The official TrainerRoad thread

patrickf · March 2014

I'm currently following build I and got to the same place where my body just had enough and my FTP was going down.

Rest was very much needed - I reckoned I'd just overtrained. Not sure why they haven't built rest weeks in but I would suggest a rest week perhaps after every 3 weeks.

bigpikle · March 2014

TBH, for most people a FTP figure around 200 is pretty low and easy to lift with some good work. You'll find it gets a LOT harder after a while to keep it going up. There are lots of factors involved and I'd be wondering about a few things:

1. diet and rest - needs to be quality if you're doing the hard work

2. do you have a solid base fitness? Are you getting plenty of general road miles done as well? I honestly think that while these plans and the intensity they focus on can get you a long way, you simply need to have miles in the legs to keep improving.

3. all you can do is all you can do - if you're really working hard then there is a limit and sometimes you simply need to back off. If you've been doing these plans solidly since last Aug then you might just need a few weeks of easing off before you start the intensity again.

michaelede · March 2014

Hi,
After a bit of advice.
Looking to do my first century on June 22nd (Dartmoor Classic so 3300m of climbing), so I've got 13 weeks to get my sh!t together.

My no.1 priority is to loose some weight, currently @ 94kg so 6 kg seems reasonable in that sort of time scale. Can sort that out with a combination of eating clean and intermittent fasting.

For the first time in my life I am also going to try a training plan with a specific goal at the end of it.

The Time Crunch Cyclist novice century seems the obvious choice and the novice century low volume http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/102-novice-century-low-volume looks to be the same plan. As it is an 11 week plan I was going to do various random Sufferfests for the next 2 weeks.

Whilst I am sure you have all found that fascinating I was wondering how to swap out various plan workouts for sufferfest ones? So would Angels be a good substitute for cedric wright? Both are 3 x 8 minutes and about an hour long. My only concern is that the sufferfest one has a TSS of 93 vs. 67 and of 0.93 vs. 0.82 , I am not 100% sure what these mean but I think it means that Angels is quite a lot harder than cedric wright? Would I compensate for that just by doing it at 72%? Getting a bit lost and would like to use the SFest videos if I can or would it just make more sense to stick with the plan as it is?

Cheers,

Mike

mikenetic · March 2014

I would suggest to just stick with the TrainerRoad plan.

For the sort of ride you're training for muscular endurance is important, which is what the plan majors on. The Sufferfest can be extremely hard, and depending on your current state of fitness could have a detrimental effect on your other training, as you won't have time to recover. It's the recovery that makes you fitter as you adapt to the stress of the training exertion.

To be honest, you'd probably be best off using the two spare weeks as recovery, splitting the 11 week plan into 4/4/3 - 11 weeks on the bounce could leave you feeling pretty knackered by the end of it.

Losing some weight is also a great idea, provided you can eat enough of the right stuff to keep you healthy and fueled up for the training sessions.

Good luck with the training, if you follow the plan it should really help you out.

michaelede · March 2014

Disappointingly I suspect you're correct. I'd actually decided to split it into three blocks of 4 since my post, so it's nice to have that confirmed. Thanks for your input.

charlie_potatoes · March 2014

michaelede wrote:

Hi,
After a bit of advice.
Looking to do my first century on June 22nd (Dartmoor Classic so 3300m of climbing), so I've got 13 weeks to get my sh!t together.

My no.1 priority is to loose some weight, currently @ 94kg so 6 kg seems reasonable in that sort of time scale. Can sort that out with a combination of eating clean and intermittent fasting.

For the first time in my life I am also going to try a training plan with a specific goal at the end of it.

The Time Crunch Cyclist novice century seems the obvious choice and the novice century low volume http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/102-novice-century-low-volume looks to be the same plan. As it is an 11 week plan I was going to do various random Sufferfests for the next 2 weeks.

Whilst I am sure you have all found that fascinating I was wondering how to swap out various plan workouts for sufferfest ones? So would Angels be a good substitute for cedric wright? Both are 3 x 8 minutes and about an hour long. My only concern is that the sufferfest one has a TSS of 93 vs. 67 and of 0.93 vs. 0.82 , I am not 100% sure what these mean but I think it means that Angels is quite a lot harder than cedric wright? Would I compensate for that just by doing it at 72%? Getting a bit lost and would like to use the SFest videos if I can or would it just make more sense to stick with the plan as it is?

Cheers,

Mike

You haven't even started the plan yet and already you are deviating from it

michaelede wrote:

Disappointingly I suspect you're correct. I'd actually decided to split it into three blocks of 4 since my post, so it's nice to have that confirmed. Thanks for your input.

