100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert

100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert.

Yes, you read that correctly. I have set up my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor for a 5MMP, “Breakaway Specialist” Breakthrough, on January 30th of 2021. This is roughly 9 weeks away. I’ll be riding almost exclusively on my Rollers.

291 Watts

291 Watts. OH SO CLOSE!

I’m sorry that it’s taken me a few weeks to write up this post. The TL:DR is that I hit 291 watts at Xert Functional Threshold, which is the highest value I have seen in well over a decade. At the same time, I dropped down to 147lbs, or 67kg, giving me a w/kg Threshold of 4.36. My Xert HIE (High Intensity Energy) went above 25 kJ, and my Xert Lower Threshold went above 225.

Here is a screen shot showing the 291 watts and the rest of my Xert Signature.

[caption id="attachment_12498" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Xert Signature 291 watts FTP On October 31st, after about 6 weeks of training, I achieved 291 watts of Threshold Power, 25.2 kiloJoules of HIE, a peak power of 1108 watts, and a Lower Threshold Power of 228 watts.[/caption]

How Xert Training Got me to 291 Watts of Threshold.

Xert Perfect Progression

The Xert Perfect Progression follows a SMART Protocol.

My client, Michael, is showing an example of Xert Perfect Progression. He’s riding, his volume is increasing, and his fitness signature continues to improve. We are using the right mix of low and high intensity, and it’s working.

[caption id="attachment_12483" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Xert Perfect Progression Real-World cyclists don’t have 15-25 hours a week to train. We make our fitness improvements through steady progression.[/caption]

What is Progression?

Xert Freshness Feedback

Xert Freshness Feedback and How It Affects The Adaptive Training Advisor

After yesterday’s blog post, I called up Scott Steele, a young protege who works at Xert/Baron BioSystems. We spoke about the Xert Freshness Feedback and how it affects the Adaptive Training Advisor. We both agreed that the Freshness Feedback Slider is an important part of the Xert Ecosystem, and it deserves more attention.

[caption id="attachment_12459" align="aligncenter" width="497"]Xert Freshness Feedback Slider The Xert Freshness Feedback Slider is an easily-overlooked feature in Xert that can help you dial in your workouts for the best results.[/caption]

Where IS the Xert Freshness Feedback?

The first thing you need to know is just where this feature is located in the Xert system.

Crap Workouts and Falling Behind

Crap Workouts and Falling Behind

[caption id="attachment_12453" align="aligncenter" width="916"]Crap Workouts and Falling Behind As I creep into the ‘Peak’ phase, the volume required has been higher than my ability to keep up. I also have had some stressors and distractions that kept me off the bike. As a result, my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor is showing HUGE XSS deficits and a needle that is near 10 O’Clock.[/caption]

Xert Workout Goal – Late October 2020

Xert Workout Goal

[caption id="attachment_12446" align="aligncenter" width="912"]Xert Workout Goal The Xert Workout Goal continues to recommend an XSS Training Surplus, which is nice. It means that I am keeping my needle on the Training Pacer close to 12 O’Clock.[/caption]

The Xert Workout Goal for the past two mornings has been between 40 and 60 points of XSS, and a FOCUS in the “Endurance” range. I made my goal on Monday, but was pressed for time on Tuesday.

Tomorrow, the Xert Workout Goal has me at

An Epic Day

An Epic Day – 70 miles of Spectacular Cycling [caption id="attachment_12426" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Epic Day XSS Fitness Breakthrough Great sky, smooth roads, quiet bike, fit/fast wife, and fantastic scenery.[/caption]

My wife and I had an absolutely EPIC day of cycling on Saturday. It was a day where the temperature was perfect. The scenery was spectacular. The route was familiar. Traffic was low, except for the myriad other cyclists with whom we shared the day.

The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor suggested 170 XSS for the day, with an…….

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.

[caption id="attachment_12418" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Xert OBC Billat 30-30s Using Slope Mode Blowing Up a Workout 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.

Xert Training Deficit

I like to ask myself – “What’s the ‘Fastest’ way to get to my XSS goal, while keeping FOCUS infinitely aerobic, and keep fat burning at or ahead of Carbs?

I set my trainer to ERG mode, and rode 190 watts the entire ride….

[caption id="attachment_12388" align="aligncenter" width="1827"]Xert Training Deficit 69 points Zone 2 base Today’s ride was about fat burning and XSS. I made my points for the Xert Training Deficit, and kept my needle between 11 and 1 o’clock on the Training Pacer.[/caption]

Xert – Adaptive Training Program

Xert – Adaptive Training Program

The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor and Training Pacer built me up to a higher level of preparation, for sure. This week, I will transfer over from “Build”, to “Peak” in the Xert Adaptive Training Program.

The Target Date is still November 14th. That’s when Tracy and I will attempt to summit Truck Route 341 yet again – this time, with a breakthrough in the 20-25 minute range in mind. I’m not worried about time. We both just want to set 20MMP Records that coincide with the Power-Duration Predictions at those levels.

[caption id="attachment_12373" align="aligncenter" width="927"]Xert Adaptive Training Program The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor has helped me stay on target. The Training Pacer remains between 11 and 1 O’clock. I’ve had few days off, but I’m ready to see what the Xert Adaptive Training Program has laid out for me as I transition from “Build”, to “Peak”.[/caption]

It will be interesting to see what Xert’s Adaptive Training Program lays out. I’m looking forward to the intervals, but I also want to build my own.

Take a look at the Xert “Weekly Stats” page, inside of the “Xert Planner” menu.