Effect of changing workload distribution

dtla said:

I have a question about higher intensity training sessions, I think best illustrated with an example. Say I did an interval session of 6x5 mins at Coggan level 5 one day, followed by a recovery day, and then another day with the 6x5 mins, followed by another recovery day. Would this have a significantly different training effect compared to doing a session 3x5 mins at level 5 for four days in a row? (Assuming other variables are unchanged.)

I am not an expert but I would think this would depend on the rider and their goals. If I had four days, I would not spend 2 or 4 days on the same training unless I was attempting some sort of block of consecutive days of training. If possible do the two hard days in a row, then a recovery day, then use the fourth day for something else. If we believe Coggan's (tm) It's an endurance sport, dammit, then you might want to spend 1 day with 2x20 or 3x20 or 3x15 or whatever for maintenance, and 1 or 2 days at 6x5 with a day of recovery somewhere in there. 3x5 seems like a low workload for one day but try it maybe it will work.

But also quoting Coggan, we have "Furthermore, what matters the most is the "macrostructure" of your training plan (e.g., how many endurance days, what sorts of intervals you do, etc.), not the "microstructure" (i.e., how you execute particular workouts)." So I guess my question comes down to at what scale of "microstructure" does changing that "microstructure" start significantly altering the "macrostructure"? (Especially in terms of Coggan zones 4 and higher.) I might indeed be experimenting with this, but before trying an experiment one should always try to find out what has already been tried. There's no point in trying something that's already known not to work!