . Will try and ride again today ... fingers crossed.
Putting out great power on the home trainer where I can just spin up and hold well over 400 for 10 minutes or more ... trying to do that out side on a climb I explode everytime .
Anyway no training for nearly 3 weeks from next week... maybe a short ride here and there... bye bye the small amount of fitness I regained. I had originally thought as my season started so crap I would target TT's in September, not going to happen now. Maybe target a few NZ races later in the year .

[boss]

I think there is about 2m:30sec between them at 50%.

The intervals for me are 5min@300w, then it steps up for 3 increasing bursts with "easier" bits back at 300w, and a final surge for a minute at about 380w. Each set makes up 9min. It's pretty hard. The 4th set you do at higher percentages than the other three.

I've been trying to increase the training load as the others I know did. I did get sick for a while so I haven't noticed the benefits yet. However, just that I could handle two hard interval sessions back to back is different.

It doesn't hurt to try. I've usually got company too, so it is nice enough.

Sounds tough! Will have to try it out one of these days. Problem is I have a great 8 minute hill - quiet when I ride it, etc - the ten minute hill (which I could use for 9's) is quite busy in the evenings when I usually ride.

To get started I'm thinking that I could do better to start doing 4 x 8's, as I'm negative splitting the last interval quite comfortably without making any changes to the way I'm riding. I.e. all of them are in the saddle, similar cadence, etc. I don't think I need to bump the wattage up just yet as I can recall a time in the not too distant past when 300w for 8 mins was pretty much max effort. And that was 4-5kg heavier.

[g-boaf]

If you've got an 8min hill that is quiet, just get out there and smash yourself on it. Just doing that a lot will make a great difference.

I'm limited by time on weekdays so I do what I can when possible.

[boss]

I've got 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11 minute hills within 5km of home

The 8 min hill in question is very steady and relatively car free so it makes sense for dark winter nights.

But yeah spoilt for choice really for anything sub 15, then have a couple of 25'ers about 20km away

[toolonglegs]

Dragged the TT bike out today ... it was ProTour versus Puntour STRAVA games. Today Puntour stole Protour's KOM Sure he will get it back when he gets back from the giro
Big changes in my position... feels not too bad. Much closer to my road bike saddle position now and I seem to be able to put out a lot more power.

[Cul]

I had a pretty so/so weekend of riding...

Saturday was just a cruisey day with no riding planned; I had hoped to get out on the mountain bike but I went to the gym instead for the first time in ages! The session was primarily working on poly’s and strength (lower & upper body) - it was a good session and I am really happy with how the knee is progressing both in terms of flexibility and strength.

Sunday I had planned to do an FTP test up a not so local climb; I kind of ruined it for myself by going to the gym the day before – I was so sore, after 5mins in I called it quits and just made it a bit of a tempo / sweet spot ride! I still averaged ~285w up the 30min climb both times so it was a good workout even if it wasn’t what I had planned.

This morning was an easy roll.

[jack11]

Short pointless ride on Sunday.

Luckily I had today off work and was able to stretch the legs a little - First meaningful climbing effort in a long while and was just happy to reach the top. Showed me that I needed to lose weight fast!

[Ignoto]

Just curious, with the crash, I had to take off around 7 days off the bike (spent an hour on Sat & Sunday on the trainer) then spent yesterday and today slowly building the load on the legs. However, looking at TP, my CTL has taken a nose dive, almost to the point that I'm at a "fitness level" of the end of December.

Is this right or is that too much of an abrupt decline? I obviously was expecting the time off the bike to have an effect on my overall fitness, but I wouldn't have thought it was going to be THAT bad?

[boss]

Saturday went out and really gave it to the pedals. Put in a 300w 10 minute effort right at the start of a 4 hour ride, and followed it up by pushing the whole way through. 23 mins in Z4, 16 mins in Z5 and 5 mins in Z7.

Sunday spent a couple of hours on my CX bike on some MTB singletrack. No powermeter, so no numbers, but it was pretty cruisy and more about hitting the downhill sections faster.

Last night I hit 271w (4w/kg) for 25 mins last night on a fairly 'lumpy' climb with false flats and short descents. It ends up being 7 or 8 efforts at ~300w.

That's the best wattage I've seen all year for that duration, and I wasn't completely in the red at the end.

Feels like I'm heading in the right direction. If I can hit 280w within a few months I'll be happy. 285-290w at my weight and we're really talking.

[g-boaf]

Looks like you are smashing it Boss!

I'm at the opposite of that, I've been struggling with colds, I got a second one this week from a friend, so I'm just not really riding at all. It seems to be the season at the moment for viruses. I'll settle for a clear run free of illness and just getting out on the bike a lot.

[Crawf]

Anyone have a way of formulating a TSS number for leg workouts - squats, deads etc?

[g-boaf]

I did a Google search for "weight lifting TSS" - the first thing listed was:

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/YAF_Gatew ... ts&t=81577" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And below it were a whole heap of similar topics. One of them was these:

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2 ... g-tss.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(see the reply of robnfl). Apart from that, I have no idea.

I did 90km on Saturday fairly fast, yesterday I hoped to do 160km, but it was cold and it started raining so I did just 60km.

[Crawf]

...

Thanks, that's something to go off.

[Xplora]

You may find HRTSS to be useful for this, crawf.