Zwift & SST, Max Effort IM Workouts
I'm curious about what others think/do for the SST and Max Effort workouts in the IM plans, specifically how they might use Zwift for these efforts. There are several possibilities:
- Design a unique wko in Zwift for each of them (this might already have been done for the 2019 plans, but I can;t find them if so.)
- Find a "close enough" group workout on Zwift
- Join a group ride, and shuttle between the front and back as needed depending on the intervals
- Do a Zwift race off the appropriate length/time, and just try to hit the prescribed TSS/IF for that workout, ignoring the specifics of the intervals.
I prefer doing these intense, high effort workouts on the safety of Zwift, rather than looking for something out on the road which has not only hazards of other vehicles, but also stop signs/light, intersections, pedestrians, etc., as well as changeable terrain and weather.
My own solution so far this cycle is:
- For the Max Effort wkos, which involve very high efforts for 10-20-60", I have been simply writing the workout into Zwift, using 1.75-1.85 IF for the 10', 1.5-1.6 for the 20", and 1.25-1.3 for the 60' intervals.
- For the SST, I find a race which should take me the same time as the total intervals - now its @ 36', 6 x (3'@0.95-1.0, 3'@0.8-0.85)
Thoughts? Your experience?
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@Al Truscott I'm glad you brought this up. In the Boomer seminar we talked about how to modify work outs. I feel that the Max efforts from a dead stop is too much tork on the knees. at least for me. I always want to know the 'why' behind what we're doing.
Level 2 [TSS 75 | IF 0.78]: MS : 4 x 10" max effort, 4 x 20" max effort, 3 x 1’ max effort. All with 3 minutes of Zone 1 (94 - 109 watts) recovery after each.
-Level 3 [TSS 79 | IF 0.79]: MS : 4 x 10" max effort, 5 x 20" max effort, 4 x 1’ max effort. All with 3 minutes of Zone 1 (94 - 109 watts) recovery after each.
Coach Notes: These Max Power Sessions complement the Threshold work you’ve done all year. You should start each one from a relatively dead stop, and in the right gear. The shorter intervals can be done standing the whole time. Recovery time is easy spinning. Do your best to beat the numbers from the week prior.
@Sheila Leard I don't know what's "right" for the Max Efforts, but I do NOT do them from a dead stop. As you note, my knees are being babied and nursed through this final IM training cycle. I set up a Zwift pre-programmed workout which has be riding along @ about 110-120 watts, then going to 380 for ten seconds. I increase the cadence 5-10 seconds before the Max Effort, precisely to ease the stress on the knees.
Yeah, I think it is an effort to get the same systems worked as "VO2 Max" workouts, but with a bit less overall fatigue going forward. At least that's what I experience.
Right now, I'm just doing what the plan calls for, with weekly input from Coach P. SO far, he's not got me doing anything different.
I have always responded well to work like this (at least since age 50-55), more so than the long slow stuff. Maybe because I spent so much time in the '90s doing long, multi-day rides and mountain biking? Just a few doses, like 3-4 weeks, seems to give me the same kind of kick that a volume pop ("challenge ride") does for others.
You and I should be at the same place in our training plans...
Thanks @Al Truscott I also come from the era of LSD :) I was considering a very long Challenge ride instead of Camp week, but I don't want to give up days of training for extended recovery. Reduce the harm is aways my moto.
I appreciate all your help. 🤜🤛
Several of the rides and races I do in Zwift end up looking a lot like SST. I think generally the idea is to move between Z3 and Z4 and spend some time in the area in between. I think sometimes we take our prescribed WKOs way too literally and don't do as @Sheila Leard mentioned and ask why. From that point we may be able to do the "essence" of a particular WKO and get the same, or even better adaption and have more fun in the process. I think it may be much more difficult to apply this idea to the very short intervals (Vo2) sessions you mentioned above @Al Truscott. My feeling would be that it's best to do those as written to get the most out of them. I am assuming when you write these workouts in Zwift you are not using the ERG mode, correct?
@Sid Wavrin For the Max Effort workouts, I use Erg for all the intervals. For two reasons, I guess. First, I;ve found over the many years I have been doing trainer workouts, back to when I first got a CompuTrainer in '06, that I do better when I have an aspirational effort I'm required to hit thru erg, rather than trying to simply go as hard as I can via shifting, especially on a very short interval like 10-20". And there's also the issue for me that I need to manage the impact on my knees, which are deteriorating with osteoarthritis in a very significant way. Over- shooting, as occurs when starting up from dead stop as suggested in The Plan, is not only painful, but also might really damage what's left of my cartilege. (Maybe those two reasons are connected ?)
There are two "fail-safe" aspects of this approach. First, there is the bias button in Zwift, where, if I feel I programed the intervals too high or to low, after the first one I can increase or decrease the next one in real time by +/- 10%. And second, since these wkos are spread over 4 weeks, I can easily increase my aspirations the next time around, automatically building in a progression which I can see and control.
Agreed @Al Truscott. I don't really like the max effort from stop either. What I was referring is that with my setup I have had trouble getting the ERG to react quick enough for the short intervals. I am going to try again based on your experience because I do really like the fact that erg does not allow you to cheat!