I would do them in a way the places the most stress on your body to stimulate the most adaptation.

With that said, I do them on my road bike or base bars on my tri bike.

Thanks for that. I guess sometimes it’s iust getting the work in.

If you're too tired to do them in aero, knock them out on the base bars. I try to get mine done in aero most of the time (train like you race), but I have no qualms getting them done on the base bars if I'm wiped. Better to get them done on the base bars than not at all as you said.

Yep. I don’t stress about it too much. Some days I just don’t have it either mentally or physically so I try to get it done however

I go as far as I can in the aero, then I'll go up the base bar to finish them out. My goal is usually to get to the last minute before getting up on the base bar. If I think I can do that last minute in aero, I'll stay down. Most often though, I'll sit up on the base to finish them out.

Are you racing on your base bars or your aero bars? Simulate your race setup for your training if your goal is to go faster on the bike in a race.

Counterpoint to "train like you race": do you often surge at 120% for 3 minutes in a race? Maybe a very steep hill, and then you're probably on the base bars and/or out of the saddle?

X2

The TR guys, IIRC, even said for workloads like 120% FTP (something you're never going to hold in a race), it's about getting the work done any way you can. If you can't hold it in aero, that's fine. But don't try to get them in aero if you're not holding the prescribed power—prioritize the workload. OTOH, workouts that are steady state and slightly more than what you're going to see on race day, get used to staying in aero—i.e., Phoenix +2. A bitch of a workout, but such a great oly/HIM session.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Counterpoint to "do you often surge at 120% for 3 minutes in a race?"

Specificity doesn't mean your training needs to look like your racing; it means it needs to prepare you for the demands of your racing. Subtle but important difference, and one that makes 3:00 @ 120% extremely specific to racing at lower aerobic loads.

To the OP, watts are the stimulus to adapt, especially in VO2 intervals, but if you are having a much harder time hitting those watts in the aerobars, as a bike fitter, I would call that a pretty big clue.

Thanks, I wasn't that clear with my original reply, tried to edit for what I was getting at. Wasn't trying to undercut the validity of the VO2 work, just that it wouldn't need to be done in aero.

Thanks for the replies all. I did shortoff +1 as part of an oly build and I think it’s mental a lot of it. If I’m in no mood to suffer then I have no chance of aero intervals. I did 3 tucked and 3 up this time around. I used to hit these numbers on my Kurt kinetic days, but I’m erg mode on the kikr I’m suffering. Maybe I could knock a few watts down on these ones.

As for my fit I don’t think it’s too bad but I’m sure you have heard that one before. Attached is one from a practice duathlon I did on the weekend but it’s not a very good side on shot ...note the attached image i have since lowered the seat height