Traineroad guys, Iso there any way I am unaware of to search for specific workout progressions. I.e over unders specifically and all the variations of them. Example Baird, bashful and bird (obviously not over unders but clearly a progression of our another)
up until now I have just always searched for the zone and time frame and then manually gone through all, but an easier method would be awesome.

There isn't at the moment because the training plans basically handle this for you, but I can see where this could be useful in terms of finding a harder/easier version of the day's workout or simply doing a specific block of training to target a particular type of effort/energy system. Let me mull this over and talk to the development staff, see what we might be able to do.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

so when will offer plans for more competitive athletes, for instance the Highest volume SST base training plan is pretty mellow overall based on time and TSS. I am a road racer.

yes, a "related workouts" area, at least on the web view would be helpful. Some are easy like Adams and Adams-1, but it is helpful when your season doesn't exactly line up with the training plans and you aren't familiar with some of the workouts in the plan.

Chad, hoping can help me here. I posted this in another thread and they pointed me to this one and have now read 96 of the threads pages.

I am doing Ironman NC in 2017 (October 21), my training plan starts in April. So I have more than 5 months before April and I REALLY want to improve on my bike time from Chattanooga last year (7:57).

I purchased TR this weekend and have done my FTP test, and it is really low. That is ok to me, I know I will get better, but I want to know the BEST way for me to be in optimal shape going into the training plan. I am not saying that I want to be in Ironman shape in April, I am saying that I want to be overall faster, and stronger by April. How do I go about accomplishing this? Reading through the posts it looks like I should start at sweet spot training, since I have not been actively training the last few months? What about after that, what do you recommend? Also going to start listening to the podcast as well. This thread is crazy long but has a TON of info.

I was hoping for some advice on planning my fall-winter-spring training. In the past 14 months, I've done two IM's and two HIM's. I've decided to make some changes and focus on Olympic distance races in June-July 2017. In addition, I'm a somewhat avid downhill skier and with the season coming up, I'm currently 5-weeks into the Short Power Build program which is different than anything I've done in the past (short intervals, etc..), but am really enjoying it and feel like it will benefit my skiing. The bulk of my skiing is done between Jan-Mar of which my tri training volume drops but is still present. It then transitions into solely tri training. so here is what I am thinking:

Sep-Oct: Short Power Build (8-weeks)
Nov-Dec: ???????
Jan-Feb: Olympic Tri Base (6-weeks)
Feb-Mar: Olympic Tri Build (6-weeks)
Apr-May: Specialty Olympic Tri (8-weeks)
Jun-Jul: Racing Season

I have about 9 weeks in Nov-Dec between the Short Power Build and Olympic Tri base. Should this be Sweet Spot Base or some sort of Build as I'm entering ski season? How does the rest of my planning look?

Higher-volume plans are, in fact, on the list, it's just a question of when I'll get to them.

But even before those are put into motion, the topic above where we'll provide a means to find similar workouts, e.g., more intervals/higher-TSS in your case, will help you beef up the interval workouts while inflating the TSS of your lower-intensity workouts is pretty straightforward: use longer, steady-state rides.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Hi, and welcome aboard! I typically recommend that athletes in your position pick interim events to provide a shorter-term goal to work toward. Then you can step back in much the same way you would with an A-priority event and determine your training phase timing.

But even without an event, you can still apply this whole approach by working through a progressive, periodized set of training phases - base, build, specialty - but maybe bypassing the specialization phase and returning to your base conditioning but with a new, higher FTP.

So basically, you're using base & build training to elevate your FTP and then repeating base & build with your increased capabilities thereby lifting the training stimulus & subsequent fitness even further before you embark on your specialty phase leading into your most important event(s).

And yep, Sweet Spot Base is almost always the best place to start (and re-start) unless you have a ton of time to devote to lower-intensity aerobic base work.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Hello fellow skier!

Over the past few years I've dedicated more and more time to downhill skiing during the winter season and, like you, have come up against how best to balance my upcoming fitness goals + my desire to maintain much of my current fitness with a sport that sees very little overlap with endurance conditioning. That's not to say skiing doesn't require endurance, but bombing down a hill and riding a lift for 3-5 times the work duration doesn't exactly constitute steady-state aerobic conditioning.

This has led me to focusing my minimized ride time solely on aerobic maintenance workouts that don't deplete my muscles but also help me keep my aerobic adaptations from slipping away.

