How often are you really pushing yourself to the brink on your workouts? Once, twice a week? I’ve only just started in endurance with about 7 months of training experience. Looking back over my calendar, I rarely remember any sessions where I felt I couldn’t have given any more. The goal has been to get to the starting line healthy, so I think I’ve held back a bit to achieve that. But as my next training cycle starts after my HIM next month, I might try to hammer it a little more.
I use TrainerRoad on a 4 ride/week program. I think I am close to the limit 2 or 3 rides per week, depending on the week’s intensity. So, unless it is a recovery ride or one of the steady rides at around 75% FTP, I am hurting by the end.
I mean, what’s your definition of really hard?
Really hard? 2 or 3x a week on the trainer, 1 swim per week, never running (rehabing an injury).
Push myself to the point of nausea/puking? rarely, but it happens. Usually FTP test-like efforts.
I use TrainerRoad on a 4 ride/week program. I think I am close to the limit 2 or 3 rides per week, depending on the week’s intensity. So, unless it is a recovery ride or one of the steady rides at around 75% FTP, I am hurting by the end.
I’ve used tr as well. I’ve been following the half distance low volume program. There were some tough ones in the build cycle, but specialty has been pretty easy. I think my FTP might be a little low. I didn’t retest for this last block and have just manually adjusted to what’s felt right. I’ve improved across all three disciplines quite well, but I think I’ve just fallen into the grey zone 3 area of training like most inexperienced people do.
For the sake of numbers, I raced a sprint a few weeks ago and my HR average was around 90% of max. I’m never up this high in training, and it’s actually hard to get it there. I was happy with the results, but recovered really quickly and was able to get a good 90 minute ride in the following day. Seems like I could stand to do more high intensity training.
I’ve used tr as well. I’ve been following the half distance low volume program. There were some tough ones in the build cycle, but specialty has been pretty easy. I think my FTP might be a little low. I didn’t retest for this last block and have just manually adjusted to what’s felt right.I am using the TR mid-volume HIM plans. I just started my specialty plan this week and gave it a look. Yeah, most of these workouts do not look that tough. The workouts in Base and Build with long (7-8 minute) intervals at or above FTP are absolutely brutal.
Your FTP may also be low. If you did not absolutely hate your FTP test, then you may have bailed out too early. Personally, I find FTP tests to be the worst things on this side of hell.
every fucking workout should look like this:
.
Is that a straw? I already have BTA hydration.
I’ve used tr as well. I’ve been following the half distance low volume program. There were some tough ones in the build cycle, but specialty has been pretty easy. I think my FTP might be a little low. I didn’t retest for this last block and have just manually adjusted to what’s felt right.I am using the TR mid-volume HIM plans. I just started my specialty plan this week and gave it a look. Yeah, most of these workouts do not look that tough. **The workouts in Base and Build with long (7-8 minute) intervals at or above FTP are absolutely brutal. **
Your FTP may also be low. If you did not absolutely hate your FTP test, then you may have bailed out too early. Personally, I find FTP tests to be the worst things on this side of hell.
This, but it’s very much a personal thing. I’ll take 7 minute jobbers slightly above FTP over the 3 minutes at 125%… That’s pure torture.
no hydration either.
or eating for that matter.
this is why youre soft and asking questions to confirm your doubts about pushing yourself to the limit.
HTFU
now break your arm and go for a bike ride up a mountain damnit! Once that’s done, swim 4000 meters. That’s how your bones get strong and stop breaking like the worthless spaghetti they are.
I tried the TrainerRoad high volume plan for my three Olympic distance races this year. I couldn’t do it because there were too many hard workouts and I couldn’t recover. I typically did the bike workout, of which 2-3 per week were hard enough that at some point in the workout I typically thought I wouldn’t be able to finish. I tended to go easier than the run workouts than TR called for- there was at least one speedwork session and one tempo run per week. I’d do just one or I’d run easy all the days. The swims were hard (for me the non-swimmer), but not brutal. So at age 46 I can do 3-4 hard workouts per week. That’s of a total of 10-12 total. And, as I said, I define “hard†as unsure that I can do it. Next year I’m switching to the mid-volume. This year I did: base-build-C race-specialize- B race- specialize-A race. I’m pretty burnt out.
no hydration either.
or eating for that matter.
this is why youre soft and asking questions to confirm your doubts about pushing yourself to the limit.
