fezzy said:... at what point should I switch gears and put in some higher level work?...
We've got to make this a sticky post. Not knocking your question, especially since the search function has been down for a while(it's working again), but this question gets asked time and again and the answer is always the same.....It depends.
There's no one size fits all answer as to when to transition to higher end work or what your weekly training mix should look like when you make that transition. Nor how your training should evolve and change during the season. It depends on your goals, your previous training, the nature of the races you'll be entering, when you want to peak, if you're targeting multiple peaks, the results of your early season racing, how well you recover from high end work, your available training and recovery time, your overall lifestyle, your personal strengths and weaknesses, etc. Coaches earn their keep by developing training plans tailored to their clients specific needs and there's no simple answer to your questions.
Here's some general guidelines:
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[*]High end work(L5 and above) should build on a solid aerobic base. Have you brought your FTP up high enough to meet the long term average power needs of your races? This sums it up nicely:[quote="Bill Black"]... I stress that folks should be able to race with the peloton at L3 and then have the "rope" to go into L4 and higher only to attack, respond to attacks and to finish. In order to do that one must spend the greatest percentage of one's training time building a solid and high FTP.[/quote]IOW, you want your FTP high enough that you aren't pushed right up against it all the time during your races. If you struggle with the average power in your early races and can't hang with the peloton on long steady climbs or while pacing the flats then high end efforts won't get you there. If you can comfortably hang with the peloton during steady pacing but can't respond to surges, short fast climbs, jumps out of crit corners, etc then high end work can help but too many new racers get dropped during steady pack riding and hope that a few short fast intervals will get them up that 20 minute climb or allow them to hang tough during steady fast riding on the flats.
[*]L5 work (VO2 Max) allows you to raise your aerobic ceiling, comes into play for 3 to 8 minute all out efforts and can be improved substantially in 6 to 8 weeks of focused efforts. Will your upcoming races have make or break hills that take less than 8 minutes to climb? Has your FTP progress plateau'd or has your 20 minute power started closing in on your best 5 minute power? Is your 5 minute power on Coggan's power profile a lot lower than your FTP? These are good reasons to introduce L5 work and if you've already built a strong aerobic core (high FTP, CTL) then 6 to 8 weeks of this before important events can top off your aerobic fitness nicely.
[*]L6 work(Anaerobic Tolerance) can help you hold position in the final minutes of a race as you approach a fast field sprint. Can help you dig deep for very short make or break efforts and can make the difference between a field finish and a podium placing. But if you're not already making it to the finish with the peloton it very likely won't get you there. It's also one of the faster systems to train so even a few weeks of dedicated L6 work can help a lot. It's really hard to do extended L6 sessions so your overall training load(TSS, CTL) will almost certainly drop if you start L6 work and don't balance it with some longer SST/Tempo/L2 rides. Get into a steady CTL downslope, especially if coupled with high end work and you'll very likey induce a performance peak. Best to time this peak to correspond to an important event. Some folks do a bit of L6 year round on the "use it or lose it" philosophy, but you might want to hold off on a dedicated L6 day in your weekly schedule until you're very close to important events for the reasons listed above.
[*]L7(neuromuscular work) Short, pure sprint workouts don't take that much out of you from a recovery standpoint and can be done year round. I don't since they're no fun on the indoor trainer, but it's a good idea to keep your sprint technique tuned up. I'll start these as soon as I get outside but they won't be long workouts and won't involve really long sprints so that I recover well and don't sacrifice too much training load too soon. Most lower category races end in a sprint although many beginning racers complain about their poor sprint when it's really poor final lap positioning and lack of anaerobic tolerance to stay up front prior to the sprint thats holding them back.
[*]Work to the needs of your events. If you're going to do a lot of crits then you want to be able to repeatedly jump out of corners and recover. Microintervals like Bill's Hour of Power can help you there while still providing good FTP and base building. If you're specializing in time trials then you don't need much if any work above L5. If you are targeting road races with long sustained climbs that will split the field then again an FTP focus is going to be more important than your one minute power.
[*]Work on your weaknesses. Do some power profiling and figure out where you're weak compared to your racing goals. Train your weaknesses, race your strengths.
[/list]You'll probably get different answers from different folks, but there just isn't a simple answer to the question of when to start higher end work.
Good luck,
Dave
