It's going very well thanks. FTP up from 295 to 320 over 3 months, which is decent given that I had a good base when I started, and that I've had a fair bit of disruption from work travel, not to mention letting things slip a bit over Christmas. And that this is base training, so FTP isn't the primary goal.

I'm not swimming and only doing a small amount of low intensity running, which is why I said the high volume plan would be too much for a triathlete. And just to be clear, I did say "up to" 5 sessions per week and 90 minutes per session - I'm not talking about doing 450 minutes of sweet spot training every week! The hardest week involves 350 minutes at sweet spot (88-94%), but it takes 12 weeks to build to that point including some easier weeks, and you'd expect to have good fitness before embarking on that plan. And that week also has nothing above 94%, which starts to take a lot more out of you.

Doing that much sweet spot training is hard, and you need to focus on recovery and also listen to your body and know when to cut a session. But the whole point of sweet spot training is that it's at an intensity that allows you to go again the next day. If you can't do that you're either going too hard (or calculated your FTP too high), aren't paying enough attention to recovery, or have built up too quickly and don't have enough base.

Sorry but I disagree quite strongly with the above parts.

1 - any training plan that ever includes 350 minutes, so nearly 6 hours of efforts at Sweet Spot is simply crazy in one week. I really don't know what you're going to accumulate from that other than fatigue and boredom.

Disclosure yes you are on a triathlon forum.

2 - What is this myth that sweet spot is an intensity that you can go at again the next day?
No it's not. Sweet spot is sweet as it's hard enough to push up your power when trained appropriately.
It's not sweet as you can do it again the next day.
On what planet is it deemed appropriate to be doing a hard session with 90% efforts and be classifying them as sweet as you can do them again the next day.
No. 90% efforts are not appropriate to be doing them every day or even the next day.
We are talking about efforts very similar to olympic distance race pace.
Would you do 2 Olympic Distance race efforts in 2 days and expect to improve or get better?
Or 3 or 4 in a row etc. Utter nonsense.

Anyway, this is the internet, I'm glad the programme is working for you but it seems to contain a lot of unnecessary fatigue that could be directed more towards endurance, or VO2, or strength etc as opposed to lots of sweet spot makes johnny a better biker.
The high volume is what 12hours a week? 15? But as you say builds to have like 40-50% of this at 90% effort.
Well, it's like polarisation upside down isn't it :-)

Each to their own I guess.

Disagree all you want, but it's a plan put together by guys with a hell of a lot more sports science knowledge than me, on what is probably the most popular app on the market for structured training, and it seems to be working just fine despite me having a life (full-on job, 2 young kids and I like a beer) and not being a dedicated athlete who spends all his time recovering. Personally I find sweet spot training hard but significantly easier to both complete and recover from than efforts at or above FTP. YMMV, I've been doing endurance sports of one kind or another pretty consistently for >20 years so maybe that helps, but I doubt I'm a massive outlier or this wouldn't be offered as a recommended plan on a mainstream app with some science behind it.

And yes, this is a triathlon forum, but there are plenty of people here like me who have done tris and will probably do them again at some point but who also go through phases of just running, or just cycling (I suspect hell would have to freeze over before I go through a just swimming phase, or at the very least I'd have to move house and live next to a beautiful clear lake!). I'm not suggesting for a moment that a triathlete should be doing 5 sweet spot sessions a week, but I do still think that 3 is achievable at this time of year for somebody who is doing a bike focus, which the OP seems to be. And if 3 is too much right now and the quality is suffering, wind it back to 2.

I'll go ahead and state that if 2x20@ 90% feels very hard, youre over-estimating your ftp. Could very well depend somewhat on depth of fitness and/or your level on the bike, but f.ex: someone with an ftp of 300 should have no issues at all doing 2x20 @ 270w..

Ha Ivar,

Los van je training in elk geval eerst een goede bike fit gaan doen op een fit bike zodat je weet wat je gaat kopen ook goed past anders word je niet beter op je triathlonfiets. En daarnaast de balans zoeken tussen VO2 workouts, sweet spot sessions en opbouw van voldoende inhoud. Maar dan nog is je ambitie hoog. Van 1.06 naar 7 minuten sneller is een behoorlijke stap en natuurlijk heeft die stap alleen maar zin als je daarna minimaal dezelfde tijd kunt lopen anders is er geen echte winst gehaald

Succes.

