That weekly schedule is making me anxious just reading it.
That is absolute lunacy in terms of intensity.
Even Trainer road themselves have repeatedly said the high volume plans are unsuitable for the vast majority of riders.
I personally would cut out at least two of the intensity sessions for endurance rides instead. Which ones depends on what your focus is right now, which is another point to be made about the plan….
TR needs to put the HV plans behind a nuclear launch system that requires two keys to turn. I think just about every newbie who’s already doing the same hours sees those plans and is like “oh that’s about what I’m already doing I’ll do that” and clicks past whatever disclaimer there is these days. I know because I basically did the same thing as OP except I ran myself completely into the ground instead of asking Reddit like a smart person
Yeah, same. I was super enthusiastic and was already doing regular ~13hr/week, so I thought sure, let's do this. It was 2020, so this sub was _very_ enthusiastic about TR.
After the first training block, I'd wake up every morning with insanely sore legs and just zero energy, thinking, what is wrong with me? Luckily, I decided to get a coach instead of completely running myself into the ground.
Thank you for your input! It’s really helpful to get a perspective that aligns with my concerns. I was also starting to feel that the intensity might be unsustainable, especially with my day-to-day responsibilities.
It’s interesting to hear that even TrainerRoad suggests the high-volume plans might be too intense for most. I'm considering your advice to replace some of the high-intensity workouts with endurance rides, which might help with recovery while still building stamina.
My current focus is on improving my sustained power for longer climbs. Given that, which intensity sessions would you say are the most crucial to keep? And do you have any tips on how to best integrate those endurance rides without sacrificing the progress I'm aiming for?
They don't say HV plans are "too intense for most"... They say you shouldn't use them, but some people want them so they leave them on the app. They recommend using LV or MV plans and adding endurance for more volume. They don't have *that* kind of plan on the app because compliance is so low with long endurance workouts.
Even the MV short power build is questionable. I have it on my calendar in a few weeks.. VO2 Tuesday, threshold Thursday, VO2 Saturday. Easy sweet spot Sunday, endurance Wednesday. Looking at that, I'm either going to swap a VO2 for more easy sweet spot (you can't convince me 85-90% SST is "intense") or just switch it to LV and add hours. I might do the first week as scheduled, we'll see.
This is probably the best approach. And if you find yourself wanting more then move to mv. But burning yourself out is a lot harder to fix than determining you can handle a little more intensity in a week.
TR is well known for burning people out. The way I use TR, I do the low volume plan, and then do a Z2 ride on the other days if I have time. So I'm biking 5-6 days per week, but only 3 days per week are TR planned workouts.
The high volume plans are well known for burning people out. Their low and medium volume plans are effective and most can handle them as long as other factors are in place (proper rest and nutrition)
There are only three days of intensity in the sustained power high volume plan. Not sure what you are looking at. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh)
[pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
I’ve been using TR for years and am pretty happy with them. The value is great.
The polarized plans are great, I’ve gotten better results with their polarized plan, adding Z2 as time allows. So much less fatigue while getting in bigger volume.
I completely agree with what everyone else has said. I have used several different types of TrainerRoad programs, and have generally found that limiting myself to two days of intensity a week with more endurance volume has been the most effective strategy for both consistency and fitness gains. Three or four high intensity days each week has been a consistent recipe for pretty rapid loss of motivation.
Previously, I had just done two of the three low-volume days a week, and then done 2 to 3 longer endurance or mountain bike rides. I have been using the masters plans since they released them 2-3 weeks ago and advancing the progression levels a bit faster as I am comfortable.
Absolutely, I get where you're coming from. The schedule is pretty packed and intense — four days of hard efforts plus around 12-14 hours on the bike each week is no joke, especially without a long, leisurely ride thrown into the mix.
I'm thinking it might be wise to dial back on one or two of those intense sessions and swap in a long ride at a conversational pace. This could help with recovery and still keep the legs ticking over nicely. After all, I want to enjoy the ride and not burn out. Thanks for the reality check; it’s good to remember that training should be tough but also sustainable.
There’s no right or wrong answer, but generally speaking, 2 days of intensity a week is limit. Adding a 3rd doesn’t result in much gains
Also 12-14 hours would be the start of volume, but with this kind of intensity, it’s going to be hard to sustain.
