Winter Training Composition Thread



strader

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Jun 28, 2007
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In the "CTL and FTP" thread the point that keeps being brought up is that the composition of training is at least as important as the resultant CTL. This makes me wonder what percent breakdown of training according to Coggan power levels are the people on the forum doing this winter? What does a typical training week look like. I'll start with my training breakdown from the last week:

L7: < 1% (NM sprint workout on Monday 20x10sec)
L6: 0%
L5: 0%
L4: 7% (2x20 on Saturday + few 5 min efforts at 300 watts during week)
L3: 40% (2 hr isopower efforts on trainer, ~220 watts)
L2: 40% (warmups + rest intervals + easy days on trainer)
L1: 12%
Current CTL: 88
Hours in Week: 13
 
Well using your format and understanding that my training evolves throughout the winter, at times I'll have more of an L4 focus, sometimes even short blocks focused on L5 (later in the winter for me) but mostly I work on SST/L4 during early to mid winter.

L7: < <1% (Occasional sprints tacked onto the end of other workouts)
L6: 0%
L5: 0% (none in early winter, a few L5 blocks in mid-late winter)
L4: 20% (2x20 2x per week)
SST 65% (usually longer blocks like 2x45 or hour to hour plus continuous)
L2-L1 15% (WU, CD, rests between intervals)

6-10 hours per week on the indoor trainer, cross training with XC skiing (skating and classic) not included here, but that's mostly L2+ or SST work.
-Dave
 
Current training revolves around weekly time trials.

L1 - 6% (w/u, cool down)
L2 - 60% (active recovery/easy riding but above L1 on trainer)
L3 - no focused training in this level
L4 - 33% (time trial, trainer work)
L5 - no focus
L6 - no focus
L7 - <1% (sprinting at the end of the time trial)

Obviously, I prescribe to the "go hard or go easy" camp. If I'm not working fairly intensely (L4 at the most), I'm recovering. The Vo2 max and anaerobic stuff won't commence until March, at the earliest. The above is broken down from a typical 8hr/week schedule.
 
Hi Dave,
Are you using the Frank Overton or Hunter Allen definition of SST?
 
strader said:
Hi Dave,
Are you using the Frank Overton or Hunter Allen definition of SST?
Probably closer to Frank's but I doubt Hunter adheres to a definition as strict as 88-94% these days. Basically for indoor work I'm talking about sustained time at over 80% of my FTP or so with longer durations near the low end and shorter interval efforts closer to L4 work. Where I probably differ from some of Frank's SST articles is that I try to stay up in a certain range for the duration of an SST effort. I definitely buy into the school of thought that sustained efforts are better than up and down efforts that give an average in the range of interest, especially when working indoors on the trainer.

Outdoors it might be an even wider range for longer durations but I'm indoors all winter in this climate and an hour and a half is near my limit on the trainer. Sometimes that's steady work, somedays it might be HOP work, once in a while it's ramps that start out in L3 and end up in L4 after 45 minutes to an hour or more. But basically I call it SST if it's in the mid Tempo or above range and the efforts are sustained beyond the classic 2x20s and I'm not setting out to do focused L4 work which takes more motivation.

-Dave
 
Hi

FWIW attached is my power split over the last 28 days, seems to be going quite nicely to me! The Tempo block includes quite a bit of SST work :)

PBUK
 
Well, here are my zones for this season (started Oct. 13). I never really looked at that particular chart before, and so I expected it to look more like PBUK's. I haven't really gone outside this month at all, and only a few times in November, so I'm surprised at the amount of L1 and L5 in there. I did race a short hillclimb on Nov. 1 though, but only a few outdoor rides since.

I've been holding 80-81 CTL for the last 4 weeks, unable to break out of the rut. This is the highest indoor CTL ever (and now a neutral TSB) and I think I'll back off and do a bit more L3 to get moving again. I definitely don't feel stronger than in September (last FTP test).
 
Good idea PBUK, I forgot that chart existed. :D
From my chart you can tell I'm taking it easy, with a lot of 90+ minute steady state rides. Although 220 watts can sure feel hard 2 hours into a ride.
 
strader said:
Good idea PBUK, I forgot that chart existed. :D
From my chart you can tell I'm taking it easy, with a lot of 90+ minute steady state rides. Although 220 watts can sure feel hard 2 hours into a ride.
Yeah, this chart's another way the power data can be brutally honest. I think I'm setting out to do a 20%, 65%, 15% split of L4, SST,Warmup/Cooldown but I rack up a lot more L2 time than I expect along the way.

Here's my chart for the past month, even indoors with an SST/L4 focus I get a lot more L2 than planned. All the more reason to continue focusing on SST/L4, if I wasn't actively trying to accumulate quality time with sustained aerobic efforts I'd probably be getting a whole lot more L1 and low L2 time than planned.

-Dave
 
I've taken a different approach this winter and it seems to be paying off. In winters past I've dropped intensity (little or no TH) and done lots of E. This winter I'm doing some healthy doses of TE and TH and spending more consecutive time in those zones.

