@jam bo - like I said, I'm really not sure how long it's been set wrong, quite possibly it's been wrong all the time. I'm not bothered since the efforts are relative to what I'm doing, it's just the actual number that's wrong. I did Ebbetts (along with everyone else it seems) at the correct resistance but with TR's intensity set to 125% and it felt too light so I might split the difference
along with everyone else it seems)
Starting sweet spot base 2 mid level
Lamarck tonight, 4 x 10 at FTP with 2 minutes recovery between each.
TrainerRoad reset my FTP to my previous value, only 5 watts less so no big deal except it also reset the device to use VP...for an interval and a half I was thinking I'd made some incredible overnight improvements in smoothing out my pedal stroke.
Just Mary Austin to see off on Saturday and it's rest week 🙂
Did an 8 minute retest this evening - I'd got the resistance setting on the turbo incorrect as far as Trainerroad was concerned so my FTP was wrong, quite a lot wrong. With the same resistance on the turbo and TR my FTP rose by a mere 15% 😆
My previous setup provided the correct levels in the training just with the wrong numbers attached, paradoxically they meant I appeared physiologically more efficient (by the aforementioned 15%). My aim had been to get my Watts/Kg to 3 but I'm now at 3.2 W/Kg so need a new target.
Keeler needle for me. Didn't have time for The 1.5 hrs I was meant to do so did Tuesday's session as will be taking a week out for a cx race next Sunday. Really enjoyed it, hour went nice and fast trying to keep power right.
Just signed up for Trainerroad to try to add a bit more structure to some winter training. Looking to begin one of their plans tomorrow (short power build) and am trying to see whether it is possible to export a Trainerroad plan to easily integrate with a calendar?
[quote=Sam ]Just signed up for Trainerroad to try to add a bit more structure to some winter training. Looking to begin one of their plans tomorrow (short power build) and am trying to see whether it is possible to export a Trainerroad plan to easily integrate with a calendar?
Ride Sync works with strava, training peaks or dropbox.
Am I right in thinking that syncs completed rides with those programs? What I want to do is to upload the plan ([url= https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/153-short-power-build-high-volume ]like this[/url]) to a calendar, maybe in Training Peaks, but even just as a calendar file to load in to Google Calendar would be fine as well.
I've already got it syncing completed rides to Strava and TP.
I've not seen that option. Like you say TR will sync completed rides to Strava, etc. The plans aren't fixed to any calendar date though and the iCal format requires that information. Also there's nothing saying you have to do session X on a particular day.
The sync option seems to be fairly new so it's possible it was a requested feature, why not drop TR an email and request what you want.
I'd like this feature as well, currently just manually input the planned TSS into Training Peaks and export the calendar to Google.
Not sure it will add a lot but would be a bit tidier.
Rest week for me, which generally means getting carried away on Zwift...
I just think it would be a good way to give you a nudge to say 'you should be doing session X today'. Good call on dropping them a mail Whitestone, will do so. I contacted them via FB when I was having some setup issues and they were very prompt and helpful.
Had a FB chat with them and apparently an in app calendar/planning function is in development to be launched soon. Interaction with TP calendar is also planned but a bit further off.
I know that if you use Training Peaks then any stuff that you put in the calendar means you'll get an email in the morning telling you what sessions you've got planned.
I'd like it if you could send across a whole plan from TR to the TP calendar, would make it a lot easier than doing it by hand!
I'd like it if you could send across a whole plan from TR to the TP calendar, would make it a lot easier than doing it by hand!
Yep, that's exactly what I wanted it to do. Here's there response I got from TR - who were extremely prompt and helpful I have to say!
Hey Sam! Thanks for the suggestion! We actually have big plans to add both of those features in the near future. Right now we are focused on finishing up the revamp of our desktop app, but once that is complete, adding a calendar feature that allows you to save, edit, and track your TrainingPlan will be one of our top priorities. The option to sync your training plan to TrainingPeaks is a little further down the line, but it is definitely on our list
my second 8 minute test today and i dry retched after the second period. Success!