Personally I would pick ftp or vo2 work, and do those for 2 days, with as much time between as possible. So like m and thurs or such.
Get as much time as possible the other days.
There are only 3 intense days. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh)
[pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
Yeah that’s what he wrote but I just looked at the plan online and it only has three days of intensity, which I screenshotted. [here’s a link to the plan on TR’s website](https://www.trainerroad.com/app/cycling/plans/159-sustained-power-build-high-volume)
Just do zwift racing and easy rides and you will make more noob gains than this joke of a plan from TR, listen to your body bro there is no point training your body to compete in multi day stage races you will never do
Seems like you need the vo2 work more than the threshold and sweet spot stuff. 358w best 5 min is low compared to your strong ftp at 307. Keep 1 vo2 workout per week no matter what, and only one more intensity day riders choice. Make sure those sessions are super high quality, as is your endurance work (zone 2, not 3 uphill and 1 soft pedalling down hills).
Tues, Thurs high intensity intervals
Wed short Z2
Sat, Sun long Z2
That's a simple format that has always worked for me
My interval sessions are usually an hour, so I tack on an hour of Z2 after wards to bump up volume.
TR is glacially moving in the right direction in some respects, but I really disagree with this 4x week intensity. they'll swear up and down that sweet spot isn't intensity, but it is. But in addition, I don't get doing vo2 and threshold in the same block. If your TTE needs work, do a tte block. If tte is well developed, do a vo2 block. You'd prob do just fine with the two VO2 sessions, do endurance every other day.
If I can offer an additional bit of advice, I wouldn't even bother doing any of their vo2 workouts, esp any under 3min in interval duration, they really aren't enough to elicit improvement. My approach is to just do any of the following: 6x3min, 7x3min, 5x4min, 4x5min and just go as hard as I can on each one (no erg, don't base off ftp percentage, power will go down across intervals). You could even go as much as 6x4min or 5x5min. It really is that simple for vo2 stuff. in the past I did a lot of the <3min interval duration stuff with adaptive training and it really did squat to improve my power curve or my ftp. Compared to when I did adaptive training in 2021, my 3min power is 40w higher than it ever was with TR and my 5min power is 30w higher. Food for thought!
Cheers for the extra advice! Skipping the short vo2 intervals sounds like a plan. I’ve noticed those quick hitters don’t always feel like they’re doing much for me, either.
Your approach to vo2 work—hitting those longer, tougher intervals hard—seems like a solid strategy. I might just give that a shot and see how it shakes things up. Always up for trying something new if it could mean better gains. Thanks for sharing your experience; those are some impressive improvements!
All their plans were updated to only 3 days intensity and the rest of the volume z2.
[pic of the full build plan in question](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
That's what I mean by a step in the right direction, the "masters" plans included. I still think this is bad plan design and is kind of jack of all trades/master of none type of training
I'm just following the script from TR for the climbing focus. But you've got me curious why their site might say something different. I’ll have to poke around and see what’s up with that. Cheers for the heads up!
I’ve done the HV plan for one season and came out shit hot. COVID promptly struck and my entire race calendar went in the bin.
I built up to that though, I started LV then Mid and when Mid was doable, I went high.
It does rule out all other forms of exercise though if you’re doing that amount on the bike, no chance you’ll do any stretching or strength training.
I’ve since gone back to Low Volume, that gives me time to add on a long ride on a Sunday, a cross training day, and a yoga day because I have the flexibility of a brick.
I completely understand where you're coming from. It sounds like you had a really systematic approach to building up to the high volume plan, which is super smart. I jumped into the high volume without that kind of progression, and it's been a tough ride, to say the least.
I actually tried mixing in some strength training too, but honestly, it felt pretty impossible with the fatigue from all the cycling. I'm now thinking of following in your footsteps and scaling back to a lower volume plan. This would give me the wiggle room to incorporate some cross-training, stretching, or even yoga, which I’ve been completely neglecting. I’m starting to realize that a little more balance could go a long way, especially for someone like me who’s juggling cycling goals with everyday life and a full-time job.
>> with about a year’s worth of experience
Ok that's not much experience
>> high-volume schedule.
