Am I doing SST?

LT Intolerant

Many moons ago RDO wrote..."my 2 hr MP is only ~90-95% of my 1 hr MP. I think it continuously declines and if I were to predict my 5 hr MP it would be ~75-80% of my 1 hr MP."

Given the above, when I do a set of 2 x 20s that are 85% of my FTP, in hour 4 after a 3 hour group ride, am I doing a Tempo workout, with Tempo level physiological adaptation, or am I doing an SST/TH wkt, with SST/TH adaptation.

thx in advance for the help.

gene r

Alex Simmons

Yes to both.

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LT Intolerant

Thanks for the quick reply Alex (as always). So if I hear you correctly even though my wkt is at 85% and FTP, and the "mythical" SST wktt zone runs from 88%-94% of FTP per what I've read, I am doing an SST wkt and getting Threshold physiological benefits when accounting for the power drop in hour 4.

Did I get it right?

thx

gene r

Squint

88-94% is the super sweet spot. The sweet spot is fairly large though it's often not practical at the extremes.

Your 2x20 at 85% are in the sweet spot because 85% is in the sweet spot, not because fatigue bumped up an 85% effort into the 88-94% range.

With the likely exception of altitude, anything that transiently lowers your FTP (heat, riding indoors, riding with one leg, P*wercranks) also lowers the training effect even if the effort is at the same percent of the lowered FTP.

LT Intolerant

Interesting, as I didn't realize the sweet spot was a larger than the percentages I quoted. I know it's a continuum, and not an exact science, but I didn't relaize this. Thanks.

Again thanks for this insight. I guesss this is where I was heading with my question. While my perceived exertion is that I'm doing "hard" work (in hour 4), I don't "feel" that I'm getting the same training effect as when I do SST when I'm fresh in the first hour of a ride.

gene r

cooljazz

Here's a good article describing SST.
http://www.fascatcoaching.com/train...t_partdeux.html
-richard

LT Intolerant

Thanks for the link Richard. I've seen that article before but didn't look closely at the graphic showing the sweet spot covering most of the Tempo and Threshold zone.

I guess my real question had to do with the training effect one gets when doing workouts in hours 3,4, etc. once your power output as a % of FTP begins to fade.

Thanks again.

gene r

acoggan

I'd say that the "sweet spot" is more of a concept than an exact exercise intensity. If you twist my arm and insist that I put numbers on it, though, I'd say that it spans roughly from 85 to 100% of functional threshold power, with the apex somewhere in between.

LT Intolerant

Thanks Andy. Nice to know I can go a bit easier (than I have been), <88%, and still achieve the physiological benefits I'm looking for when working in the SST zone.

gene r