Keeler Needle for me tonight, enjoyed it - a lot of variety and having to think about matching gearing, cadence and power output.
my second 8 minute test today and i dry retched after the second period. Success!
Good work!
Serious case of the CBA's here today. Was going to be a day off after racing yesterday but a nice big lump of TSS was reduced to not very much by a mechanical, so really should re-jig the plan 😕
Was a TSS of 200 for me if my summer FTP still stands (probably not). Stuck to the plan and did 45mins recovery spin yesterday, felt a bit sore still this morning so elected to rest, did an hours Z2 tonight and back on it early tomorrow to try to catch up up with a couple of people who appear to have moved ahead. Good motivation!
Hi, was after some advice. Currently I use my 26" mtb on the turbo, and have just moved on to base training part two. it is a 1 by 9 with 34-11 (i think) at the back and a 32 ring at the front. Currently have the turbo set on resistance 5. Usually have 1 by 10 on the bike but the cheap spare wheel setup I have came with a 9 speed cassette.
I did my second 8 minute test the other week and was using the top gear , so 32-11. I couldn't go any faster than I did, but do you think as I get fitter ( ! ) I'll run out of gears, or can I just set the resistance higher on the turbo? Or, should I be thinking about returning the bike to a 2 by 9 or 10 set up for more gears and a higher top gear and keep the resistance on 5 for consistency's sake? or perhaps a new 34 or 36 chainring?
I've also noticed that with this set up its not always easy to find that sweet spot of a comfortable cadence and power output. For example when the program says to up your cadence by a little bit (high tempo intervals or something?) its very hard to not make the power output say 10-15 over what it should be…
Thanks in advance
Depending on your FTP there'll often be a power band that is awkward to settle on as one gear ratio will be at the bottom of your natural cadence range and the next gear will be at the top of the range.
You can change the resistance setting in TR at any time to suit, again it takes a bit of time to find the resistance that lets you use the entire range of gears and match those to the target power.
Thanks, but do I have a sufficient range of gears do you think?
Tricky one. You'd probably be ok if you bumped up the resistance, but the turbo feel starts to get very different at high resistance settings (very lumpy) which may mess with your measurements. To get the most road like feel I tend to run as low a resistance as possible to get the power I need with a reasonably high wheel speed (and that's with a 53-12 highest gear.)
Also as you've noticed, you have big jumps in the cassette which can make riding to a power less natural.
If your bike is turbo specific then I'd probably try and stick as big a chainring as possible on there, probably a double just to get a bigger big ring and to be able to run a close ratio cassette.
Im a big believer of using the same bike for as much of the riding as I can so I use my race bike on the turbo (with a specific turbo wheel)
I use a 2x11 system with 36/26 and a 11-40 cassette. My turbo is set to the highest resistance setting.
I find im in 9th gear (36 - 13) and at around 270w (NP) with a cadence in the 95 to 105 rpm range
I have 2 more higher gears should I need them for harder intervals.
Im a big believer of using the same bike for as much of the riding as I can so I use my race bike on the turbo (with a specific turbo wheel)
Certainly a bike with the same fit. Though do you really sit on it the same way on the turbo that you do on the road?
Certainly a bike with the same fit. Though do you really sit on it the same way on the turbo that you do on the road?
I guess that depends on how you set your turbo up...with or without a block etc??? Other than that, the only difference I find is the lack of moving around out of the saddle
its seems like the turbo setting of 5 is most 'road like' in how it feels, for me anyhow.
i think i will look at going 2 X 9 or 10 (36 /26 maybe ). Ugh and i thought front mechs were dead.
Ugh and i thought front mechs were dead.
