Suffer fest + "power"

ddraver
ddraver Posts: 26,385
edited January 2015 in Training, fitness and health
Hey Guys

So, question - When I'm doing a sufferfest vid (or any interval session) I use speed as a proxy for power. When I'm doing something like Revolver (16 x 1min on/1min off) or downward spiral (pyramid intervals, 2min on/2min off, 1.45 on/1.45 off down to 15secs) I will start of at a certain speed/power - say 30*

Should i be aiming to hold that power for every interval from there? For revolver, I couldnt hold the same power for 15 intervals as just through fatigue it would decrease. Does that mean i should actually start at 25 and hold that for all 15 intervals?

Same for downward spiral, obviously I can sprint for 15secs at a much higher power for 15 secs than I could for 2 mins

So, are these programs really about power or is it more about attitude/effort than anything you can really measure?

*actual value and unit of speed being irrelevant
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Comments

  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    With long recoveries (2 mins+) then yes you want to aim to "repeat" the set, but as the recovery gets shorter you'll be in recovery deficit and simply not have the capacity to keep the effort up. There are schools of thought that max output can only be maintained for about 60 seconds. If you are tracking your HR data you may be able to look at the recovery phase to work out what %age of recovery you have acheived to set a target for the next round.

    Or just go with the old / simple option of go as hard as you can until you start to see red or feel sick.
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  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    I think Sufferfest supposed to be more about attitude/effort than anything else (the scale they tell you to use at the start of the videos is RPE after all) - but there is a converter for power and HR on their website.
    The problem with wheelspeed I suspect is that it doesn't respond instantly to increased power because of the inertia of the flywheel, so it's not much good for the 15 second 10/10 sections.

    I only have access to HR and wheelspeed so I tend to go by feel and maybe have a look at wheelspeed to compare to last time. HR tracks even further behind effort in the short intervals so that's even less use. I do tend to keep an eye on what it's gone down to in the recovery bits though.
  • shazzz
    shazzz Posts: 1,077
    Link below shows the power profiles of each workout. Trying to make your speed profile similar would be in line with what is intended, so in your revolver example you're meant to hold 25 for all intervals, not do the first at 30, the last at 15, and the others at progressively declining speeds. Having said that, I wouldn't get too caught up in over thinking it!

    http://www.thesufferfest.com/v3/wp-cont ... _NEW_2.pdf
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    I think Sufferfest supposed to be more about attitude/effort than anything else (the scale they tell you to use at the start of the videos is RPE after all) - but there is a converter for power and HR on their website.

    You can't really convert RPE to power for the reason you've alluded to. The RPE can remain constant but the power will get lower. You've got sufferfest videos with FTP over 1 if you use their conversion.
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  • dilatory
    dilatory Posts: 565
    You could do virtual power with TrainerRoad. They have Sufferfest workouts that sync with the videos.
  • Alex_Simmons/RST
    Alex_Simmons/RST Posts: 4,161
    PerfPro software has all the Sufferfest erg files pre-programmed and you can sync with any of the videos easily. So if using a power controlled trainer like a Computrainer or Kickr, it'll auto adjust resistance for you, or if using a power meter or pseudo power from the trainer, then it'll display the target power and you adjust your own effort to match the target.

    You can also easily adjust up/down the overall power levels with a simple slider control to make a session easier or harder depending on what you would like for that day.
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  • charliew87
    charliew87 Posts: 371
    Just get trainerroad, it's well worth it and removes the guesswork.
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  • cswitch
    cswitch Posts: 261
    davidof wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    I think Sufferfest supposed to be more about attitude/effort than anything else (the scale they tell you to use at the start of the videos is RPE after all) - but there is a converter for power and HR on their website.

    You can't really convert RPE to power for the reason you've alluded to. The RPE can remain constant but the power will get lower. You've got sufferfest videos with FTP over 1 if you use their conversion.

    Totally agree on your RPE v power point. However if you use the same cadence and stick to the same gear your power is going to be very close from the beginning to the end of the interval and for subsequent intervals unless the viscosity of grease or fluid in the rollers / turbo changes due to temperature changes....I only mention that as I'm almost sure my rollers have less resistance once they've 'warmed' up...more noticeable in winter when the pain cave starts of cold.

    If gear and / or cadence needs be dropped you're probably going too hard though I guess sufferfest is all about taking you to the limit where power may well fall off.

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