The only negative is to get that intensity I'm doing lots of climbing, which means lots of AR when descending. I must say I'm amazed at how little time most who've posted in this thread spend in AR.

I guess I'll put up with the AR because I'd rather be doing my riding outside than slugging it out on the trainer day-in, day-out. I also find that for me group rides (1-2 per week), a big source of AR, have their place in this sport as it gets tough to ride alone all the time.

So far, over the past 6 weeks my distribution is...

AR - 25%
E - 22%
TE - 23%
TH - 18%
Vo2 - 7%
AC - 5%

gene r
 
LT Intolerant said:
... I must say I'm amazed at how little time most who've posted in this thread spend in AR...
Only because a lot of us are indoors on the trainer. If I still lived in NorCal I'd be racking up a lot more L1 and L2 because I'd be riding outdoors dealing with traffic, descents and enjoying some long rides from time to time. I'd still try to get a lot of quality out of my outdoor rides with Tempo and Threshold work but sure wouldn't sweat the low power descents or backing off a bit to get a nice long ride in from time to time. But indoors it makes sense to stress quality and then get off the damn torture machine.....

-Dave
P.S. FWIW I've definitely upped my efforts on the trainer after seeing how much time I was spending in L2. I've got nothing against L2 time if it's sustained long enough like you might during several hours of outdoor riding, but I don't like to use trainer time that way. Here's my training distribution for the last few weeks.
 
daveryanwyoming said:
Only because a lot of us are indoors on the trainer. If I still lived in NorCal I'd be racking up a lot more L1 and L2 because I'd be riding outdoors dealing with traffic, descents and enjoying some long rides from time to time. I'd still try to get a lot of quality out of my outdoor rides with Tempo and Threshold work but sure wouldn't sweat the low power descents or backing off a bit to get a nice long ride in from time to time. But indoors it makes sense to stress quality and then get off the damn torture machine.....

-Dave
Makes total sense Dave. We are such wimps here in S Barbara we complain to city hall when the weather drops below 55 degrees, and believe it or not the trainer starts looking appealing! :D
 
Piotr said:
Well, here are my zones for this season (started Oct. 13). I never really looked at that particular chart before, and so I expected it to look more like PBUK's. I haven't really gone outside this month at all, and only a few times in November, so I'm surprised at the amount of L1 and L5 in there. I did race a short hillclimb on Nov. 1 though, but only a few outdoor rides since.

I've been holding 80-81 CTL for the last 4 weeks, unable to break out of the rut. This is the highest indoor CTL ever (and now a neutral TSB) and I think I'll back off and do a bit more L3 to get moving again. I definitely don't feel stronger than in September (last FTP test).
Well, it appears that when I updated my FTP last year I forgot to recalculate the zones in WKO+. As such, my previously posted training zones breakdown was somewhat unfairly skewed towards L4 :eek:. Here's the actual breakdown as of today:
 
Piotr said:
Well, it appears that when I updated my FTP last year I forgot to recalculate the zones in WKO+. As such, my previously posted training zones breakdown was somewhat unfairly skewed towards L4 :eek:. Here's the actual breakdown as of today:
I finished off the summer at 125 for my peak CTL. Going into January 2009, I was sitting at 34. So I am definitely easing back into it. I haven't updated my FTP so the chart is showing less L4 than reality.
 
Hi

daveryanwyoming said:
Yeah, this chart's another way the power data can be brutally honest. I think I'm setting out to do a 20%, 65%, 15% split of L4, SST,Warmup/Cooldown but I rack up a lot more L2 time than I expect along the way.
-Dave
I agree. One slight problem with it is that it can be a bit misleading as it is generally set to display percentages so just one hour of training a month would look just like a 30 hour month graph!

If that 1 hour was a threshold session it would look mighty impressive! I've attached my 28 day absolute graph out of interest, focus on L3/SST for me at present, L4 building :)

Cheers,

PBUK
 
I've been on the no interval plan for the last couple of months and have had a nice bump in FTP. Just concentrating on accumulating time in L3/SST/L4 and a smidgen in L5.
 
At last, a profile that looks something even remotely like mine...

Me and Basso like our Active Recovery, and I can assure you all that's all we have in common!!!

Here's my Last 28 day profile...



Tony
www.flammerouge.je
 
Flamme Rouge said:
At last, a profile that looks something even remotely like mine...

Me and Basso like our Active Recovery, and I can assure you all that's all we have in common!!!

Here's my Last 28 day profile...



Tony
www.flammerouge.je
I assume you (and Ivan) ride mostly outside? At least I have hard time doing <L3 on a trainer. Well, currently also outside, because there is 20cm of snow and I can tell you that the spiked winter tires in cyclo-bike really do not roll very well
biggrin.gif


Here's my last 28 days. It is trainer only, so missing 2-3h/week cyclo-X ride which I estimate to be in 0.8 IF level.