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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

Xert OBC GC Specialist 75 Minutes Workout is accomplishable with good sleep and intervals
Xert OBC GC Specialist 75 Minutes Workout. The main set intervals are SLOPE BASED with % FTP GOALS.

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

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Xert Training Questions – Xert for Women

Xert Training Questions can bring great gains in fitness.

My wife has been a successful competitive cyclist for almost 20 years. She earned a Master’s Degree in Human Performance, and was a certified Cycling Coach and Triathlon Coach. She even wrote a book about resistance training and stretching! We worked together for 8 years, and now we enjoy riding and training together at our new home in the Sierras.

In 2017, using an early version of the Xert training system, 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.

Xert Training Questions Lead to Answers
This was the first recorded moment when Xert helped an athlete win a State Championship.

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?”

Unfortunately, we never got as many women on Xert as we would have liked, though I still have female clients around the world who use it daily. I just wish there were more women cycling in general. That crusade was lost a long time ago. Other coaches and governing bodies will need to work to improve gender ratios and overall counts.

Xert Training Advisor and Women – Are There Different Needs and Challenges?

Tracy has had some struggles with her performance lately. She’s still very fit, but the lack of races in the US due to Covid has left her and others without goals. So, we started looking for Strava segments to ride, and she’s bagged some QOM’s. Yet she still expressed frustration about Xert’s Adaptive Training Advisor, and how to interpret the suggestions, as well as volume and the Fitness Signature.

This video is the first of what might be a series, where we discuss Xert for Women, Xert Training Questions, and how best to set things up for goals and training limitations.

Thanks for reading – I’m going mountain biking!

More Base Advised – My Journey to 300 Watts

Base Training is CRITICAL

Here’s my ride recommendation from the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. In my Journey to 300 watts, a solid foundation of base is necessary.

Xert Adaptive Training Advisor Base Build
If you want more POWER, you have to have more BASE.

Base training is low wattage power. It’s aerobic. Low Steady Distance. “RED FAT”. It’s BLUE or BLUE/GREEN Watts on the Garmin Xert Fields. In order to get faster, I need to go slower. To ride stronger, I need to ride easier.

I’m going to ride on the trainer this morning, since the air in Reno is pretty bad. There are fires in California. The XSS goal is 51 points, and the Xert FOCUS goal is 17:37. I’ll share my ride with you once I’m done.

Post-Base Ride Review

There’s an old saying… “Temper Action With Wisdom.” I consider these Base rides to be my own effort to get wise. The exuberance of fitness can lead to a plateau. Instead, putting time in on at low intensities makes a subtle, but significant, difference.

Here’s what my Garmin Xert Fields Showed after 45:00 today.

Remember that the Xert XSS Goal was 51 points, and the Xert FOCUS goal was 17:37. I held FOCUS at “–:–” for over 30 minutes. Then I hit some intervals to bring the FOCUS “Down” (more intense) to “30:00”. A few minutes later, I hit some more intervals and brought it down to “17:00”, before it drifted back up to about “18:00”. On the last interval, with my Xert XSS at 48 points, I attempted one more interval — and overcooked it.

Xert Garmin Fields XSS MPA Fat Carbs FOCUS Strain BioShift
This was a pretty good mix of XSS, and FOCUS in the Xert Garmin Fields on my 1030.

I ended up with a FOCUS of “16:52”, and 52 XSS. However, it accomplished the goals of the ride. You can see the results in the Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial….

Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial
I am edging ever closer to the 1 o’clock position where training might be optional towards my goals!

Furthermore, if we look at the big picture, we can see definite growth in my Training Load. The form fatigue is there as well, but it should be recovered by tomorrow morning.

Xert XPMC Chart Training Load Form Fatigue
Xert Training Load is growing, and form will recover by tomorrow. I predict more base in the recommendations.

I’m going to stick to the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor’s recommendations, and let the plan play out.

Thanks for reading!

Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial

Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial
The Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial tells me where I stand on my volume and focus goals in a graphical way.
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

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

Here is a screenshot of my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor recommendations for Monday.
Xert Adaptive Training Advisor
Xert Adaptive Training Advisor recommendations for Monday, September 28th, 2020.
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.
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