I did The Bat this morning on my new numbers from December and it broke me. For the first time ever. It’s always felt like a workout that while taxing was definitely a completable workout for just about everyone except those with a heavy sustained efforts weakness. Just enough to push you towards the end of each interval, but never enough to break you.
That said, it broke me today for the first time, ever. I hit lifetime best numbers the beginning of December in MAP and FTP. But then I had 2 full weeks off with lots of other stressors going on. And then of course my back was acting up the beginning of this week. And this week I also did all 4 January challenge rides, including the UCI MTB Race yesterday. So, my legs are a bit out of shape and then also tired from this weeks’ rides. And my back didn’t want the extra pushing, either.
Seemed funny to me that the Mental Training workout broke me. It never has before. Always felt tough but easily doable. But, hey, we all have bad days. I’m sure after I start up my training plan in earnest next Monday and get through a couple weeks or training I can try it again and will have no issues with it. Sometimes it’s not the workout that’s hard, but the timing, life stressors, and other circumstances around it that make it hard.
Try hitting the starting sprints harder, maybe as hard as you can even. Then try bumping the sub-threshold part up maybe as far as threshold. But yeah, I wouldn’t consider this the most painful workout.
I find them pretty similar, but sure. In either case, I think hitting the sprints hard and dialing in the near threshold part is important. I did bat style intervals initially to RPE (sprint) and RPE+HR for the near threshold, basically trying to find a power that will settle toward LTHR, all in “level mode.” That ends up pretty tough. Maybe not defender tough.
Sorry, meant easier to just do who dares instead. I.e. yes, agreed, cranking the bookend efforts up high and getting the main section to threshold.
I do think the mental aspects of the bat would be perfectly suited to Defender. Actually I find myself using similar on just that workout (interval 3 in particular). I really like Defender.
I almost said “maybe not defender interval 3 tough” lol. I don’t even remember why, I think it’s high cadence, but the 3rd one just can’t end soon enough, and the small step downs are some kind of sick joke to let you suffer longer. But somehow that makes me smile at the idea of loading it up again.
The chores is also a great one that gets a lot of this aspect but in an overall harder workout. It’s like Rue the Day and The Bat smashed together. But as written, it’s also probably not super tough. Like the bat, the trick to making the near-threshold sections challenging is to take each set of 40/20s as if they’re the last thing you’ll ever have to ride. Have faith that no matter what, you’ll worry about the threshold part when you get to it. The difference is The Chores can really leave you smashed. I think if the bat leaves you smashed you’ve really turned it into MAP intervals.
What glorious Suffering this workout inflicted on me this evening. I can take or leave the “psychobabble”, but what a lovely time I had. The last sprint had me chewing stem for all I was worth.
