Well, I am picking up where I left off last fall. I am pleased because my FTP is about 20 w up from this time last seaon, and those gains were made over the winter with a steady diet of SST. Normally I lose some sustainable power during the race season, but this year this is not the case.
We'll see if the trend continues this winter. I am much less strict in my approach to my workouts. Last year I was a fan of precise workouts such as 1 x 90' at 91-95%, with no rest intervals, etc. This year I am just putting in the minutes however I like.
I am no longer going to sweat over which types of sessions yield better results, etc. I actually feel really liberated and motivated. Yesterday I did 6 x 20' during a 2.25 hr session on the trainer. 🙂
Uh, so what exactly is your definition of "strict"? :eek: 😄
gene r
Ha ha. Notice I said strict, not insane. Really, I meant that I feel free to break up the ride into intervals as opposed to riding straight through. I ended up getting 30' more SST time than I normally would have aimed for. Maybe there is a psychological benefit in it for me.
I totally know how you feel! Today i was so motivated to work out on the trainer -- I was going to do a 2hr SST session (TSS ~180) to one of my favorite movies -- something I've done many times. I got ready, warmed up, started my ride...
And turned the effin thing off after an hour. Damnit I hate the trainer. This thing is evil.
Thanks for putting SST into layman's terms with all the examples. I am not a meter guy, so explaining situations or sensations is more natural for me. I have years of experience, so a meter would just mess with my instincts.
SST reminds of old Euro training, where the guys would head out the door on 52x15 for a few hours and come home tired.
Well, I am picking up where I left off last fall. I am pleased because my FTP is about 20 w up from this time last seaon, and those gains were made over the winter with a steady diet of SST. Normally I lose some sustainable power during the race season, but this year this is not the case.
We'll see if the trend continues this winter. I am much less strict in my approach to my workouts. Last year I was a fan of precise workouts such as 1 x 90' at 91-95%, with no rest intervals, etc. This year I am just putting in the minutes however I like.
I am no longer going to sweat over which types of sessions yield better results, etc. I actually feel really liberated and motivated. Yesterday I did 6 x 20' during a 2.25 hr session on the trainer. 🙂
😕 If as you say your FTP is up 20w from this time last season, why would you change your routine? Seems as if "it ain't broke so don't fix it" applies here, if you don't mind me commenting. Do you believe going to this new protocol will benefit you even more???
😕 If as you say your FTP is up 20w from this time last season, why would you change your routine? Seems as if "it ain't broke so don't fix it" applies here, if you don't mind me commenting. Do you believe going to this new protocol will benefit you even more???
I found it quite stressfull to complete my workouts. 2 rides of 90 min @ ~95% FTP and 2 rides of 2-3 hrs @ ~85% was pretty much all the training I did. I wasn't using Cycling Peaks at the time, but I estimate my weekly TSS was around 600. I wasn't leaving myself much room to increase my volume, so instead, I would just increase my power output. This added to the mental stress.
As for whether there will be more benefit from my new protocol....that's one of the things I'm not going to worry about. Actually, I remember now that I had started experimenting with 3 x 30' at the end of last winter. I remember stating that I believed I could set a PB for 3 hr avg power by doing 5 x 30' as opposed to 3 hrs straight.
Anyway, I know I'll be happier and racking up higher TSS.🙂
