Xert Training Load – My Journey to 300 Watts

Xert Training Load, Volume, Form, and Fatigue

I just finished my ride. We’ll talk about Xert Training Load and whether I am on track for my November 14th goal in a bit. But first, The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor wanted 163 XSS, an Xert FOCUS of 15:44 and it told me I was “Fresh”. Last night, after a poor night’s rest, I made sure that I went to bed at a reasonable hour, was hydrated, and slept soundly. My Garmin Performance Condition affirmed my Xert Form, with a “+8”. So, I decided to get in a few hours on the road bike. Here’s the course.

The most significant aspect of this course is the rolling terrain. The roads roughly follow the Truckee River, all the way to the California border. There are LOTS of hills and climbs, and the route is as challenging as you want to make it.

Remember what the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor suggested…

Sleep and Intervals

Good Sleep is critical to recovery, so that Intervals can be completed and be effective.

I failed a workout on Friday. The effort was an attempt to get Xert XSS points in. However, I got about 5 hours of sleep on Thursday evening; three hours and then two, after two hours awake. The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor is adjusting my goals every day, but it does not take sleep quality or quantity into account. The Xert ATA does look at fatigue due to volume, but it still acts as a carrot, and I am always out chasing the goal.

The thought did occur to me to take the day off, but my goal in this series is to follow the Xert Training Pacer and Workout Goals. I’m trying to do these outdoors as much as possible. I’m also trying to adjust my intensity on the mountain bike, since that is just so much more convenient. The trails are right outside my front door. Due to some time restrictions, I was unable to get outside and ride, so I opted instead for an inside ride with intervals.

The Xert ATA was asking for 91 points and a FOCUS of 16:36. None of the recommended workouts in the right column offered anything less than 90 minutes. So, I went to the left tab of the Xert – My Fitness page, and designed my own workout.

Here’s the workout in the Xert Workout Designer

On Paper, this was entirely accomplishable. However, this is based on solid sleep and intervals that follow the SMART acronym.

Xert Training Questions – Xert for Women

In 2017, using an early version of the Xert training system, my wife Tracy won a State Championships in Texas. I called out to her from a spot on the course, “GREEN!” YELLOW!” “ORANGE!” “RED!” to indicate the different colors on the wattage screen that I felt would best suit her needs at that moment. She ended up reducing the field from 25 riders, down to 5. She won two of the three primes, and won the finale.

At the end, everyone came up to her and said, “YOU OWNED THAT RACE!” “HOW DID YOU DO IT?!” “WHAT WERE THOSE COLORS YOUR HUSBAND WAS CALLING OUT?”

More Base Advised – My Journey to 300 Watts

Here’s my ride recommendation from the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. In my Journey to 300 watts, a solid foundation of base is necessary. In order to get faster, I need to go slower. To ride stronger, I need to ride easier.

Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial

I woke up this morning, after a good 7 hours of sleep, and opened the Xert App on my phone. Then I clicked on “Training”. The Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial gave me a succinct summary of my XSS deficit, and my XSS Goals for the day. I had breakfast, did some work, and then headed out on my mountain bike.

Training Pacer Rainbow Dial Outer Ring

Low Intensity With the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor 9-28-2020

Here is a screenshot of my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor recommendations for Monday.

I am definitely tired from the weekend, but I know that the Adaptive Training Advisor is telling me to go slow and steady, and just ride for points.

My deficit for the day is just 38 XSS points. The workout goal is 69 XSS points. FOCUS is super low.

Xert ATA and Extra Points

Here’s the workout recommendation from the Xert ATA. It shows that I have an XSS deficit of 35 points. It’s recommending 114 points for the day.

Xert XSS and FOCUS for Saturday – Part 2

If you’ll recall from the previous post, my Xert XSS and FOCUS for Saturday was 121 points of XSS, and 134 points of Deficit. After 1hr 40minutes, there were 73 XSS points, and a FOCUS that was Infinitely Aerobic. But I just could not sit still.

In an area of the ride approaching Mound House, NV   I let my wife know that I was going to attempt a breakthrough, and that’s exactly what happened.

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Xert XSS and Focus for Saturday

Saturday’s Big Ride, per the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor, recommended 121 XSS, and a FOCUS of 20:30. Here’s what I posted this morning:

Now, you’ll notice on LINE 1, that my OVERALL XSS deficit is just 134 XSS. If you look at the one sentence in paragraph 2 of the image, it says that my Training Status is FRESH, and I should consider an endurance ride of 121 XSS.

Xert Garmin Fields – Set Up Your Garmin for Road Cycling

This is how I set up Page 1 of my Xert Garmin Fields for my road bike. I don’t use all of them on the first page, but these are the ones I have found to be most important when I cycle.