Power targets for intervals need to account for realistic fade over repeated efforts, not just a single ideal number. A target built around one ideal rep can leave the opening number steering the whole set. Hard intervals need a purpose; hitting a heroic first effort is not much use if the remaining reps become a contest with the display. The useful target is the one that keeps the session aimed at its intended work, not the prettiest opening split.
When you plan repeated intervals, do you build expected fade into the target from the start, or set the first effort off the ideal number and adjust the target when fatigue shows up?
When you plan repeated intervals, do you build expected fade into the target from the start
I don’t pre-budget a fade. Set the first rep at a target you can repeat, not at your best single-rep number; if you need to lower it halfway through, the opening target was too ambitious. For VO2 work, I’d allow a modest drift within a planned band, but I wouldn’t keep chasing watts as fatigue builds.
if you need to lower it halfway through, the opening target was too ambitious.
A late fade alone doesn’t prove that. Fatigue can bring some drift even when the opening target is repeatable; I’d set a band for the session and treat a drop outside it as a reason to revise the load or recovery, not chase watts mid-rep.
