2020 Structured Training

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OP
OP
Ming the Merciless

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Did an hours workout today mostly intervals slightly above my VO2 max. I exceeded my FTP number for that hour, so I've been given a new higher number. Just a FTP 1% increase but a nice bonus ahead of my main testing which I will do via ramp test in about 10 days time.
 
I've lost all motivation for training now all my targets are getting cancelled and even my leisure activities look like they'll end.:sad:
 
After stewing all day I finally got a wee bit of motivation for a virtual TT :sad:
 

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OP
OP
Ming the Merciless

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
With the new restrictions in place.

Watched the first episode of a new season of a TV series I like. We have Sky and though not cheap,does allow you to download tv programmes and films to watch onto the iPad via the Sky Go app. So did a long low intensity session outside on patio in garden basically watching TV whilst the iPad also controlled turbo in background. Worked really well and didn’t really notice the time go by. So found my solution for long low intensity sessions, films and box sets. Having a comfy recumbent for turboing helps in this regard.

Short high intensity sessions I’ll drop to just once a week to try and preserve some top end whilst recognising I’m not training for anything at the moment. I understand about once every 5-7 days is enough to preserve but not increase aerobic capacity. Preserve where I’ve got to sounds good when I’m not specifically training for anything anymore.
 
OP
OP
Ming the Merciless

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Weighed myself today. Lightest I’ve been since 2002. My FTP is therefore 3.2 W/KG. Better than I thought for this time of year. But it’s now in a holding pattern during the current restrictions. Fitness is bound to drop and weight go up.
 
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I've not been out since Thu morning (it was only short dashes Tues/Wed/Thu beforehand), unstructured 3.5h of turbo and I'm in a flat you couldn't swing a cat in but my weight has went down by 2kg :wacko:
 
OP
OP
Ming the Merciless

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Did my weekly high intensity session. Power and heart rate numbers indicate my fitness is holding steady. Which is good as not trying to get fitter now, just trying not to lose fitness during lockdown. Now I can look forward to the rest of the week at low intensity.
 
Did my weekly high intensity session. Power and heart rate numbers indicate my fitness is holding steady. Which is good as not trying to get fitter now, just trying not to lose fitness during lockdown. Now I can look forward to the rest of the week at low intensity.
I do my higher intensity session tomorrow night, a pyramid session stepped up ok last week but found it harder to step down last week after a rest period. It was a lower intensity session today and Wednesday stepping up again on Thursday.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Last Friday I retested my FTP. As expected it was a fair bit lower than previously. Lots of reasons, time off the bike, injury, illness, testing at the end of a full day and not having eaten well, so no surprise there but I was a bit surprised that it was a whole 10% down.

Anyway I'm following the TacX "groundwork" plan, which is really quite dull. During the week (this is my lockdown commute) there are "intensive" sessions (actually not very intensive) which involve 3 or 4 blocks of 8 min or so at 75% FTP or so (they vary session to session). They really don't grab my attention. At the weekend they prescribe endurance sessions of things like 90 min at a constant 65%. There's no way I'm doing something that boring so my weekend long rides are being done on the Real Life Video and are longer and harder and more varied than the prescribed sessions (and are fun, which is the whole point).

Anyway my new lower FTP made this morning's "intensive" session even less challenging. I never got out of zone 3 HR. I wonder if it's meant to be like that. I think I'll bump my FTP up a little in my profile to make it more interesting.

I find I like to have constant changes and challenges within a workout to combat boredom. My favourite workout so far is an over/under one that has three blocks each containing 3x1 min at 120% with 2 min at 75% in between, and a few min recovery at 50% between blocks.

I don't know whether I'm going to stick with this "groundwork" plan. Given that I don't have any particular target in mind other than not turning into a potato I may as well just choose workouts that I like doing.
 
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