week 6 / 42 day rest.

bristolpete

Using the training peaks protocol of 6 weeks data / 42 days does anyone know if rest is suggested on week 6 or take a break in week 7 and count week 8 as 1 of 6 again using rest. Not in 'overload' but just felt leg tired this week. Like all a recreational rider trying to learn. Thanks.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've not used or seen the TP fitness/fatigue/form guide, but these guides tend to follow a very similar protocol of looking at what you have done over the past six weeks.

Personally, I use Elevate (formerly known as Stravistix) https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... pckn?hl=en and Crickles https://cricklesorg.wordpress.com/ , because they are both free to use and they estimate training load for activities where you aren't using a heart rate monitor or power meter.
I have a Strava "Analysis pack" which includes their similar guide, but for me, the figures are useless, because I do a number of activites without a HRM or PM.

If you are trying to improve your cycling capabilities, having some negative "form" is supposed to be optimal for body adaption, just don't expect to to knock out power interval PBs while you have negative form.

When I'm not suffering with lurgy (which seems to be rare this year) or other poor health, I continue doing sub-20min power interval indoors and outdoors (typically every other day) while my Elevate form stays less negative than -30. When I have a 20min FTP test planned, or I plan to try and beat my PB for a categorised hill or two, I'll taper off my power training in the week beforehand so my form hopefully ends up somewhere between 0 and +10.

imposter2.0

See Alex's and Ric's posts on the other thread...

bristolpete

NitrousOxide wrote:

I've not used or seen the TP fitness/fatigue/form guide, but these guides tend to follow a very similar protocol of looking at what you have done over the past six weeks.

Personally, I use Elevate (formerly known as Stravistix) https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... pckn?hl=en and Crickles https://cricklesorg.wordpress.com/ , because they are both free to use and they estimate training load for activities where you aren't using a heart rate monitor or power meter.
I have a Strava "Analysis pack" which includes their similar guide, but for me, the figures are useless, because I do a number of activites without a HRM or PM.

If you are trying to improve your cycling capabilities, having some negative "form" is supposed to be optimal for body adaption, just don't expect to to knock out power interval PBs while you have negative form.

When I'm not suffering with lurgy (which seems to be rare this year) or other poor health, I continue doing sub-20min power interval indoors and outdoors (typically every other day) while my Elevate form stays less negative than -30. When I have a 20min FTP test planned, or I plan to try and beat my PB for a categorised hill or two, I'll taper off my power training in the week beforehand so my form hopefully ends up somewhere between 0 and +10.

Roger that. Noted. Also have the elevate app and found that when I am in 'optimal' I fly. Yet, ebbing towards higher end of overload, I had a light week the week before last and then this week I have struggled. I think moving forward will push into the 6th week and then have a light 7th week. Staying off the bike til Weds. I did 100 miles over 2 rides weds / fri just passed and riding into Teignmouth I was a cooked goose in both senses of the word. Trying to second guess that 'data' part of it but shows how far tech has come in the last few years, rather than going out and hammering it it is teaching us to be prudent.

bristolpete

Imposter wrote:

See Alex's and Ric's posts on the other thread...

Will do, thanks. Not yet read it so coffee on the go.

cycleclinic

With all training plan they should not be followed rigidly. They should be adapted if you don't feel right.

bristolpete

thecycleclinic wrote:

With all training plan they should not be followed rigidly. They should be adapted if you don't feel right.

I agree but they can help. They can also cause middle aged men to over egg the pudding, myself included. I do know that nearing 50, 100 miles a week in Devon enough now. Hard miles.

Alex_Simmons/RST

bristolpete wrote:

Using the training peaks protocol of 6 weeks data / 42 days does anyone know if rest is suggested on week 6 or take a break in week 7 and count week 8 as 1 of 6 again using rest. Not in 'overload' but just felt leg tired this week. Like all a recreational rider trying to learn. Thanks.

Not sure what the protocol is you speak of.

What I do know is that 42 days is the default time constant used to calculated the Chronic Training Load value as it's calculated using an exponentially weighted moving average of of the daily training stress scores.

The 42 days is an input in the training load function, not in itself a guide period on how and when training workload should be altered.

That said, six weeks is about the sort of time frame when longer term training adaptations tends to reveal themselves with improved fitness (while some changes occur on much shorter times frame). It's also about the duration one can sustain (provided they are sufficiently conditioned to begin with) a dedicated block with a high proportion of specific high intensity work (i.e. sets of VO2max inducing efforts) before gains plateau and can in fact start to decline.

bristolpete

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

bristolpete wrote:

Using the training peaks protocol of 6 weeks data / 42 days does anyone know if rest is suggested on week 6 or take a break in week 7 and count week 8 as 1 of 6 again using rest. Not in 'overload' but just felt leg tired this week. Like all a recreational rider trying to learn. Thanks.

Not sure what the protocol is you speak of.

What I do know is that 42 days is the default time constant used to calculated the Chronic Training Load value as it's calculated using an exponentially weighted moving average of of the daily training stress scores.

The 42 days is an input in the training load function, not in itself a guide period on how and when training workload should be altered.

That said, six weeks is about the sort of time frame when longer term training adaptations tends to reveal themselves with improved fitness (while some changes occur on much shorter times frame). It's also about the duration one can sustain (provided they are sufficiently conditioned to begin with) a dedicated block with a high proportion of specific high intensity work (i.e. sets of VO2max inducing efforts) before gains plateau and can in fact start to decline.

To be honest, neither do I. Over the previous 5 weeks, I felt supersonic on the bike after migrating from the turbo. But last week, despite travelling away from my regular routes to ride something flatter for a change I felt very leg tired and lacked what I call that last 10% that allows you to kick/power up a climb rather than ride up. Riding tomorrow and data says I am OK, but obviously none of us know if I am carrying a cold, a cold is coming or if something else is up. I think power has brought the old adage a little knowledge is dangerous to us recreational riders and a coach which few can afford would know how to analyse data and advise accordingly. 'If' it is indeed the 6 week thing, I ride tomorrow and will see how I feel. Will call this week 1 again. I know before 2013 when I moved looking back, a lot of riding for me was zone 1 and 2 getting fitter and fitter but I do a lot of zone 3 up now which certainly has an impact on me. Anyway, only ride for fun and enjoyment, just trying to second guess that data as best I can and sustain being a middle aged man in lyrca.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Well learning how to interpret the training models is part art, part science.

The main thing I would suggest is to focus on the overall patterns they reveal rather than the absolute numbers.

They are guides, not directives. They are one expression of what you've done, not what you should or could have done.

If you are feeling tired/flat, then you likely need a bit of a break. Probably not a lot, a few days of rest and/or very easy recovery spins and you'll probably bounce back OK within a week or so.

If however you are simply flat because you are not fit enough it may be because you are no longer responding to the training, perhaps have not worked sufficiently hard to promote further fitness gains. If training over past 6 weeks has been pretty much the same in terms of workload, then it's a good bet you are plateauing in terms of performance gains.

Which end of the spectrum you might be isn't possible to say without a fair bit more assessment of your training and you specifically. But if I had to guess, I'd say have a bit of rest/recovery and then see how you feel within a week.