The Traditional Base plans are all very good for this very purpose and allow you to add as little or as much ride volume as your skiing schedule (and body) allows. They also have 3 phases making it possible to work very lightly to moderately hard depending on which of the phases better suits your level of off-season fitness.

And the rest of your planning looks good to me. Once race season commences, you can simply fill your weeks with racing and taper week workouts depending on how frequently you race and how well your body is bouncing back between events.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

even the higher volume plans are pretty low TSS and kind of spread out at times like 4-5 days a week of riding, 2-3 days off no bueno but hoping that the SST could peak at higher TSS per week. 500ish at its highest for a Triathlete would make sense but for a cyclist not a cat 5 maybe that isnt much stress to help elcite much. But overall what I am getting at the high volume isnt high volume and SST would be too little .. so maybe I can do SST and not have any off days and add more volume since quite low

Are there any plans that mimic the polarized training approach?

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Big Sexy Racing 2018

I have an iPad Air 2 sitting around the house, and tried TR on it. Surprised how cool it is! I much prefer this method instead of having it on my TV. And bluetooth from my powertap chainrings setup super easily and works perfectly.

Hi, I would like to get back onto trainrroad (it's been almost a couple of years since I last did triathlon).

I notice now there is no heart rate option and I'm finding the 'virtual power' a little confusing to understand.

Is there a particular speed/cadence sensor that you recommend?

Yes and no. While I'd like to roll out plans that are specifically polarized, they're almost already there but in the form of each of the low-volume training plans. All that's really required is the simple addition of more base mileage. Basically, the 3 intervals workouts each week provide the upper end work, the 20% if you're mimicking Seiler's 80/20 observation, while the remaining 80% would (for now) be left to accumulating as much 60-75% FTP work as possible bound by your time limitations.

But what's important to recognize when utilizing a polarized approach is that much of the research so far was conducted on high-level athletes who have very probably pushed close to the limits of their genetic capabilities and are looking for smaller, more specific gains while continuously sustaining their deep & wide aerobic base adaptations (with long miles necessitating a lot of training time, mind you), perhaps even finding slight improvements in efficiency along the way.

For most riders though, a more blended approach that involves ample amounts of aerobic base, muscular endurance (i.e. Tempo, Sweet Spot, Threshold - basically what a polarized model omits, save for racing & testing), VO2max work to "raise the ceiling" when necessary, maybe a bit of all-out-strength riding, and then the specific forms of higher-level fitness based on particular event demands, (and probably done on far less weekly time than a polarized model demands) still provides a really good return on training investment.

But if you have the time and want to give it a go, maintain the basic structure of the low-volume plans and just heap on the long, slow miles - indoor or out - during all other available training time.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Hi Chad, I'm very new to TR but plan on using it a lot. First week was fun so far.
After my first Ironman in August this year my main goals for next season will be to do a local half and a sprint tri and work on speed. These races are kinda my benchmark races and at least in the latter one I could have a chance to podium. Due to a pilgrimage I am not able to start my offseason training before late December (hope there's at least a little training effect). That would leave me 23 weeks to the half and then another 6 weeks to the sprint tri.
So my question is if you would have any advice on which plans to choose? I thought about doing the following:
Base: 6 weeks Sweet Spot I
Build: 8 weeks Sustained Power Build or General Build
Peak: 8 weeks Half Distance Plan
That leaves one week to the first race. After that I wanted to do the last 6 weeks of the 40k TT Plan to really boost the bike leg for the sprint tri.

I think I could manage the mid volume plans and for the base phase even the high volume plan. Are 6 weeks in the 40k TT plan enough to really make the best of it or should I even do the 40k plan as the peak plan for the HIM?

Thank you in advance!

Hi, and welcome aboard! Sounds like a pretty good plan but I recommend a couple small tweaks. First, consider the second half of Sweet Spot Base (SSBII) instead of that first 6 weeks which is more about form & basic endurance while the second 6 weeks will get you more prepared for the Sustained Power Build (which I recommend over the General Build).

Then, post-HIM, I think your thought to utilize the latter 6 weeks of the 40k TT plan is solid and will allow you to focus more on raising your FTP while simply maintaining your swim/run fitness with workouts possible plucked from the Sprint Tri plans.

