Blowing Up A Workout
The Workout
My first mistake was in preparation. I needed to make some changes in the warmup, but I’m not the biggest fan of the Xert Workout Builder. The changes I wanted were made, but I also ended up making 8 warmup intervals, instead of 8 starter 30-second intervals. That meant that I had to dance around in the workout itself, jumping here and there, to get the warmup I wanted in.
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Here’s the workout. I had no problem achieving the first 6 intervals. It was trying to hit my goals for the next several intervals that blew me up completely.[/caption]
The next problem I encountered in setup was that the 30-second warmup intervals were just too hard. I set them based on % of FTP, instead of % slope, and they pulled my SmO2 values down to SEVEN PERCENT. I only performed five of these, but they really hurt.
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 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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Starting Off in an Xert Training Deficit. Points is Points.
I started off Tuesday with Bold Ambitions, but honestly, and this is now kind of rare for me, I ran into a ton of technical issues that ate into my time, and led me to less than half the recommended XSS points for the day.
Let’s review, and then look at what I DID do on Tuesday.
This entry is the part a deep dive into the Xert Training Advisor, including discussion of a thoughtful way to work with Points.
Afraid To Suffer, Part Two: Breaking Through
Our story so far:
I met with this individual, after they signed up for Xert. I helped them program the head unit.
I explained the concept of volume, intensity, frequency, Focus, and fitness breakthroughs.
For TEN WEEKS, this individual’s numbers JUST. KEPT. DROPPING.
I couldn’t figure it out. Until Finally, it dawned on me to try ONE MORE THING.
It’s all about the difference between Suffering and Suffering. And here’s how we made it work.
Afraid to Suffer, Part One
“I’m not getting any better!” (You don’t know how to Suffer!) I HATE that statement. “Better” is a completely loaded term. It implies perception over analysis, and it’s my job as a coach to be a shrink, a cheerleader, a gentle critic, a cajoler, and an overall positive influence. But what is NOT my job, […]
Updating the OLD Xert Garmin Fields With the NEW Xert Garmin Fields – A Video Tutorial.
Unfortunately, I’m posting this a few weeks late. Another update to Xert fields has already rendered this video somewhat obsolete. It’s still a great demonstration of how to get into the old Xert Garmin fields and update them. It also shows what the Garmin Xert Field displays now provide. In Summary: In early March, Xert […]
Why We Still Look at Heart Rate
One of the old standards is Heart Rate. For decades, Heart Rate was a practical way to measure intensity. It could also be used to measure recovery, hydration, and fatigue.
We cannot look at wattage alone. We have to look at wattage as an extrinsic force. When we look at heart rate, this is an intrinsic force. Both bring value.
Here’s an example:
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Looking at Wattage and MPA only, this cyclist did not work too hard.[/caption]
This cyclist was given a workout of 60 minutes. The main set of intervals were 2 minutes long, with one at the end which was very intense and would hopefully yield a breakthrough per Xert.
If we look at the wattage chart alone, it shows a successful workout. MPA dropped, then rose, and the final interval yielded a CLOSE CALL, but not quite a breakthrough. Watts followed the load very closely.
However, when heart rate is revealed, it shows something more.
Reliability, Accuracy, Results: The Beautiful Consistency of PerfPro Intervals
I’ve been using PerfPro Studio since it first came out in 2008. I’ve watched its capabilities grow, especially as we developed workouts and schedules for controlled progression and periodization. The workouts allow you to ride with absolute wattage, wattage as a percentage of Threshold, wattage based on percent of slope and any mix in between. […]