Ah...in my defense, I use di2 hence the reason I run a double
Pretty sure I have 2 Chainrings and a shifter somewhere . Might have to buy a front mech though *shudder*
Just done 8 minute FTP test, 1 watt less than mid season FTP so more than happy. Went for an mtb play yesterday, so not really the recovery day supposed to have before testing but more realistic for me anyway as a comparison.
Was feeling that couldn't get HR up as easily as normal and evidenced by a reduction in the LTHR so maybe have been overdoing it in my rest week.
Just finished an 8 minute test after completing the mid-volume sweet spot plan with various sessions moved around to fit in with work etc.
Managed to increase my FTP by just over 3% which doesn't seem too bad. It also gave me a drop of 4bpm in my LTHR. It was also my first FTP test using a powermeter rather than the TR calculated power so I'm not sure how much of an effect that had on the figures.
I might need to do a session using both TR virtual power and my P1's to see how close the numbers are.
Bashfull - 15 x 1min at 300w. The last few were tough - hard to keep a breathing rhythm at the end of the interval and some mental pushing required, which is an indicator I'm at the right level I believe!
I might need to do a session using both TR virtual power and my P1's to see how close the numbers are.
You can just compare the wheel speed for that test with the previous one (assuming same turbo resistance setting.) Hmm curious they only show the wheel speed in the app and not on the web.
The last few were tough - hard to keep a breathing rhythm at the end of the interval and some mental pushing required, which is an indicator I'm at the right level I believe!
Nice work on the mental pushing. For short intervals or the end of long ones I tend to get my head down and count in groups of ten. Seems to help me focus on something other than pain 🙂
Bashfull - 15 x 1min at 300w. The last few were tough - hard to keep a breathing rhythm at the end of the interval and some mental pushing required, which is an indicator I'm at the right level I believe!
300w fifteen times for 1min sounds like quite a workout. Especially if, as you say, you're not feeling too fit at the moment.
Whats that in relation to FTP? You're not a short chap so my estimate is around the 95% mark?
Whats that in relation to FTP?
[url= https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/workouts/30035-bashful ]Bashful[/url]. 125% Quite hard towards the end I expect.
2hrs with 2 x 30 mins blocks of tempo for me. Jennifer Jones on netflix providing the entertainment that the workout lacked!
Bashful. 125% Quite hard towards the end I expect.2hrs with 2 x 30 mins blocks of tempo for me. Jennifer Jones on netflix providing the entertainment that the workout lacked!
Ah....i can't get use the TR website properly here so couldn't look at the profile....fair session though
I have a custom made session tonight...
10min Z1 WU, 10min Z2, 20min Z3 with a 5sec acceleration at the start of every 2mins, 10min Z2, 20min Z3 with the accelerations again and then 10min Z1 warm down.
So I buys a roadie (first ever), a turbo and the odds and sods and joins trainerorad thinking that it would be good for the fitness as I can't ride as much as I like.
[i]Do a FTP[/i] they say. Ok, I'll go for the 20 mins. I can ride for 20 mins. IT DOESNT MEAN THAT. There is a 20 minute max effort interval in it!!!
I'm *ed and only just finished the 3rd (5 min) interval.
I'm *ed. Completely ****ed.
Think I'll try the 5 minute FTP next time.
300w fifteen times for 1min sounds like quite a workout. Especially if, as you say, you're not feeling too fit at the moment.Whats that in relation to FTP? You're not a short chap so my estimate is around the 95% mark?
**** me I wish... Bashful is 125% intervals Gaz. I'm not a powerful rider... I'm not sure how I'll I am tbh. My throat glands have gone down and my HR is normal, and although my busted finger and dented shin hurts I thought I wouldn't complete this one, but actually finished over the desired watts required at 207np - bear in mind 24 mins of that is z1 rest / 95w. As suggested in the work out I probably could have pushed it up 1-2% in the last phase but would have been reaching for a bucket beyond that, as I was definitely in the pain management phase for the last 10-15 secs of the final 3 x 1.
