Struggling before starting week 5 of Transition Ramp Up

Training
1

Hello Sufferlandrians,

It was very difficult for me to complete TGTTOS yesterday at the end of week 4 of the plan.
I am completely sore and tired today.
I am expected to ride SUF Idol tomorrow and instructions are to be mentally and physically fresh enough before this workout … Urghhhh !!!
Complete recovery today but what should I do tomorrow if I am still bad:

  1. skip SUF Idol and go on with the plan
  2. replace SUF Idol with another workout (wich one ?)
  3. restart the plan on week 2 considering I have not the expected fitness adaptation with the plan
  4. another advice ?

Cheers

2

Not a coach, but my understanding is that everyone responds to training stimulus differently. In general, I’ve heard you want to be well rested before any hard workouts at intensity. My guess would be to skip the workout and rest and recover, especially in a transition/off-season plan… but I could be wrong.

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3

I have definitely been there and there are a couple of potential options based on how you are feeling:

(1) dial back SUF Idol by 5 to 10%

https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/even-the-badass-have-bad-days-what-to-do-when-you-cant-do

(2) skip SUF Idol based on how you are feeling and either do a 30 minute spin or perhaps try the new Recharger video:

Or (3) just use the day for recovery and do some yoga, rest your body and clear your head.

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4

@NicoAttacker,
That’s a great question, and I’m sure you’re not the only one feeling this way.
Everyone responds to training plans differently, so it’s nearly impossible to say why you’re feeling so fatigued. So option #3 is out. Don’t start over, continue moving forward. I see that I’m a bit late in responding to your question, so your SUF Idol day may have already passed. So I’ll speak in terms of “for future situations”…
First, I’d say see how you feel in the morning. If you still feel completely run down and like you can’t bear to get on the bike at all, skip the workout, or do an easy yoga session for recovery.

  • If you don’t feel completely terrible, get on the bike and play Open :15 or a recovery spin to get the legs and body warmed up gently for 10 or so minutes. Then start the workout and re-assess. Sometimes you’ll feel a lot better after a real gentle warmup, and then build into the workout gradually.
  • If you still don’t feel capable of hitting the intensities called for, drop back down and do a recovery spin or Recharger and focus on recovery for the rest of the day.
  • If your prescribed video was an FTP or tempo focused intensity, I’d say drop the intensity as an option, but a workout like Suf Idol that has very high intensity efforts, I wouldn’t recommend reducing intensity. That would completely change the purpose of that workout and you’d still create more fatigue from it so you’d be better suited to one of the other options favoring more recovery.
    Hope that helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
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5

Thanks
I took the Recharger option on Monday and moved forward with the plan.
Now I feel great and confident.
I have done the prescribed workout on Tuesday (Strength) and Wednesday (Sub-threshold 8x3 with alternating cadence)
Cheers

6

Awesome, @NicoAttacker, great to have you back in business!

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