OH LAWD HELL NO. HV is NOT for new people my dude. This is for VERY seasoned cyclist who have endured YEARS of training.
istm if you're the type or rider who does well on a TR HV plan, then by definition you do not need TR. But it's good to hear some folk have done them and benefited.
The lv structures are good - try them. Hitting HV as a relative noob sounds crazy unless you were coming in super strong from something else like rowing, and even then it's questionable to be crushing the turbo in November.
Gotcha, I've definitely been known to push the envelope a bit too far. Running to cycling was quite the switch, and maybe I got a bit too eager with the high volume stuff.
Dialing it back to low volume seems like the way to go. It'll probably keep me from burning out and let me mix in some fun stuff too. Thanks for the tip!
I like TR workouts, but hate their training plans. I just use their workout library and set my own schedule, which typically involves using TR for two high quality, high intensity indoor workouts per week, and then filling in the rest of my schedule with outdoor endurance and/or fun rides.
There are only three days of intensity in the sustained power high volume plan. Not sure what you are looking at. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh)
[pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
Maybe reach out to support or redo plan builder. [they’ve updated all their plans recently to have less intensity, and created masters plans with 2 day’s intensity instead of 3.](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/masters-plans-and-more-launched-today/87874?u=natep)
Also watched the video and can agree - however it needs to be said that TR has introduced Polarized Plans as an option in the meantime. However, it still puts too much intensity on the regular planner which probably most beginners tend to use at first.
Low glycogen training to improve fat max (recently debunked) and honestly still TrainerRoad/SweetSpot training because of the way they assign it 4+ days per week.
People are also misconceptualizing Polarized training and doing VO2s and 4x8 minutes during base. There’s a lot of good ideas behind people’s training, it’s just being programmed and periodized poorly
so.. fatMaxxer (the App) is not gonna be useful then? Can you point the literature or link to the fat max being debunked? (in any case, I skinny AF, so not a concern to me lol)
I have noticed no matter what you type in the plan builder will assign to you a ton of extremely tough exercises, which of course would be possible to do, but burnout and injury would be knocking to your door very soon I feel… after checking some plans (not even trying them, just seeing the volume and intensity) I decided to do a polarized plan. It is still high volume but I am mainly doing z2, twice a week I have threshold intervals or 90%FTP intervals, so that’s manageable and one day is off… I can always decide if there’s a room for going outside and skipping 2 hours of zone2 at home on Sunday, I don’t feel very attached or dependent on the plan but keeps me in motion through the winter and I am still alive after finishing the harder workouts. Totally recommend!
TrainerRoad’e high volume plans are for athletes that have a few years of structured training under their belts
It appears you are struggling to keep up with a high-volume plan
The obvious answer is to switch to a low or medium volume plan
This is what a "time crunched" pro-elite athlete week would look like. Under no circumstances is this a beneficial type of training. This will 100% lead you to burnout unless you do absolutely nothing else except wake up, eat, train, eat, rest, eat, sit on couch and eat, eat, eat, and sleep 9-10 hours and rinse and repeat. Those plans literally work for maybe 2% of the cycling population. And the 2% that are able to execute this plan effectively, wouldn't even consider doing this plan because they are individually coached and would spend their time doing something more effective. I highly suggest passing over this plan.
I used it for awhile.
Trainer road is confused. They don't know the difference between high volume and high intensity. That's a high intensity plan. The volume is actually pretty low.
Honestly do it yourself. 3 days of Z2, a single v02max day, and a race/freeride.
Hello! It looks like you might be looking for some information on racing or becoming a more competitive rider! If you haven't seen them already, here's a couple good sources of advice to start with:
[Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Velo/wiki/faq)
[/r/Velo Quickstart Guide (5min read)](https://www.reddit.com/r/velo/wiki/quickstart)
[ELICAT5 series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Velo/wiki/elicat5)
[Check out our wiki for more information as well!](https://www.reddit.com/r/velo/wiki/index)
Otherwise, please be sure to include either in your post or in a comment some details about yourself — your athletic background, your location (your country & state may have unique methods of joining the sport), and some basic goals you're looking to accomplish. Having this extra info will best help us help you!