Regards the weekend my daughter is ill, and I'm actually wondering whether I carried the virus through the race and the race adrenalin actually helped kick it out. IANAD so no idea if that can happen. I guess we'll see on Jan 3.
PMSL @ wrecker, welcome to Sick Club.
Donner for me tonight, just getting properly stressful for the last three minutes of the final interval, phew! Bloomin' warm tonight, where the hell's winter?
@wrecker: I did a week or so of workouts before trying my first FTP test as much to get a feel for how to ride to the various power levels but the first FTP test you do is going to be a learning process in itself. The 8min FTP test is actually [b]two[/b] 8min efforts near the end of an hour's workout and the level required is a little bit higher than that used for the 20min test. It's not actually a max effort interval (which would be closer to 30 seconds in length) but the maximum you can put out for 8 or 20 mins so you have to be able to pace things - the on-screen hints are there for a purpose 😀
The 8min FTP test is actually two 8min efforts near the end of an hour's workout
WHAT? Are you joking? Are they perverts?
Should I knock the default FTP setting down a bit? I'm ****ing killing myself trying to hit the power targets.
Nah - https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/workouts/1271-8-minute-test , beast it man!
The initial 200 Watts used by TR is just a guide, you can either use the intensity button in the app to change it for a single workout or change it more permanently in your profile.
Have you got your turbo and TR in sync? I.e. are they both set to the same resistance for your turbo model?
Wrecker make sure you are set up right . Have you put your turbo trainers resistance into trainer road ? Have you put a sick bucket by the bike ?
As above wrecker, do the best you can, let TR set the ftp and go from there. If you are finding your first plan a bit easy / hard use the % adjustment on screen accordingly during the workout. After that your secon for test will be way more accurate.
Beast everything, make the hour count except where instructed otherwise and remember - everything has an end 😀
In about 12 months you'll be smiling through the pain on the drops thinking, "I am Jen Voight, yes I am too". Lol....
Have you got your turbo and TR in sync? I.e. are they both set to the same resistance for your turbo model?
It's a smart thingy. Do I need to do that?
Dunno - mine's like its owner - dumb! Check with TR they are pretty quick to reply.
Wrecker, you'll need to turn off the erg thing on a smart turbo for testing.
A custom 20 tempo and 3x5 here tonight. Got a little medal for the last 5 min interval too, which is nice. Feel like things are progressing nicely this winter for a change. Doubt it'll last!
Feeling a little blah after a couple of hard training days and a household bug doing the rounds, so tried to sweat it out with Rendezvous tonight. one hour of increasing 10 minute blocks finishing at threshold, turned out a little harder than I imagined actually, despite a TSS of only 66.
We'll see tomorrow morning if that was a cure or the straw that broke me. 🙄
Wrecker, you'll need to turn off the erg thing on a smart turbo for testing.
Aha!
Sussed it. thanks!
Wrecker, trainerroad uses the erg mode for the ftp tests only for the warm up. The actual 8 minute intervals are automatically swapped to resistance or slope as they call it, so it's fine to leave in erg. I did yesterday.
Swedish Chef, good luck with that. I decided to do an ftp test in the same way as was not feeling great, it was due anyway, maybe not a great idea as feel rough as ... now. Should have stopped halfway through when HR not climbing as easy as normal. Going to use Christmas as an excuse to take it easy, maybe.. Might even have a few runs for a change.
What's the resistance setting thing? 2%, 4% etc. It says 0% is obsolete?
Look up testing on an erg trainer in the trainerroad help, it explains it better than I would 🙂
I did get caught out in the wrong gear in my first interval and ended up hitting close to double ftp to start, not ideal ! Don't worry about it too much, have a experiment, takes practice to get right.
Fasted over-unders this morning, that was hard mentally.
Ooh, good effort that. I had intentions of doing Palisade, which is 90mins and several sets of over-unders. It would have meant getting up at about 0515 😯 but I was feeling the effects of last night's wine so decided not to and have ridden in to work instead.
