Cycling Program v3.0 - 2010 - 2011 (Page 21)

That's how I started too Chris.  The prep weeks will give you a decent idea of what to shoot for powerwise in the testing.  I was about 10-15w off (low) on my estimate and I think a couple others were similar.

that definitely was hellish!  Just when I started to recover from the previous interval, the 45 seconds were over and it was time to go again....glad that one's over but I'm sure there is more pain on the horizon.

I started the program on time and got through prep and 2 weeks plus one week 3 workout before work travel took me away from my bike. If I start up again next week when I get home, where should I start back in? At the beginning? Or pick up where I left off?Thanks!

My feelings exactly, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse ... it gets worse.  Jorge, those 6x4's are pure evil.  I keep thinking of Greg Lemond's motto, it doesn't get easier, you just go faster.

Time to rename the trainer room from "torture chamber" to "gateway to hell"

Done here too and it was HARD as I expected.  Then to make matters worse, after the workout I realized that I read the workout wrong!!  I set my target at CP instead of 20MP so I was about 14w low - next week is really going to be tough me thinks...

w4d1 just about killed me.  i think my w3d1 set 5 was a little too hard last week which set me up for failure tonight.  plus, doing it after a run wasn't the best decision either.  oh well, i'm sure i'm still improving.

Week 5 day 1 testing is done. Average hr 158 X .97= THR of 153, week 1 testing was hr 155 X.97- THR of 150 so I guess this shows an improvement. I'm not sure of what kind of improvement I was expecting? Things that didn't help is that I missed a week so I'm behind there, Ive suddenly got busy at work and tested at night after a full day of work. but other than that I am beginning to feel a lot better about my cycling strength. 

Darrell 

Finally able to finish up my second round of testing.  I was able to move my 20' TT up, but I actually lost ground on my 3' TT.  I was pushing like a demon, but I just wasn't able to push the wattage I pushed for my first 3' test.  Overall my Average CP and w/kg increased so I'm happy with that, just wish I would have done a little better in the 3' test. 

This is one of the times calculating power based on trainer speed is inaccurate.  When quickly accelerating up to a given speed, you're generating much more power than is required to maintain that speed.  At then other end, when coasting, you're generating 0 watts, but your trainer is still registering speed/power.  

There's no good way to solve for this short of buying a power meter.  The good news is, it doesn't really matter much for our tests.  If you're taking 5 seconds to come up to speed, your speed/power meter on the trainer will show an average power that's about 5 watts low on a 3' test at 300 watts.  On a 20 minute test at 250 watts it'll only be off by about 1 watt.  (Note, I'm assuming that smoothly accelerating up to speed in 5 seconds requires about the same real wattage as what you're holding for the steady speed.  It might be a bit more, but I don't think it affects the point I'm making here.)

Week 6 Q1 - FAILED.  I did the ride this morning, but couldn't manage to hit the targets.  I know that my HR is higher in the am than pm, and should have left this to ride in the evening.  My HR was in the high 170's before the middle of the first 4 minutes, and by the end of the third one I couldn't keep going.  I skipped the 4th interval and then did 5 & 6.  Was still a few watts short on each test, but just couldn't manage the effort level that was required.

Lesson learned (should have already known).  I need to do these later in the day, because I can't make the necessary effort at 6am.

Do we assume all percentages are based on CP unless 20MP and 3MP are specifically mentioned?  

Yes!

This happens to me. Usually very intense sessions tend to be harder in the AM because your liver glycogen might be somehow depleted in the AM after a night sleep unless you wake up early enough to eat some carbs and make sure you restock it before training.

Since the 6x4' session @ 20MP is harder than your CP your are relying a lot more on carbs to fuel the efforts, hence if you are a bit depleted in the AM and you'll be pushing way harder above your LT, and even your MLSS (which are not the same thing), then your liver glycogen might not be enough and you just don't have the energy to complete the session.

When you do so on the afternoon/evening, that most likely is not a problem, hence you can push harder.

When training with HR usually 3 things occur when you improve yuor Heart Rate at your Maximum Lactate Steady State:
1. You either can go faster at the same HR MLSS (aka THR)
2. You can go faster at a slight lower HR MLSS
3. or both.

When doing testing, specially when you have no experience pacing the test, it is also normal to show a higher HR MLSS, just because in the 1st attempt you didn't know how to build up the effort pushing harder at the end.

Still, HR ca be affected by other variables, hence, if you manage to control many of the variables riding indoors and try setting up yuor trainer in the very same way every time (resistance, tires psi, cooling, etc) you can roughly use mph to get an idea of your improvements.

I hope that helps!

Thanks Jorge.  Most mornings that I ride, it's going to be a case of roll out of bed and head for the basement to start riding.  I have a hard enough time just getting out of bed to begin with.

What are my best choices to get some quick carbs into the system that will actually help during the workout?  Gels perhaps - and how long do you need to give them to get any benefit?

I'm a first-in-the-morning rider as well.   Usually I fill my water bottle with Infinit and take a few hits walking down the stairs to the torture chamber.  If I know it's going to be a brutal session (i.e., every Monday Morning), I go old school and wolf down a banana as well.

Enjoying it.  I noticed that my cadence has come down on the trainer.  I usually average ~85 rpm while trying to hold power.   From all my outside rides this summer, average was usually ~95 rpm.  It feels like a lower perceived effort for me to hold a given speed/power on the trainer with a bigger gear.

double post

Edited by shmeeg 2010-12-09 9:48 AM

WKO+ experts, how do I view 7 day TSS score?  I only see 28 days on my athlete home page. 

going by memory right now but you can either see the totals for TSS, miles, time, on your main page, you can create a graph with a 7 day rolling average or change the settings on the graph you are looking for.

more info here

I've tried gels before and fruit juice (i.e. apple juice) and that works at least a bit. The earliest the better as on average our bodies process 1gr of carbs per minute. I avoid G-ade because it kills me when drink it on empty stomach.

Holy crap... the 6x4' work out is brutal.  I spiked my HR to only 4 beats below what I've ever seen it on the bike before (and that was a major grade hill at the end of a ride) during the last "push a little harder" set.  You feel like you've accomplished something after finishing that.  Love it.   

Edited by smarchildon 2010-12-09 1:33 PM