TSS and IF

Tom, try http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/defined.html

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by TTer
Tom, try http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/defined.html

Thank you TTer.

Having now seemingly understood the theory, I have a question...

If I were to perform a workout of 40 minutes at a normalized power of 280W (FTP being 292) then my TSS would be 61. However if I were to ride for 2 hours at a normalized power of 180W then my TSS would be 75.

The problem I have (assuming I have calculate this correctly) is recovery time from the 2 hour workout is much less then the recovery from the 40 minute ride. The TSS, however, seems to suggest contary to my real-life findings.

Help!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tomUK
Thank you TTer.

Having now seemingly understood the theory, I have a question...

If I were to perform a workout of 40 minutes at a normalized power of 280W (FTP being 292) then my TSS would be 61. However if I were to ride for 2 hours at a normalized power of 180W then my TSS would be 75.

The problem I have (assuming I have calculate this correctly) is recovery time from the 2 hour workout is much less then the recovery from the 40 minute ride. The TSS, however, seems to suggest contary to my real-life findings.

Help!

Hi Tom!

I would assume from those TSS scores that recovery would be 24 hours or so, as both are very low scores. I only seem to suffer the next day if my TSS score passes 120. This is also subject to your level of fitness.
As I'm sure you're aware, the whole system is based on the principle that efforts in excess of your FT are weighted to the fourth order, although the system is being fiddled with a little ATM. This seems to pretty accurately reflect what happens in the body. The system is also subject to error if your threshold is a little off. For example, I use CP tests with standard lengths of 3 and 12 minutes, which has a habit of slightly overestimating actual sustainable power. What I tend to do is knock 5-10W off until I have a 'genuine' hour power figure I can plug in. Also, don't forget that your body is constantly changing, so that threshold figure is (hopefully) climbing all the time!;-)

Lindsay.

Hi Tom--
A simle way to understand IF is that 1.0 is the IF value given to time spent at 292 watts--your FTP. Wattage above or below 292 is represented as a percentage of 1.0 Essentailly IF is a power based weighting factor that puts all cyclists of all sizes on the same playing field.

TSS= duration x normalized power x IF

Some approximate IF values for various rides are

<0.75 A zone 1 recovery ride
0.95-1.05 Zone 4 Intervals (work period only), 40K time trials

Quoted message said:

1.15 Zone 5 Intervals (work period only), prologue TT's

-Frank

A couple of things to keep in mind when using (judging) TSS as a predictor of the need for recovery:

1) it is important to wait long enough following a workout before "making the call". That is, while a short-but-hard workout (or race) might leave you thoroughly exhausted immediately afterwards, no matter how intense the session you are likely to recover from it fairly rapidly. OTOH, a much more moderate intensity, if sustained for a long period of time, can leave you tired for several days. So, when assessing how well TSS predicts your recovery needs, you should be looking out 24-48 h, rather than relying on how you feel later that same day.

2) recovery is a relative thing: while you might feel pretty good 24 or 48 h after, say, a lengthy level 2 training session, that doesn't necessarily mean that you are fully recovered. This becomes very evident when you do take a couple of *really* light days, and suddenly see your power (esp. over short durations) jump up a lot due to having fresh legs. So again, in evaluating/using TSS to best advantage, you need to look beyond just how you feel in the hours after a workout, and focus on more long-term sensations/trends in performance.