Struggling with over-unders in plan

#21

oddly enough my best 5, 20, and 60 minute W/kg on Coggan’s chart are all lower Cat5. My sprint power (raw power) on xertonline is 80th percentile, but on a W/kg its not even Cat5. And 1 min is lowest of all.

but yeah, I’ve had to work hard to improve VO2max efforts as an old dude going into 4th season.

#22

Don’t forget the mental aspect. Next time you’re on a ride or in a race, things are getting tough and you’re not sure what you’ve got left. Take a moment, focus the mind and remember that set of over unders you smash. Everything seems doable then. I’ve managed to chase back on using this tactic. The minds a weapon!

#23

More difficult for some than others, yes… but that doesn’t mean we should train this.

I know a few people who have ascertained that they are naturally not very good at over/unders and this, for my way of looking at things, makes it even more important to do them!

#24

Yeah agreed. These suck. I don’t really suggest just keep trying until you pass. You definitely need to retest or turn down intensity if it’s a consistent problem. I just found thatbit actually helped my confidence to get back on there a few days later and then tell that MF who is boss. That felt pretty good.

#25

I’m one of those ascertainers and I’ve since done a semi-deep dive as to why I naturally suck. Turns out doing more O/U-Threshold work is only half the story. Doing a lot of Z2/Endurance work will also give my O/U-Threshold ability a big boost.

I’m kinda more inclined to believe the POL group in that one’s ability to work at Threshold is a direct result of Z2/Endurance work due to specific physiological adaptations (it’s also why seasoned pros can ride at a higher % of their VO2max).

That’s my take on it, anyway. :man_shrugging:

#26

Follow up:
I did a ramp test last week and my FTP was pretty much exactly where I had it set in TR. Last night I successfully did Avalanche Spire +1 O/U workout.

Two conclusions I am drawing.

  1. I am thinking my initial assumption as the start of SSB1 was to use my last ramp test result was flawed. A couple of weeks of light riding at the end of my season probably dropped it by about 10%. I had optimistically assumed that had not happened as I had trained a block then rested, my assumption was it would have gone up during the block then back down, the net effect being it would be about the same as my last test.
  2. I bought a fan. It is big and kinda noisy, but I no longer get extremely hot and lose half my body weight in sweat. I think overheating was a big factor in my previous failing of these O/U workouts.