Jeroen
Tri-Run.com

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

I'm also doing the sweet spot base TrainerRoad, but the medium plan. I'm also a long time triathlete with decent credentials as well as a certified coach. I'm with you in that this is quite do-able. I think many are over estimating the intensity of these efforts, and yes; some feel tough while just starting. The fact is that the way it is laid out there is rest and some good but manageable stress. I'm finding it quite manageable and quite effective. Nest season will tell, but I like it. I'm also doing some swimming and weights, but little running as I'm coming back from foot issue. Keep up with the plan, and enjoy....

I will preface this with 100% cyclist

last 28days ........8.5 hours in sweet spot zone(88-94%) and 7.5hrs above( 4.75 hours(94-100%) and 2.75hs(100-106%)) rest was 9.5 hrs(82-88%) and 3.5 hrs(76-82%) with a very small scatter of other values

I can do that for months in the winter on the trainer, but as I said, no running or swimming

x2

I have just done a pretty big block (for me) of sweet spot training, generally between 30-50 minutes in Zone 4 (91-105%) per week total although I'm not always that consistent. Biggest week has been about 1:45 in zone 4, and almost all my time has been in the lower end of 90-95%. I've made solid gains in FTP week by week, very happy with it. I've never done this much focused FTB build work which is probably why I'm responding well to it.

BUT, I also really like my easy days now, and I have no problem (but sometimes a little guilt) substituting a hard day for an easy day @ 65% when I feel like it. You have to listen to your body, and use the time you have as best you can.

I agree that a good fit is important. That's why I already have setup a meeting with tri-run next week Wednesday ;)

This is what I am thinking too (for example one of the workouts in "Training and racing with a Power meter" has a 45min SS block after 2x20min ftp intervals ... and that is not the whole workout O.o). 2x20 min sweetspot (or 2x30) is something I might do if I am not feeling great on a hard bike day, or when doing a run-bike brick. Its also a workout I generally look forward to.

For the Op: As for improving swim and run, while there might be lower hanging fruit (from the sound of it with 6 sessions with a trainer and consistent 4x a week swimming should bring a LOT of improvement), the run ... well it will depend on weight etc. but 50min is not really that slow compared to a (40k) 1.12 bike split. And at the 2.30 level (where I roughly reside too) I think that the main focus should be doing what you enjoy :-)

Here's a bit of experience and advice.

If you think you can go from 1:06 to sub 1:00 on 3 bike sessions I hope you are very new and very undertrained. 3 sessions probably won't do it.

I came to Tri as an injured runner. Some talent in running. My first year I was about a 1:03 OLY rider and was a sub 2:10 guy.

My back injury got worse so I rode and swam only for 2 years. Zero running. During that time I did almost all sweet spot type stuff on the bike. Generally 2 times / week. Generally 2 x 20. Sometimes more like 3 x 20 or even more as 3 x 20 ascending to nearly threshold. I almost never rode at or above threshold. I just rode at 60% or at sweet spot. Consistency.

I came back to tri and can or could ride with anyone in AG tri. I did the IM thing this past year and still had issues running. So I'm back to the bike. Now I'm pretty much ONLY riding. And riding quite a bit. I hope to improve even more. Again with lots of sweet spot stuff, but I understand to get to the next level I might need to up the intensity. I'll do that.

So my next goal is to get to Cat 1 and win winter fat bike races. I'm 39 with a family. If I can race my way to Cat 1 so be it. If I'm stuck racing a few times / year that's fine too.

Best of luck to you.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex

After reading this topic I've decided that simply pushing out sweet spot session isn't going to work.

Some people hinted to to the use of trainerRoad. I'm looking into this and it seems that the mid-volume Oly plan is something i can incorporate into my plan.

For who is interested:
I tried to follow the sweet spot base I & II low volume from the trainer road program. The 1st I completed okay. The second I mixed it up with replacing some of the workouts with some 1 hour road races.

Got sick 3 weeks before my race so missed a week of training.

Final result was
28min swim
1h bike
52min run.

Final thoughts. I tried to save for the run but think I could have easily pushed the bike a bit more to get under the hour. The run was tough, partly because of hot weather and should had tapered more. But mainly because not training enough for the run.

I'd wager you break an hour on the tri bike purchase alone.