Recovery week

bor1234 said:

If my hours remain fairly steady somewhere between 9 to 11 hours a week I do 4 to 5 days a week with (L5, L4, SST, Long Group,L4/SSt) typical week.
Do I still need to take every 4th week off for recovery?

No, the idea of preplanned, periodic rest weeks really doesn't hold up to scrutiny. It's an idea taken from weightlifting and applied to endurance sports that sounds good and has been widely adapted by Friel and others but isn't backed up by science. I used to take periodic rest weeks, now I just train steadily unless life gets in the way or my body tells me I'm digging too deep a training hole. Even then I don't take a full rest "week", I just back off a few sessions by shortening them, lowering their intensity or just skipping them.

Quoted post said:

...Any alternatives to recovery week or thoughts...

Yep, use the Performance Manager in Cycling Peaks WKO+ and keep track of CTL, your CTL ramp rate and TSB. Back off on training a bit when you have to for reasons outside of cycling and back off a bit when your ramp rate gets too steep (+5 TSS/d/week CTL ramp rate is o.k. for me, +8 TSS/d/week and I need to back off a bit to regroup). Use its concepts to plan tapers or to intentionally dig deep holes before mandatory time off like work travel or the family vacation that doesn't include a bike.

Listen to your body and drop down into SST from L4 or L5 work when the legs just won't rebound, lethargy starts to set in or your FTP progress stalls. Don't be a slave to preset train/rest schedules that don't take into account your life, your experience and your fitness.

Good luck,
Dave

thanks for the response. I struggle with my weight, so taking a week off can do some real damage to my waistline. I do not have cycling peaks, but my powertap is at Saris for damage control also. I will probably buy the program, and have it as a unbiased observer for my CTL/ TSS.
thanks again

Block training is a good alternative.

bor1234 said:

If my hours remain fairly steady somewhere between 9 to 11 hours a week I do 4 to 5 days a week with (L5, L4, SST, Long Group,L4/SSt) typical week.
Do I still need to take every 4th week off for recovery?
According to Train and Race with Power it calls for L1 rides with one L3, can I just decrease hours to say 5 and maintain intensity L4, SST?

Any alternatives to recovery week or thoughts, Thanks

daveryanwyoming said:

No, the idea of preplanned, periodic rest weeks really doesn't hold up to scrutiny. It's an idea taken from weightlifting and applied to endurance sports that sounds good and has been widely adapted by Friel and others but isn't backed up by science.

What sort of scrutiny this idea has been placed under? I think you're right just based on personal experience but I'm wondering what the science you refer to is. Thanks.

Animator said:

What sort of scrutiny this idea has been placed under? I think you're right just based on personal experience but I'm wondering what the science you refer to is. Thanks.

I'll turn this question around. Point to one peer reviewed and controlled study that demonstrates the benefit of a fixed x week on, y week off periodization scheme for endurance athletes. Bompa layed the groundwork for body builders and the concept is very appealing, but it's been widely adopted as the only way to go with very little research backing it up.

I have no doubt that we need to dig deep and then back off in some way. The only thing I argue is the idea of fixed on and off weeks that don't take into account anything beyond a calendar. They typically don't take into account an athletes work and home schedule, their ability to recovery, the nature of the recent training in terms of duration or intensity or anything else. You just get blanket statements like 4 on, 1 off or 3 on and one off for masters riders. What happens when the 3 on conflict with some other life interruption and the one off turns out to be the week where you feel fully recovered and ready to hit it hard?

Perhaps slamming the concept of periodization is too strong. I definitely question the blind application of on and off weeks as though every one needs one week a month off regardless of personal circumstances. I do believe in periods of stress and periods of recovery for daily, weekly and longer cycles including the yearly build/taper cycles but I can't find any evidence that preset work/rest weeks are the best way to go.

If you have data that supports a preset train/rest plan as superior to paying attention to your training load, your life interruptions and your own ability to recover I'd love to see it.

-Dave