Volume on training plans

Good morrow fellow suffering enthusiasts,

Tl:Dr - I have the capacity to do more longer rides but less often, can I just double up on videos when i only have 3 days a week to train?

I have been using Systm/Sufferfest on and off for about a year, and have used the old Suf videos for many years now on my old ‘dumb’ trainer. I have a question about the volume option in the training plans.

Context: I’m a mental health nurse, and I do long day shift work (12 hrs), and I work 7 days over a fortnight. I am currently using the building blocks to piece together my training plans as I go, as I generally don’t know what way my roster will be more than 4 weeks at a time. This is fine, as sometimes I work night shifts (which is 7 on/7 off), like this week, where I just schedule a recovery week. I also use my bike to commute during the week, circa 30-35km, 2 or 3 times a week (but at 5 am, this is generally a z2 snoozey spin). I also still try to get outdoors for at least one endurance/coffee spin of 3-4 hours per week.

So, my question, for those of you who suffered through my preamble: in the training plans, the volume is based on hours (low/moderate/high). I have 3 or 4 days off during a week, but even low volume has often 5 training rides per week, but I would not have the opportunity to train that frequently. can I double up on videos, and do them back to back on my off days, when I would have the time to complete them? could this be looked at as a feature for training plans (ie; how many times a week one could train vs how many hours).

thanks for taking the time, really enjoying the app and the updates.

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Of course. I didn’t find the plans being offered really fit my need so I did my own. I frequently double up. Do what you need to do.

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I agree with @Critmark and want to add that you could try a 12 week plan and just shift the workouts around (or remove some) to accommodate your schedule. You can double them up too. Just try to avoid more than a couple days in a row with hard intervals so you have time to recover and remember to follow the easier week every 2 or 3 weeks.

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I think this would be a welcomed feature (I’ve seen requests similar to this before).

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