Did Haeckel tonight, slow force efforts which didn't feel too bad, well nowhere near as bad as Palisade which I did on Sunday.
Now just need to keep focussed and away from the mince pies for the next couple of weeks 😳
Aborted session last night and taking a night off tonight. Always seem to get hip pain after a lot of driving, and 8 hours of it over the weekend seems to have done the job 🙁
How odd a coincidence. I started work at 5am so on the way home tonight I decided I'd call it off as I'm knackered, then whilst driving got an odd pain in my quad which convinced me to leave it for today.
It's Christmas and next week is week 4 for me, so I face 4 x12 on Thursday then I get stuck into the cheese and port as a reward.
My first ever TT awaits on Jan 1. 😯
<start waffle>
So I had a rest week at the end of sweet spot base, then just as I was about to do an FTP test, I caught the man-flu from the kids. Was quite sore throaty, and so since I have plenty of time in hand, I didn't do the test, and instead have spent the last week and a half just chilling, couple of short rides so that my legs don't forget what they're for, but really just dedicated to getting 100% healthy again.
This morning I was going to do a long slow ride in to work, but the forecast was for rain, so I decided to do the FTP test instead, since I've been feeling nearly 100% for a day or two. So, up at 5, no breakfast (I've been doing the fasted training thing pretty happily, so decided I might as well stick with that despite it being a test). Did the 8 minute test. Got the pacing a bit wrong for the first 8 set, and fannied about a bit too much with resistance / gears, but held it nice and steady for the second set. Did better than I expected, despite recent man-flu and early morning start, I got an FTP of 265 (tested pretty untrained on 30th Aug at 207, and then on 28th Oct at 223).
I don't think the previous ones were low due to poor technique - if anything they were better paced than today, and HR was damn near exactly the same across the three tests. I do wonder if upgrading the turbo trainer a few weeks back is a factor though... could have effectively shifted its calibration. Anyway, this confirms what I suspected - that for the last few weeks I was underdoing it on intensity (I had manually bumped up the FTP a bit, but was quite cautious). I was finishing sessions feeling like I was underworked. I suspect that will all change now...!
Finished lacing up my Powertap last night too. Just a final tweak / true needed, then I'll switch over to using that. I'll do a comparison between the two, and adjust my FTP settings accordingly, then I guess I'll let the Powertap drive TrainerRoad and hence the turbo's resistance.
I find that if I'm starting to struggle and thinking about giving up on the next to last interval in a workout then the FTP setting is about right. I can usually tough out the last interval and hang on in there 😀 You can always adjust the FTP setting on your profile page if you don't fancy doing another test.
I delayed starting this year's sessions due to having some sort of lurgy so can sympathise with your decision. In my case this now means that next week is, and I quote: "perhaps the most varied and complete week you'll find in the Sweet Spot Base training plans". So that's a Scooby gulp then!
I do wonder if upgrading the turbo trainer a few weeks back is a factor though.
If you're using virtual power then all bets are off!
Hit a bit of a wall of CBA here and missed a couple of days. A few aches, a touch of manflu, some crap nights. At least it's a nice day today so get some easy outdoor miles in hopefully.
If you're using virtual power then all bets are off!
True! My plan is to essentially reset using the Powertap in the next week or two, then everything will be based on that (assuming it works).
For me, if I have some CBA, then the best thing is to indulge it for a couple of days, then dive back in with renewed vigour. (Same goes for dieting actually.)
I'm feeling quite motivated now, and planning to give it some welly in the new year. I also have a big ride booked on Boxing Day, and potentially another on New Year's Eve. After that I'll slot properly back into the TR plan, and I'll be a monster in a few months! 🙂
Ha Ha. I'm starting as I mean to go on. I've a time trial (my first) on 1st Jan, then an XC race on 3rd Jan. 😀
Cue XCO plan from then until my first eastern league race in March.