The century plan is designed to get you to peak fitness at week 8 so if you are targeting a specific event at week 13 then it may pay to do 4 weeks of base followed by an easy week before starting the plan.

michaelede · March 2014

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

You haven't even started the plan yet and already you are deviating from it

Hadn't even read the description either, didn't realise it included rest weeks and was peaking at week 8. Sorry to be wasting everyone's time, I will actually go off and read what I am supposed to be doing now...

pipipi · March 2014

Sorry for my ignorance,

an 11 week plan that gets you to peak at week 8? That's not exactly Ronseal!

charlie_potatoes · March 2014

pipipi wrote:

Sorry for my ignorance,

an 11 week plan that gets you to peak at week 8? That's not exactly Ronseal!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Crunched-Cyclist-2nd-Ed-Powerful/dp/193403083X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395600797&sr=1-1&keywords=time+crunched+cyclist

THampshire · March 2014

You're kinda thinking of what I'm doing ... I started the century plan but have now massively deviated from it mainly because I tend to go out at the weekend so only have the weekdays to train and I also commute 8 miles e/w every day. Vary the sufferfest vids only pretty much so Angels/Hunted/AVDP/Fight Club/Local Hero. Try and get at least two sessions and sometimes three in a week, usually one climbing and one short sharp VO2 max type session.

May not be the optimal way to train but it gives me some variety and if I only have a couple of days to devote to the trainer I don't want to use it for the tempo/base mile type rides that I can do on my commute or at the weekend

pipipi · March 2014

Thanks for the link Charlie Potatoes,

but I'm still confused. Why not call it an 8 week plan then? Or are the later weeks a 'warm down'?

charlie_potatoes · March 2014

pipipi wrote:

Thanks for the link Charlie Potatoes,

but I'm still confused. Why not call it an 8 week plan then? Or are the later weeks a 'warm down'?

The plan is actually open ended. After week 8 the plan ceases progression and remains static. The idea is to hold peak form for as long as possible. This will vary dependent on the individual.

pipipi · March 2014

Open ended is fine, but I still think I would call that an 8 week plan.

It makes sense to have a period where you are at top form, and also having some 'spare' weeks is a good idea. Maybe the last three weeks 'static' makes sure you are completely at top form, rather than doing 8 weeks and only just touching that level.

I think I will find it difficult to follow a TR plan with the days getting longer and the weather improving. I will try and complete one spin session a week, but I'd rather be outside (even if that's pootling along rather than specific training).

foggybike · March 2014

Bigpikle wrote:

TBH, for most people a FTP figure around 200 is pretty low and easy to lift with some good work. You'll find it gets a LOT harder after a while to keep it going up. There are lots of factors involved and I'd be wondering about a few things:

1. diet and rest - needs to be quality if you're doing the hard work

2. do you have a solid base fitness? Are you getting plenty of general road miles done as well? I honestly think that while these plans and the intensity they focus on can get you a long way, you simply need to have miles in the legs to keep improving.

3. all you can do is all you can do - if you're really working hard then there is a limit and sometimes you simply need to back off. If you've been doing these plans solidly since last Aug then you might just need a few weeks of easing off before you start the intensity again.

I think my diet and rest is ok. As good as it can be without going top. Over the Winter I have done hardly any road miles all been on the trainer. This will start ramping up again now. I'm half way through a week off now and then i'm going to start again with some low intensity miles on the trainer again.

I'll just point out i'm not training for any particular purpose other than to improve myself.

Just planning a few rides. Manchester to Liverpool, Manchester to Chester, Manchester to Blackpool and then the Manchester 100 in August.

charlie_potatoes · March 2014

pipipi wrote:

Open ended is fine, but I still think I would call that an 8 week plan.

I'm sure that will be fine

pipipi wrote:

It makes sense to have a period where you are at top form, and also having some 'spare' weeks is a good idea. Maybe the last three weeks 'static' makes sure you are completely at top form, rather than doing 8 weeks and only just touching that level.

I think that you need to read the book

griffsters · March 2014

Really wish i'd twigged on to trainer road about 3 months ago. I've been doing steady miles over the winter but nothing targeted, I reckon if I had factored in a proper TR plan as well i'd have been much fitter at this point. I've always struggled for motivation on the turbo - just hated it but have to admit after giving this a try I feel motivated by it.

Anyway, i'm 8 weeks away from my first target this year, the GKV Whole Hog round the peak district. I did the 20 minute FTP test and have to admit being a tad disappointed with an FTP of 153, but at least I have good room for improvement. I'm planning on doing the Super Time Crunched B training plan in addition to 1 mid week ride and a longer weekend ride. A lot of the plans are very full on and would mean not doing the proper rides - something I'm not prepared to do. Not at this time of year, been dreaming of sunshine for quite some time!

Anyone that has done the super time crunched B have any feedback on likely improvements over the 6 weeks or experience of it?

Cheers

danridesbikes · March 2014

153? was everything setup ok?

bit of background info, age? weight? activeness,

griffsters · March 2014

Well I think so selected the right virtual power profile for the turbo, tyre pumped up so guess so? I'm trying not to get too hung up on the number but as ever a bigger number would make me feel better

I'm looking at making good improvement as quick as possible I guess. I feel I have a decent base so was hoping the intense time crunched plans would be a good idea? As spring / summer is almost I here want the turbo sessions to be in addition to my outdoor riding.