Finally, if you're new to indoor training, or at least this much indoor training, I'd recommend starting with mid-volume plans and seeing if you actually need to bump things up to the high-volume ones, rather than the other way around.

Best of luck!

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

For corn's sake...not what a guy in Week 5 of Sweet Spot Base I and about to go into Sustained Power Build wants to hear!

I don't think I even really considered Base II, just figured Base I was more relevant after a month off.

Ah, don't sweat it, Ned. Either of those 6-week blocks is a solid foray into higher-intensity (HIT when compared to Traditional Base) and will set you up just fine for your Build training.

Frankly, either could be used quite well if all you had was 6 weeks, and it could be argued that SSB I is a "kinder" way to reintroduce your body to fairly demand training stress, inarguably a more form-focused block of base conditioning.

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Thank you for your advice! Awesome to have someone here from TR. I'll start with the mid-volume SSBII plan then and see where it leaves me.

Haha, I figured it wasn't the hugest deal. Caused only a minor facepalm when I read that!

While I've got you here...34 weeks until my Olympic triathlon. Here's my plan...anything raise any red flags for you?

2 weeks - finish up Sweet Spot I (low)
8 weeks - Sustained Build (low)
4 weeks - first four of 40K TT (low)
6 weeks - Olympic base (high)
6 weeks - Olympic build (high)
8 weeks - Olympic specialty (high)

Appreciate the help in here as always.

No red flags at all. I might actually have landed on the very same structure you've outlined here. Nice!

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

hi, am new to the site and have 2 questions

1. im using p1 pedals. i understand there is a need to calibrate on the garmin units before every ride. do i need to calibrate on trainer road using the app?

2. is there a difference using android or ios? i have the option of using an android phone or ios ipad for the rides. would prefer to use the phone if there are no differences


thanks

Hey Chad & Nate, I'm 2 yrs into TR and have been loving the gains. I always rely on SS Base and the Triathlon Build & Specialty plans, but this offseason I was thinking of doing the Sufferfest Build for November. Disclaimer: I've never done trainer workouts like that and the weekly 400+ TSS is beyond what I normally reach (250-300 TSS). Am I asking for overtraining symptoms by attempting this? For reference, I've been doing 6 wks of SS Base since my last tri in August and my first 2017 race is in March. I just don't want to spend my offseason prematurely digging myself into a hole! Thoughts?

Hey Mac,

Maybe? Anytime you drastically alter/increase what you're doing, you greatly increase the inherent risk of injury, burnout, overtraining symptoms, etc.

Typically, when I prescribe specific blocks of work, it's done in line with the highest workloads I've seen an athlete sustain and/or the cycle is short enough that the overload is unlikely to do any long-term damage or risk any real setbacks.

That additional 100-150 bump in TSS might be just the thing you need to break through to a new level of performance, it might be too much to prove productive - won't really know until you try.

I'd recommend paying close attention to how you feel over the course of the first week or two and go from there. Are you sleeping well, mood is reasonably stable, appetite's good, training motivation is high enough to get you on the bike with a pretty good attitude most days, outside stressors are in check, stuff like that.

That last one is bolded because that's what is most often overlooked and why dedicated training camps work as well as they do (by removing you from all other obligations & distractions). Be reasonable and don't time something of this nature to coincide with anything too hefty off the bike, e.g. relationship struggles, losing a job/starting a new one, relocation, etc.

And you might find that just a couple weeks of this increased workload are enough to knock you down pretty far, in which case you use the remaining 2 weeks to revisit something kinder like Traditional Base such that you can stay active while your body is reeling/healing from that concentrated dose of work.

Good luck!

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Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Hey Chad,

I was thinking something similar to this, however I will have right around 41 weeks and am not currently on a plan. Should I just drop the 40K tt specialty and go right into Oly base out of the sustained power build? Would look like the following (still short 1 week as laid out):

SS Base I 6 weeks (low/med)
SS Base II 6 weeks (low/med)
Sustained Power Build 8 weeks (low/med)
Oly Base 6 weeks (high)
Oly Build 6 weeks (high)
Oly Specialty 8 weeks (high)

Not sure on the low volume vs the medium volume. I won't be swimming at all and am just working my way back to running after being out injured for an extended period of time. Thought was I could handle the medium since my run volume will be low and all easy as I work my volume back up slowly over 2-3 months.

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne