After ToS, the next FF had me roughly 15% up across the board. A blessing and well, another blessing (curses!) I suppose.
VO2 max was the recommendation to work through, so here I am in a 3 week MAP block. 14 vise grips came up yesterday. It turned me into a puddle.
I could not, not for the life of me (and believe me when I say I felt as though it was ending), get through grips 11, 12 and 13. I made maybe 60-70% of each, PST’d my way back up somehow through each of these (thank you MTP) and got through the 14th.
This was harder than the FF, by a fair bit I’d say.
The great news is that I’m right where I need to be - a puddle in a 3 week MAP block, and this is just how it’s going to be for 3 weeks. I can’t wait to suffer through it and see where I end up (that’s the second blessing/curses).
@feeny Great outlook! You are focused on your goal and you are working towards it. It definitely won’t be all unicorns and rainbows along the way. Focus on the riders in the video - not the clock and just keep cranking. Turn up the tunes. Try some of the yoga breathing videos if you have not already as the techniques can help both at the tail end of the MAP efforts and during the recovery. I also find that it is critical to be well hydrated and rested during the entire MAP block and to stay hydrated during the workout as well because you are generally breathing more heavily. Best of luck - you are going to crush it!
Thanks for the tips. I’ll try the breathing efforts for sure.
Mindset is so important (I’m doing the MTP again too) - sometimes I find my preparation - including breathing - can be a bit like paving an anxiety runway right to the event/session. Other times, it locks in and works brilliantly.
One thing I am yet to work out properly is how to combine these more intense programs with my other training. My normal / main sport is ocean marathon paddling. Identifying fatigue and for me at least, respecting recovery is critical. I could certainly do a better job in the recovery dept.
@feeny The MTP program is great. Glad to hear to are using that. I have struggled with combining training for other sports as well. My simple approach is (1) rest day means rest - not time for another sport and (2) provide myself time to adapt to any additional training volume. When I mess up with the balance I just adjust and move on.
Great to hear those new numbers are showing you a whole new level of suffering! Depending on your rider type and weakness you’re going to find some workouts much more challenging than others with your new 4DP numbers. Try and stick with it or if needs be on the workouts you are struggling on (MAP by the sounds of it), lower that target by 10-15% while you adapt to the awesomeness of your new 4Dp
I chose the same plan as you, and found the pleasures of 14vg just as stimulating.I got by because the efforts were so short, the frozen road and joyride were both done with at least 13 of the vices still attached to my quads
Had similar FF gains last weekend, with the same “blessings” this week. In my case, did Attacker yesterday with new #'s. Seemed perfectly-chosen by my plan to torch a sprinter like me.
I’m sure The Tool Shed this weekend will be better, right?
Hi Rupert, thanks for the feedback - would you say it’s better to reduce intensity for the whole workout - e.g. by 10 - 15% maintaining consistency OR would it be better to maintain maximal intensity for most of a session with the odd collapse during a few efforts?
I recommend lowering the whole workout so you know you can complete it and then the next time you do that again but on higher.
IE 15% for the full workout then only 10% etc…