A kill or cure ride outdoors seems to have helped here. Felt rotten with jelly legs for the first hour or so then started to come good. If I was on the turbo I'd have probably abandoned!
Good worked for you. I'm coming off the back of some sort of bug as well, for the past week and a bit just basic commute and even that was hard work. Trail centre play today with wife and friends woke me up but no turbo til after Christmas now.
All the best to everyone and good luck for the New Year.
Glad I'm not the only one with bugs and the like. Having an enforced rest week due to a chest infection. Rapidly thinking it'll be 2 weeks at least. Planning to just pick up where I left off as an ftp test really doesn't count as easing back into it gently in my book.
I've had various colds and bugs since early November, so never actually started properly 🙁 fingers crossed I'll shift the man flu for jan, and start the sweet plan.
One more, just one more then its time to stop counting the calories for a few days... 🙄 😯
Good god, just had a spin on a wattbike at the gym just to see what they are like. How can people ride without fans? 10 mins at z1 and i was sweating buckets! Back to my turbo cave for tonight.
Was the power accurate? I've tried a couple of bikes at the gym and the power has seemed off compared to my P2M. Either way easier or much harder.
All done, with an extra little effort vid for TT position / helmet set up - I'll be moving my TT bars off the turbo bike onto the one I'll use next week - thrown in. I would post it but seeing as I was only wearing bibs some might find it offensive. 😀
B*gger! I somehow seem to have managed to grab a large dram of Caol Isla 😆
Merry Xmas folks and don't fall too far off the wagon!
Was the power accurate?
Hard to tell really as I was in floppy shoes, position a rough guess, and no cooling. Didn't feel too far off though.
Xmas day Galena done here 🙂
Right! Holiday break over so back to work 8)
I should have done Jepson on Xmas Eve but the whisky got in the way. I wasn't sure whether to do Jepson or simply skip that part of the plan. In the end I decided to skip them so did Clark. Six sub FTP intervals with high power stomps to start. A lot of sweat!
Will need to see how much flooding is around us before deciding whether to get outside tomorrow or just do a long steady turbo session.
You know you have those days when you feel good? A shortend club ride (70k) wasn't doing it for me so I cam home and did Carson 45. 4 x sweetspot 2 of which were at 75rpm with transitions to standing.
I feel worthy of a beer now!
Expecting an "overdone it and feeling crap" post tomorrow 😉
Back on Traineroad after brief flirtation with Zwift. FTP test went quite well - I have had a weeks rest but lots of alcohol - especially yesterday. TR works better than Zwift as I'm located in the shed at the bottom of our garden (wi-fi is a bit in and out). Liked the new OS interface on my phone - no need for a computer now. Looking forward to the Tour of Sufferlandria.
Textbook stupid training mistake here. Abandoned a TR session at 8am this morning, knackered after a bad night (cold, kids, bloody wind) and a couple of hard-ish sessions the days before. Should have probably just spun out an hour at z1 and put it down as a recovery day. Instead, in an even more knackered state having looked after two small kids all day, at 8pm I thought I'd have another bash at the session. The result was predictable 😳
^ Understand what leads to failure and adapt. Overcoming a desire to give up is good racing psychology. It's quite akin to starting out too fast?
I'd agree when it's a case of pushing harder than you're capable of. This really was just tiredness and fatigue and should have been something I was otherwise quite capable of.
On the plus side, I feel grrrrreat today! 😀
I put it down to he massive quantity of protein I down after yesterday's afternoon effort.
Just had a quick 30 minutes on this using my new iPad, lots more convenient than using the laptop.
Bluetooth picked up my Stages without any bother but obviously won't pair with my Ant+ HRM
So question is, if I buy one of the Ant+ dongles for iOS is that all I need to pick up heart rate...and will the power meter then default to Ant+ or continue with Bluetooth so long as it's enabled?
Might it be cheaper to get a BT HR strap?