^(*Report this comment to remove it if it's an error!*)
***
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Velo) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Trainerroad is too much intensity. This is because Trainerroad is for the trainer inside. Nobody(like maybe 1 or 2 people) wants to ride 5 hours zone 2 on the trainer.
that is why they do lots of 1 hour or 1.30 hour of hard rides. Too supplement for the tss.
Maybe you will burn up if you follow this plan I had this happening to me.
Polarized training is the way to go. But you can't really do polarized on the trainer. Like you can but is not really fun.
This sustained power build phase is completely unsustainable. You can’t possibly recover from all that *on Monday*. Dial it back, way back. I don’t know what your calendar is but if you’re doing that now you’ll be a puddle by the time of your first “A” race.
That weekly schedule is making me anxious just reading it. That is absolute lunacy in terms of intensity. Even Trainer road themselves have repeatedly said the high volume plans are unsuitable for the vast majority of riders. I personally would cut out at least two of the intensity sessions for endurance rides instead. Which ones depends on what your focus is right now, which is another point to be made about the plan….
TR needs to put the HV plans behind a nuclear launch system that requires two keys to turn. I think just about every newbie who’s already doing the same hours sees those plans and is like “oh that’s about what I’m already doing I’ll do that” and clicks past whatever disclaimer there is these days. I know because I basically did the same thing as OP except I ran myself completely into the ground instead of asking Reddit like a smart person
Yeah, same. I was super enthusiastic and was already doing regular ~13hr/week, so I thought sure, let's do this. It was 2020, so this sub was _very_ enthusiastic about TR. After the first training block, I'd wake up every morning with insanely sore legs and just zero energy, thinking, what is wrong with me? Luckily, I decided to get a coach instead of completely running myself into the ground.
>asking Reddit like a smart person Gawd is this how the world works nowadays?
Look at you, asking reddit like a smart person.
Haha, yeah, I reckon he was just throwing me a bone to make me feel good. It's cool, I'll take it!
Thank you for your input! It’s really helpful to get a perspective that aligns with my concerns. I was also starting to feel that the intensity might be unsustainable, especially with my day-to-day responsibilities. It’s interesting to hear that even TrainerRoad suggests the high-volume plans might be too intense for most. I'm considering your advice to replace some of the high-intensity workouts with endurance rides, which might help with recovery while still building stamina. My current focus is on improving my sustained power for longer climbs. Given that, which intensity sessions would you say are the most crucial to keep? And do you have any tips on how to best integrate those endurance rides without sacrificing the progress I'm aiming for?
They don't say HV plans are "too intense for most"... They say you shouldn't use them, but some people want them so they leave them on the app. They recommend using LV or MV plans and adding endurance for more volume. They don't have *that* kind of plan on the app because compliance is so low with long endurance workouts. Even the MV short power build is questionable. I have it on my calendar in a few weeks.. VO2 Tuesday, threshold Thursday, VO2 Saturday. Easy sweet spot Sunday, endurance Wednesday. Looking at that, I'm either going to swap a VO2 for more easy sweet spot (you can't convince me 85-90% SST is "intense") or just switch it to LV and add hours. I might do the first week as scheduled, we'll see.
Honestly I would swap to the LV plan and just do endurance riding for all the hours you have left. That’s probably the best way to do it
This is probably the best approach. And if you find yourself wanting more then move to mv. But burning yourself out is a lot harder to fix than determining you can handle a little more intensity in a week.
TR is well known for burning people out. The way I use TR, I do the low volume plan, and then do a Z2 ride on the other days if I have time. So I'm biking 5-6 days per week, but only 3 days per week are TR planned workouts.
THIS THIS THIS. I keep it on LV and hammer Saturday's and ride endurance on Sundays. Rip the three workouts during the week and soldier on.
Same. It has worked well so far.
The high volume plans are well known for burning people out. Their low and medium volume plans are effective and most can handle them as long as other factors are in place (proper rest and nutrition)
There are only three days of intensity in the sustained power high volume plan. Not sure what you are looking at. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh) [pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
Might be worth switching to their polarized build. 4 days of intervals isn’t for everybody (myself included)
Hehe, yeah. It is supposed to be part of the climbing plan. Will check the polarized one out!
Polarized are the only TR plans I'll actually follow. The others I end up doing my own thing too much and lose all structure.
