I use o/u or alternations at all power zones. First of all because of the mental aspect. Simply makes it easier on the mind. Secondly, because it mimics outdoor riding. Climbing a long hill is not a constant effort, not even on the road. There is quite some variation in wattage, all those micro accelerations. For me one of the reasons why I can put out a higher average wattage on the road compared to dirt roads. At least here these are not as steady, forcing you put out these little accelerations. These tire you down.
Here’s an example for a simple endurance ride from 2 days ago, main reason for o/u was distraction.
Started off in ERG mode watching one of my favourite Netflix shows. Switched to Rouvy for a long climb (these Augmented Routes … game changer for me … sorry TR). First part of the climb just following terrain. Second part I did o/u between lower zone 2 and upper zone 2. The change of power output, the chnge of gears, the Augmented Route of a pass in the Italian Dolomites. They all serve a main purpose: distraction. Time really flies by with this. Used to do more steady work in the past. This was much harder mentally. But of course, personal preferences are different.
Looking forward to January when I move into my threshold block. O/U will be a key component of this.
If this was intended to be a sweet spot workout before, adding the peaks changed it. Above FTP you are building up lactic acid that needs to be cleared (done so in the sub-FTP range. It’s a great drill, but not pure ss work.
Music is great in the background - whatever motivates you. But what really works for me is thinking about a goal. For example, in an hour from now I am going on our cycling team’s group ride that includes 2 hills (62mi; 6kft in total). Both are about 8% grade. The first is 3mi, the 2nd is 8mi. It’s a fast group so it requires digging deep and hanging there for 20-25mins on the first climb and 50-60mins on the 2nd. Sweet spot work is what makes that possible: 1st working on fewer shorter durations (e.g. 3x8mins), then more and longer. I did 4x20 a couple of weeks ago and want to work up to 4x30. Thinking about those team climbs drives me to stick with it.
And here in lies the problem. I race XC, so I don’t have much, if any, sustained efforts over 5 mins. In fact looking back at my 11 races in 2018 my longest sustained effort was a steepish hill that was just over 4 mins. Most efforts are over/under then coast, up/down and all over the place efforts in the 1-2 minute range. These efforts are typically bookended with short “recoveries” due to terrain.
This is why these 12+ minute sustained efforts are so mentally tough. For a roadie they tend to live in the sustained effort world so I imagine sweet spot feels more natural.
I could see taking a sweet Spot effort and adding spikes increaseing the over all demand and targeting the wrong system & / or taking longer to recover from. But what about 30/30 where the on part is 3-5% higher than ftp ( probably right at threashold ) and the off being 3-5% under sweet Spot ?
Muscular endurance (SS) forms a great base from which to launch your short XC efforts. The Women’s (55+) 2018 National XC champion, and former Olympian, does the ride I mentioned, and many similar, as a base pre-XC season. Perhaps as motivation, you could think of these longer SS efforts as prep for your XC season (“train your weaknesses, race your strengths”). Good luck!
Also, as I found out the hard way, lower zone workouts do contribute to upper zone fitness; e.g. Z2 work can greatly support your Z4 efforts. SS sessions just might up your Z5 game.
Found some new power I didn’t know I had doing Ethan Allen yesterday:
https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/workouts/23532-ethan-allen
Later in the workout after the second longer interval (95% FTP) I was smoked, and didn’t think I could finish the workout. For the last interval my cadence kept slipping (normally 95-105) until I landed around 72 rpms. I did the entire last SS interval at this lower cadence and it was completely manageable. Huh, who knew this was even a strategy. Nice to know I have this new found option in my toolbox.
Exactly! In fact, if you were as old as me (61), you’d remember this is exactly how Joe Friel used to teach in his original Cyclist Training Bible - the pyramid approach of building foundational layers. Lots has changed since then, but the 2 relevant things are the value of intervals early in the periodization and the entrance of the time-crunched athlete (i.e. why TR, CTS, and other approaches try to short cut the process for folks wanting to specialize). But building those strong layers helps everyone. It’s just that when you do get to the specific needs of your event, you need the additional specialization (e.g. TTers need to do a lot more extended SS and threshold work; CX and MTBers need those VO2Max & neuromuscular efforts, etc).
Even as a “roadie”, on my ride yesterday I hung at 20W higher on that 20min climb I mentioned (244 vs typical 210 - 225) due to the SS work. And totally outside my wheelhouse, and using Pete Morris form sprinting technique, I hung on at over 800W for a sprint at the end of a 14mi high rotational paceline effort (and I am not a sprinter!). So the TR sessions really work out on the road and make those ride fun!
I get what you mean, and I generally agree, but occasionally workouts like Tallac surprise me with an extra minute in the end of the interval which usually elicits a series of insults directed at @chad. What I do when there’s no variation in the longer SSW intervals is to set little motivating goals: drink at 10 minutes to go, get out of the saddle at 5, etc. After all, it’s sweet spot so all one is supposed to be battling is boredom and mild but enduring discomfort.
