I am currently in the Build phase but still getting suggested nothing but endurance workouts. It is only the third day of build but I was hoping to switch it up to something with more VO2 efforts or short power intervals since I have been doing nothing but endurance for the last 6 weeks. Will the workouts eventually move towards athlete type style workouts in build plan or do I need to adjust the recommended workout filter to just puncheur instead of the default? Also the only breakthroughs I have ever gotten are on Zwift races or just riding on my own with no structured workout… Seems you would never get a BT doing just the recommended workout day in and out… How does that work?
Clint
Recommended workouts are suggestions based on current phase and selected athlete type (focus). As build phase progresses you will see more variety.
Also try clicking Load More at bottom of suggested list as that typically includes a bit more range.
You can also go off-script and use the filter option to select something completely different (VO2, Tabata, athlete type, duration, etc).
Every few weeks or so (or whenever warned to by XATA) you should manually select a BT workout from the workout library or ride a similarly mixed pace group ride outdoors or a Zwift race.
If I get bored I like to select a Hardness Test matching diamond count with current status stars then bump it up each week to see how far I get in the series.
Xert is flexible and will adapt accordingly. I look at it as the unplanned advantage.
If I am feeling ho-hum I will typically pick from the suggested short-list.
If feel especially charged up I’ll look for a challenge. If that turns out to be a workout I can’t complete at 100% it’s good to know what I’m weak at.
I experienced the same phenomenon during my entire build phase and posted this. I feel the adaptive training needs calibration a bit. With the suggested training, I always was “tired” status thus never got recommended build phase type training. Okay, you can adjust the “real” tiredness but this is overly sensitive. This being said, I was fine with “tired”, should adaptive training let you recover enough to allow a couple of harder build focused sessions per week? Another xert behaviour is about linear progression; there not a 3-4 weeks block where one week would be recovery. It is up to the rider to figure it out by adjusting the progression; it defies the purpose of adaptive training. I would expect xert to be smart enough to incorporate periodisation within a marco cycle.
In the end, I have been training with"classic" approach over 30 years; xert is certainly a change in philosophy that I still need to get comfortable with.
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Maybe this is where Xert has an opportunity to improve. During the build phase, there is definitely a minimum level of strain you should accumulate for your athlete type. It could end up being 2-3 HIIT sessions per week. However, just the overall load is tracked as progression. You might end up accumulating the right load but not at the right focus for the phase. Just point to ponder.
Believe Xert already does shorten focus over time during build, culminating in the peak phase which is matched to your athlete type… the transition during build just takes time, but you do get there… you won’t notice in the first week… You will ultimately be recommended workouts with enough high intensity if you choose a shorter focus duration (aside from the tiredness thing, which I also find a challenge due to low training load, but is possibly just Xert being conservative)
They do also track relative training load for each energy system for info, and you can see that in the progression charts… either the strain chart, which shows how focus changes, or the fitness signature chart which shows each of the three training loads varying over time.
You can also see your weekly focus in the weekly statistics section (oddly over on the planner tab) so you can check that too.
Agree they are not specific about recovery and you have to manage that yourself… eg by taking an easy week after the build or peak phase, before going back to base for a bit.