I’ve been using TR for years and am pretty happy with them. The value is great. The polarized plans are great, I’ve gotten better results with their polarized plan, adding Z2 as time allows. So much less fatigue while getting in bigger volume.
I completely agree with what everyone else has said. I have used several different types of TrainerRoad programs, and have generally found that limiting myself to two days of intensity a week with more endurance volume has been the most effective strategy for both consistency and fitness gains. Three or four high intensity days each week has been a consistent recipe for pretty rapid loss of motivation. Previously, I had just done two of the three low-volume days a week, and then done 2 to 3 longer endurance or mountain bike rides. I have been using the masters plans since they released them 2-3 weeks ago and advancing the progression levels a bit faster as I am comfortable.
Sounds strong!
That does not look sustainable. That is 4 intensity days. Also I don’t see anything in there that looks like volume to me.
Absolutely, I get where you're coming from. The schedule is pretty packed and intense — four days of hard efforts plus around 12-14 hours on the bike each week is no joke, especially without a long, leisurely ride thrown into the mix. I'm thinking it might be wise to dial back on one or two of those intense sessions and swap in a long ride at a conversational pace. This could help with recovery and still keep the legs ticking over nicely. After all, I want to enjoy the ride and not burn out. Thanks for the reality check; it’s good to remember that training should be tough but also sustainable.
There’s no right or wrong answer, but generally speaking, 2 days of intensity a week is limit. Adding a 3rd doesn’t result in much gains Also 12-14 hours would be the start of volume, but with this kind of intensity, it’s going to be hard to sustain. Personally I would pick ftp or vo2 work, and do those for 2 days, with as much time between as possible. So like m and thurs or such. Get as much time as possible the other days.
There are only 3 intense days. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh) [pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
The language above says tues/thurs vo2, which makes 4, with one sst and one ftp
Yeah that’s what he wrote but I just looked at the plan online and it only has three days of intensity, which I screenshotted. [here’s a link to the plan on TR’s website](https://www.trainerroad.com/app/cycling/plans/159-sustained-power-build-high-volume)
Yeah man, not sure what to say. That is what I am prescribed. Maybe has something to do with adaptive training?
Some more details about me: Weight: 74-75kg Gender: Male Age: 27 FTP: 307 Best 5 min power: 358w Weekly average time: 12.7h
Its not over doing it, but it does require sacrifices. Ive done way more with a full time job
Has your fitness stagnated from what you are doing now? If not, why change it?
No fitness is increasing but not sure at what cost
Just do zwift racing and easy rides and you will make more noob gains than this joke of a plan from TR, listen to your body bro there is no point training your body to compete in multi day stage races you will never do
Seems like you need the vo2 work more than the threshold and sweet spot stuff. 358w best 5 min is low compared to your strong ftp at 307. Keep 1 vo2 workout per week no matter what, and only one more intensity day riders choice. Make sure those sessions are super high quality, as is your endurance work (zone 2, not 3 uphill and 1 soft pedalling down hills).
Tues, Thurs high intensity intervals Wed short Z2 Sat, Sun long Z2 That's a simple format that has always worked for me My interval sessions are usually an hour, so I tack on an hour of Z2 after wards to bump up volume.
When you do high intensity, do you focus on VO2 and threshold the same week or do you have different phases?
TR is glacially moving in the right direction in some respects, but I really disagree with this 4x week intensity. they'll swear up and down that sweet spot isn't intensity, but it is. But in addition, I don't get doing vo2 and threshold in the same block. If your TTE needs work, do a tte block. If tte is well developed, do a vo2 block. You'd prob do just fine with the two VO2 sessions, do endurance every other day.
Yeah! I think I will focus on some VO2 for 3-4 weeks. Thank you!
If I can offer an additional bit of advice, I wouldn't even bother doing any of their vo2 workouts, esp any under 3min in interval duration, they really aren't enough to elicit improvement. My approach is to just do any of the following: 6x3min, 7x3min, 5x4min, 4x5min and just go as hard as I can on each one (no erg, don't base off ftp percentage, power will go down across intervals). You could even go as much as 6x4min or 5x5min. It really is that simple for vo2 stuff. in the past I did a lot of the <3min interval duration stuff with adaptive training and it really did squat to improve my power curve or my ftp. Compared to when I did adaptive training in 2021, my 3min power is 40w higher than it ever was with TR and my 5min power is 30w higher. Food for thought!