HTFU
now break your arm and go for a bike ride up a mountain damnit! Once that’s done, swim 4000 meters. That’s how your bones get strong and stop breaking like the worthless spaghetti they are.
I do love spaghetti though. You are what you eat as they say…
Never. There’s no need to push yourself “to the brink” in the offseason. There’s no need to push yourself “to the brink” in workouts during the season. That’s what the best athletes do in races. And if you’re racing in practice, then you not utmost prepared for actual races. Yes they do test sets, all outs, and maxes but they walk away from a practice and show up the next day ready for the next workout. You want to be able to look back at your races and feel that you couldn’t give any more physically. You do find ways to get more out of racing smarter mentally and emotionally. Physical max at races with smart tactics deliver top results. Hammer at races to push yourself physically. Compete in races to gain experience and learn optimal race tactics. Combine them all for PR’s, podiums, and desired qualifiers (KQs, BQs, ITUWQs, etc.). And race as often as you want based on physical/mental recovery, time budget, financial capabilities, and motivation.
https://www.palmtreesahead.com/
https://www.palmtreesahead.com/tactics2faster-new
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Never. There’s no need to push yourself “to the brink” in the offseason. There’s no need to push yourself “to the brink” in workouts during the season. That’s what the best athletes do in races. And if you’re racing in practice, then you not utmost prepared for actual races. Yes they do test sets, all outs, and maxes but they walk away from a practice and show up the next day ready for the next workout. You want to be able to look back at your races and feel that you couldn’t give any more physically. You do find ways to get more out of racing smarter mentally and emotionally. Physical max at races with smart tactics deliver top results. Hammer at races to push yourself physically. Compete in races to gain experience and learn optimal race tactics. Combine them all for PR’s, podiums, and desired qualifiers (KQs, BQs, ITUWQs, etc.). And race as often as you want based on physical/mental recovery, time budget, financial capabilities, and motivation.
https://www.palmtreesahead.com/
https://www.palmtreesahead.com/tactics2faster-new
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Thanks, that’s helpful.
Most of the Sufferefest rides are > 0.9 IF. I’m doing three a week. If > 0.9 IF is “hard” then I’m generally doing at least three per week.
If I’m not going “hard” on the bike my FTP is not improving. Simple as that.
Not often, but after I’m done with a hard workout I cry - HARD. The silver lining is that sweat masks my tears.
/obviously pink
I like to get in 1 intense sessions per discipline in a week. So, 3 intense workouts per week.
I try and get the intense bike and run on the same day to focus suffering, and lower recovery time not being spaced out all week.
Intense swims are not as much of an issue since it non-weight bearing.
I also get 2 sessions in the mid-range in a week. Not killing myself, but not easy either.
20%.
20%.
I know that’s how effort distribution is reported in the literature, but percentages aren’t very useful for prescription, where training duration varies widely. Age groupers training at 10 hours per week see that pros are only training at high intensity heart rates for 10% of their training time, but they forget to consider that 10% of 35 hours is 3.5 HOURS at high intensity. A 45 minute set of 10 x 2min on the bike (which is quite unpleasant) is only 20min at high intensity…3.5 hours is a LONG WAY AWAY. Lol.
I’ve used tr as well. I’ve been following the half distance low volume program. There were some tough ones in the build cycle, but specialty has been pretty easy. I think my FTP might be a little low. I didn’t retest for this last block and have just manually adjusted to what’s felt right.I am using the TR mid-volume HIM plans. I just started my specialty plan this week and gave it a look. Yeah, most of these workouts do not look that tough. **The workouts in Base and Build with long (7-8 minute) intervals at or above FTP are absolutely brutal. **
Your FTP may also be low. If you did not absolutely hate your FTP test, then you may have bailed out too early. Personally, I find FTP tests to be the worst things on this side of hell.
This, but it’s very much a personal thing. I’ll take 7 minute jobbers slightly above FTP over the 3 minutes at 125%… That’s pure torture.
I agree. Two and three minute maximal efforts are very very unpleasant.