Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner
Here’s my ride recommendation from the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. In my Journey to 300 watts, a solid foundation of base is necessary.
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.
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.
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….
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.
I’m going to stick to the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor’s recommendations, and let the plan play out.
Thanks for reading!
Dear James,
I Just wanted to give you a heads up on what I’m looking at in terms of your Xert progression.
IF we were looking at the ATA, well, it’s pretty much spot-on. You’re right on the edge of “Training” and “Training Optional”, and the Xert Progression future workout is arguing for something a little less intense. We’ll see about that. I don’t agree or disagree, but the physiological modeling is rolling parallel to what I’m providing as a coach. However, we communicate more effectively, and we also know when you’re feeling good enough for a breakthrough, when the model might say something different.
STRESS continues to trend upward. You and I know that a good hour on the bike can use as much as 800-1000kj’s, and we’re S L O W L Y going to work our way up for that. Still – I like seeing this growth. It’s going to lead to a great aerobic engine. This is one of my favorite Xert Progression charts; we know how much energy it takes to ride, and here, we see it in a rolling average.
Speaking of Signatures…..
For the upcoming week, don’t forget to try and RAISE your watts over the set time periods, and follow my “bank it, then spend it” philosophy. Think of it as half-wheeling from hell. We’ll get appropriate dips in MPA, we’ll see better colors in the “Focus” field, and we’ll continue to see breakthroughs AS YOU SEE FIT!
You’re on your way, and I can’t wait to see what the next two or three weeks bring you in terms of Signature, Volume, and Fatigue. Don’t forget to do some resistance training, and if there are ANY twitches or warning signs from your hip, calves, or heart, we back down, and recover. No injuries. Train hard, Rest Harder.