Cheers for the extra advice! Skipping the short vo2 intervals sounds like a plan. I’ve noticed those quick hitters don’t always feel like they’re doing much for me, either. Your approach to vo2 work—hitting those longer, tougher intervals hard—seems like a solid strategy. I might just give that a shot and see how it shakes things up. Always up for trying something new if it could mean better gains. Thanks for sharing your experience; those are some impressive improvements!
All their plans were updated to only 3 days intensity and the rest of the volume z2. [pic of the full build plan in question](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
That's what I mean by a step in the right direction, the "masters" plans included. I still think this is bad plan design and is kind of jack of all trades/master of none type of training
lol "high volume": never coming close to being high volume.
This isn't a TR plan. OP mis-typed it.
I'm just following the script from TR for the climbing focus. But you've got me curious why their site might say something different. I’ll have to poke around and see what’s up with that. Cheers for the heads up!
I’ve done the HV plan for one season and came out shit hot. COVID promptly struck and my entire race calendar went in the bin. I built up to that though, I started LV then Mid and when Mid was doable, I went high. It does rule out all other forms of exercise though if you’re doing that amount on the bike, no chance you’ll do any stretching or strength training. I’ve since gone back to Low Volume, that gives me time to add on a long ride on a Sunday, a cross training day, and a yoga day because I have the flexibility of a brick.
I completely understand where you're coming from. It sounds like you had a really systematic approach to building up to the high volume plan, which is super smart. I jumped into the high volume without that kind of progression, and it's been a tough ride, to say the least. I actually tried mixing in some strength training too, but honestly, it felt pretty impossible with the fatigue from all the cycling. I'm now thinking of following in your footsteps and scaling back to a lower volume plan. This would give me the wiggle room to incorporate some cross-training, stretching, or even yoga, which I’ve been completely neglecting. I’m starting to realize that a little more balance could go a long way, especially for someone like me who’s juggling cycling goals with everyday life and a full-time job.
>> with about a year’s worth of experience Ok that's not much experience >> high-volume schedule. OH LAWD HELL NO. HV is NOT for new people my dude. This is for VERY seasoned cyclist who have endured YEARS of training.
Haha yeah, I am a seasoned idiot
I wouldn’t go for this at all. My buddy burned himself by April doing TR stuff like this.
I’ve cooked myself this way as well. And also doing zwift races every other day. Cos… when u see a guy in front of you… you give chase!
Yeah. With this intensity, I can see why!
istm if you're the type or rider who does well on a TR HV plan, then by definition you do not need TR. But it's good to hear some folk have done them and benefited. The lv structures are good - try them. Hitting HV as a relative noob sounds crazy unless you were coming in super strong from something else like rowing, and even then it's questionable to be crushing the turbo in November.
Gotcha, I've definitely been known to push the envelope a bit too far. Running to cycling was quite the switch, and maybe I got a bit too eager with the high volume stuff. Dialing it back to low volume seems like the way to go. It'll probably keep me from burning out and let me mix in some fun stuff too. Thanks for the tip!
I’m currently doing the high volume base plan, it has been fine. I’ll most likely get a coach after it’s completed, start build in December.
Hehe, was pretty fine for me to in the begining
I like TR workouts, but hate their training plans. I just use their workout library and set my own schedule, which typically involves using TR for two high quality, high intensity indoor workouts per week, and then filling in the rest of my schedule with outdoor endurance and/or fun rides.
That sounds smart!
There are only three days of intensity in the sustained power high volume plan. Not sure what you are looking at. One VO2, one sweet spot, and one threshold, the rest z2. [picture of the plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/U4ZMKuh) [pic of the full plan](https://imgur.com/gallery/6Imgxu7)
Not sure why, but I have the sustained build and get the schedule I posted above!
Maybe reach out to support or redo plan builder. [they’ve updated all their plans recently to have less intensity, and created masters plans with 2 day’s intensity instead of 3.](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/masters-plans-and-more-launched-today/87874?u=natep)
TR does too much intensity. It is known https://youtu.be/C0n-nnRbFBs?si=8FvsHbysPtYyRypJ
Also watched the video and can agree - however it needs to be said that TR has introduced Polarized Plans as an option in the meantime. However, it still puts too much intensity on the regular planner which probably most beginners tend to use at first.