Age 43, 5' 6", 73Kg and my Strava profile is http://www.strava.com/athletes/189563 that shows my activity level. A regular cyclist rather than a racing snake type rider.

herzog · March 2014

It's a guess, and how accurate it is really doesn't matter - the change (hopefully upwards) is the important bit.

spearmint_wino · March 2014

post deleted

danridesbikes · March 2014

any issues using a tub on a turbo trainer?

cheers

mikenetic · March 2014

danridesbikes wrote:

any issues using a tub on a turbo trainer?

cheers

The compound on a regular road tyre will tend to wear faster on a turbo than a trainer-specific one. The wear rate depends on the compound, but I imagine your tub won't last that long. It's not dangerous, but it could be expensive.

gotwood25 · April 2014

Does anyone here use a Tacx Booster?

I am having some trouble getting mine setup within Trainer Road in that the virtual power readings seem to get further out the higher the resistance setting.

I did my FTP on trainer level 2 which gave me a score of 220 (which I thought was rather low but fair enough) and have been training for the last 8 weeks or so. I was going to do another FTP test but decided to bump up the FTP a bit to see how I fared so set it to 240 and went through my workout plan.

Now everything in the lower FTP ranges was fine and in keeping with what I would expect (HR and perceived effort) however the issue came with the harder workouts as the wattage ranges were higher than I could achieve on level 2 which tops out at around 300w. So I bumped it up to level 3 and found that all of the power targets were unattainable and even the endurance/tempo stuff was harder than it should be. I did a little test giving it my all on each resistance setting and by level 5/6 I was struggling to maintain 260w (adjusting in the software each time in case you thought that was a factor). I have a feeling the TrainerRoad people have either set the virtual power on resistance level 1 then added a multiplier to each subsequent level and its way off or just used the settings from another Tacx unit (with the Booster renowned for its higher wattage output).

Anyway I digress, so should I redo the FTP on level 3 which should cover all wattage ranges thrown at me although my FTP is invariably going to be lower (not that it matters) or buy a new turbo and risk the wrath of my Mrs for buying more stuff... or C) buy a power meter and possibly risk divorce from the Mrs for spending 'how much!'

I think I know the answer, ego takes another battering. :-)

herzog · April 2014

gotwood25 wrote:

...buy a power meter and possibly risk divorce from the Mrs for spending 'how much!'...

Buy a power meter - though this suggestion isn't in line with the subject of the thread...

michaelede · April 2014

After being admonished a few pages back for wanting to change a plan, I am now sticking to it. I am however deeply confused by what it requires me to do this weekend.
I am following the low volume century plan and this is the description of the work for the weekend (http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/workouts/5410-colosseum on Sat and Sunday)

Endurance

The remainder of your time will be spent fostering a more efficient aerobic engine by riding well below FTP but consistently above recovery effort levels with some attention paid to improving your seated leg strength should you encounter some rolling hills.

Keep your cadence in the 85-95rpm range

I am confused by the description in colosseum,

90 minutes of aerobic endurance ranging from 50-80% FTP. Keep your watts more toward the middle of this wide wattage range as riding toward the top of the range will turn this into a more intense, and probably shorter, Tempo effort.

I am used to just following the required target power and cadence in TR, is this actually telling me to chose my own level for the whole ride? I have bolded the bit I find most confusing.

charlie_potatoes · April 2014

michaelede wrote:

90 minutes of aerobic endurance ranging from 50-80% FTP. Keep your watts more toward the middle of this wide wattage range as riding toward the top of the range will turn this into a more intense, and probably shorter, Tempo effort.

I am used to just following the required target power and cadence in TR, is this actually telling me to chose my own level for the whole ride? I have bolded the bit I find most confusing.

I take this to be referring to an outdoor ride. If you do the ride on Trainer Road then just follow the instructions in 'Colosseum' then it will mix it up for you. Good luck.

Diamant49 · April 2014

mikenetic wrote:

danridesbikes wrote:

any issues using a tub on a turbo trainer?

cheers

The compound on a regular road tyre will tend to wear faster on a turbo than a trainer-specific one. The wear rate depends on the compound, but I imagine your tub won't last that long. It's not dangerous, but it could be expensive.

Beware any tub/tyre with a "glued" on tread. Popped my bike on the turbo last week after a trip out and didn't bother swapping the wheel with the turbo-tyre back in again. Just discovered that the tread on a Vittoria CX tub is a glued on belt - or rather it used to be! :oops: Noticed all this black gunge around the edge of the tyre and the tread has now started to separate from the rest of the tyre. Had only done 80 miles on the road, so agree it not dangerous but certainly was expensive!

danridesbikes · April 2014

FTP: 310 > 418
Tacx Satori - Level 5
Virtual Power

never felt like i pushed hard enough on the first test (Feb 1st 2014)

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/ride ... bber-Glove

from the data, does it look about right?

patrickf · April 2014

danridesbikes wrote:

FTP: 310 > 418
Tacx Satori - Level 5
Virtual Power

never felt like i pushed hard enough on the first test (Feb 1st 2014)

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/ride ... bber-Glove

from the data, does it look about right?

Either you're an absolute machine and you should be in the pro peloton or those figures are just a *little* high?

danridesbikes · April 2014

im aware the figures may be out, but if you look at my last 20 Minute test in february, i never went above 183bpm until the final minute, so i clearly pushed harder, cadence is steady at 90ish

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/ride ... inute-Test

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