Configurable Training Plans and Strava

harringtonp

Just became a premium member on Strava to get access to their 4 week training plans. They don't however show the whole plan up front, you just get emailed a session the night before doing it and I'd prefer have a view of what's in the pipeline. They also state that the plans involves 5 sessions a week where as I would prefer 4 and even though you can select your total number of hours the ranges are quite broad: 4-7, 7-10, 10+. Two questions.

Is anybody aware of an application (online or otherwise) where you plug in the number of weekly hours and sessions you can commit to, the type of focus you want, the number of weeks it should run for and it draws up a full schedule for you ?

For the strava plans has anybody followed one yet and can shed light on what the sessions entail for their chosen plan ?

I select their 10 minute climb plan with 7-10 hours but have to wait until Sunday evening before getting an email with the first session details.

harringtonp

Just got an overview email from Strava, some more detail but no telling what the meat of any of the sessions are:

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We personalized this 4 week training plan based on your time preferences.

10 Minute Climb

Use this plan to improve your lactate threshold power and sharpen your top-end speed with VO2max work. Good luck!
Next Steps

Your plan starts on Monday, February 2, 2015.
You'll receive daily training instructions the afternoon before each workout.
The first day (Monday) will be a rest day, to ensure you're well-rested for Tuesday's first interval workout.
In the meantime, complete the Field Test or learn more about important CTS terms.
Weekly Goals

Week 1

8.5 Hours
Climbing Repeats, Steady State intervals and Endurance Miles. Concentrate on making sure you complete the intervals as described, ride comfortably on endurance days, and REST on REST days.

Week 2

8.5 Hours
Climbing Repeats, Steady State intervals and Endurance Miles. We’ll use these workouts to focus on improving your VO2 Max, or the capacity of your body to deliver and utilize oxygen. Give each interval your all, as if it’s your last.

Week 3

8.5 Hours
Climbing Repeats, Steady State intervals and Endurance Miles. This week is the heart of the plan; you might even try doing some of the workouts on your target segment.

Week 4

6 Hours
Steady State intervals and recovery. Ride smart and don’t over do it so you’ll be at your strongest come Sunday. Then go crush your target segment!

Hmmzis

I'm currently on the same 10min climb plan but with 4-7h per week. The second week is going to be over soon and the legs are starting to feel it a bit.

The steady state intervals are usually 6min to 10min long. Power intervals are 1 to 2min long (for me the 2min hurts the most) with a 1:1 recovery ratio. Endurance miles is Z2/3 type stuff, just keep it steady.

I find the Wed Thu bunching of interval training quite hard to execute. If the intensities on Wed have gone right then Thu is going to be hell (at least that's how I feel).

Leroy42

I have just used one of the plans, this being the last of the four weeks. I found it good, in terms of having a focus each day.

You get an e-mail each day telling you the plan for the next day but it also shows you the plan for each day that week. You then need to couple that with the descriptions of the different types of training available on the site.

So Tempo is maybe 3*12 at between 70 - 80% etc.

There are specifics of the plans on the site. Go to Training plans, and in the bit about the fitness test it has a link to a document which gives you all the detail you'll need (well all your going to get!)

TBH, the detail leaves a lot to be desired but I guess they are targeted at the largest group possible. Take the guts of the plan, tempo for example and build the rest of the session around it. They don't for example mention warm-up/cool down.

I certainly found it useful, if nothing more than getting myself to do the training on the turbo during the week which I never do. I'm not sure it will make any improvement, 4 week isn't that long, and really I just wanted something to get me focused again after a very poor December.

It's a useful addition to the site.

harringtonp

Leroy42 wrote: »

I have just used one of the plans, this being the last of the four weeks. I found it good, in terms of having a focus each day.

You get an e-mail each day telling you the plan for the next day but it also shows you the plan for each day that week. You then need to couple that with the descriptions of the different types of training available on the site.

So Tempo is maybe 3*12 at between 70 - 80% etc.

There are specifics of the plans on the site. Go to Training plans, and in the bit about the fitness test it has a link to a document which gives you all the detail you'll need (well all your going to get!)

TBH, the detail leaves a lot to be desired but I guess they are targeted at the largest group possible. Take the guts of the plan, tempo for example and build the rest of the session around it. They don't for example mention warm-up/cool down.

I certainly found it useful, if nothing more than getting myself to do the training on the turbo during the week which I never do. I'm not sure it will make any improvement, 4 week isn't that long, and really I just wanted something to get me focused again after a very poor December.

It's a useful addition to the site.

Actually mind if I ask which plan you used and which time option you choose ?

I guess they are somewhat similar to Carmichaels 11 weeks plans which I have been following. Don't really feel like committing to another 11 weeks so would welcome the change to 4 weeks. Blocks of 4 weeks enable you to switch focus more easily too.

Leroy42

I did the 60 minute climb plan. Can't recall what the time options are, but I took the short one.

Yes it is based on Carmichael plans, it's seems to be partnership they have set up. So the fitness test is the CTS 8 minute one, which in the real world is a zombie test as it is neither short enough for all out or long enough for FTP consideration. In saying that, I guess his training types and levels are based on that result so it kinda makes sense.

As I was coming from a non-cycling December, I really just wanted to get my focus back. I wanted to do something that I would complete, so a 10/12/16 or whatever week plan seemed to long to enter into not knowing how I would react. I took the view that it was better to get 4 weeks of below maximum done rather than 1 week of maximum and then fail. Saying that, I did find this very difficult and certainly struggled each week and particularly on the Thursday of week 3.

I did all the mid week sessions on the turbo, and even the week 2 weekend sessions as it was icy out. Not sure I could stick the turbo any longer but as I said it gave me a focus and there were plenty of times that I know in the past I would have skipped a session as it was late etc but this time I dragged my butt to the turbo and gave it a shot.

There are certainly better plans out there, this seems very generic, but it is better than doing nothing at all. As you say 4 weeks is short enough to be able to switch focus fairly quickly.

harringtonp

As you say Leroy there probably are better plans out there but I haven't seen a way of getting them without forking out a fair few euros ( for what it is) and even then you are drip fed them.

I don't view these plans as 4 weeks as you could run 3 blocks off with easy weeks in between and chose shorter climbs each time where you presumably get shorter more intense intervals

harringtonp

Agree about the 8 min test. Reckon I got good at doing them which meant my Ss and ou sessions were too hard. This meant 3 hard sessions a week and I reckon I burnt out as a result, posted another thread very recently on this.

See he now tells you now to ramp up in first minute, stay seated and keep cadence high. All good advice as it helps prevent too high a test value and subsequent crashing on threshold intervals