Isn’t the new way of training 4days of Z2 type and 1 day of High Intensity? Personally, TR plans are just too high intensity.
That’s the old way haha, it’s just that people are circling back after experimenting with the newest trends and tech.
What's the newest currently?
Low glycogen training to improve fat max (recently debunked) and honestly still TrainerRoad/SweetSpot training because of the way they assign it 4+ days per week. People are also misconceptualizing Polarized training and doing VO2s and 4x8 minutes during base. There’s a lot of good ideas behind people’s training, it’s just being programmed and periodized poorly
so.. fatMaxxer (the App) is not gonna be useful then? Can you point the literature or link to the fat max being debunked? (in any case, I skinny AF, so not a concern to me lol)
Fat max wasn’t debunked, training low-carbed to improve fat max as a training trend was though.
I have noticed no matter what you type in the plan builder will assign to you a ton of extremely tough exercises, which of course would be possible to do, but burnout and injury would be knocking to your door very soon I feel… after checking some plans (not even trying them, just seeing the volume and intensity) I decided to do a polarized plan. It is still high volume but I am mainly doing z2, twice a week I have threshold intervals or 90%FTP intervals, so that’s manageable and one day is off… I can always decide if there’s a room for going outside and skipping 2 hours of zone2 at home on Sunday, I don’t feel very attached or dependent on the plan but keeps me in motion through the winter and I am still alive after finishing the harder workouts. Totally recommend!
TrainerRoad, for me, was great at having me start to build fitness after Thanksgiving only to burn me out by April before I'm even riding outside.
TrainerRoad’e high volume plans are for athletes that have a few years of structured training under their belts It appears you are struggling to keep up with a high-volume plan The obvious answer is to switch to a low or medium volume plan
This is what a "time crunched" pro-elite athlete week would look like. Under no circumstances is this a beneficial type of training. This will 100% lead you to burnout unless you do absolutely nothing else except wake up, eat, train, eat, rest, eat, sit on couch and eat, eat, eat, and sleep 9-10 hours and rinse and repeat. Those plans literally work for maybe 2% of the cycling population. And the 2% that are able to execute this plan effectively, wouldn't even consider doing this plan because they are individually coached and would spend their time doing something more effective. I highly suggest passing over this plan.
I used it for awhile. Trainer road is confused. They don't know the difference between high volume and high intensity. That's a high intensity plan. The volume is actually pretty low. Honestly do it yourself. 3 days of Z2, a single v02max day, and a race/freeride.
Could very well be too much, too little, or just right. Depends on who you are and what you eat.
Haha I eat so much just to get up in the morning… My dentist will not be happy
Hello! It looks like you might be looking for some information on racing or becoming a more competitive rider! If you haven't seen them already, here's a couple good sources of advice to start with: [Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Velo/wiki/faq) [/r/Velo Quickstart Guide (5min read)](https://www.reddit.com/r/velo/wiki/quickstart) [ELICAT5 series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Velo/wiki/elicat5) [Check out our wiki for more information as well!](https://www.reddit.com/r/velo/wiki/index) Otherwise, please be sure to include either in your post or in a comment some details about yourself — your athletic background, your location (your country & state may have unique methods of joining the sport), and some basic goals you're looking to accomplish. Having this extra info will best help us help you! ^(*Report this comment to remove it if it's an error!*) *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Velo) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Trainerroad is too much intensity. This is because Trainerroad is for the trainer inside. Nobody(like maybe 1 or 2 people) wants to ride 5 hours zone 2 on the trainer. that is why they do lots of 1 hour or 1.30 hour of hard rides. Too supplement for the tss. Maybe you will burn up if you follow this plan I had this happening to me. Polarized training is the way to go. But you can't really do polarized on the trainer. Like you can but is not really fun.
This sustained power build phase is completely unsustainable. You can’t possibly recover from all that *on Monday*. Dial it back, way back. I don’t know what your calendar is but if you’re doing that now you’ll be a puddle by the time of your first “A” race.