Hi @Lozi ! First off, I want to acknowledge what you’ve actually done this year. You’ve taken your training load from 71 to 126 since January! That’s roughly +3 TL/week sustained for four months through a Base-Build-Peak cycle. That’s genuinely hard work!
A few thoughts on what you’re seeing:
On the “no rest days” feeling… Xert will always recommend something; that’s by design. The overall volume it asks for is driven by your Improvement Rate (IR), not by whether you rode yesterday. The good news is you can change your IR anytime. Dropping to Maintenance or Taper when you need recovery is exactly how we intend athletes to use it! Sounds like you might benefit from a week (or more) of reduced volume & dedicated recovery.
On the volume itself… you’ve accumulated a lot of training load (~126), and at that level, even “Slow” IR requires a substantial XSS load to keep producing progressive overload, which is the basic mechanism behind fitness gains. The program isn’t being unreasonable; it’s that the cost of continued improvement goes up as you get fitter.. the more you ride, the more you need to keep riding to maintain that fitness.
On the FTP comparison… firstly, I often like to remind myself in cycling that comparison is the thief of joy, especially in the age of “influencers” and social media. There will always be athletes with higher FTP, faster/more aero bike, etc. I think we all sometimes need to be reminded to celebrate our own progress & not be discouraged by comparing our training time, fitness level, etc. to others.
Now, back to your point… Comparing raw FTP between athletes is really difficult. Body size matters a lot (heavier riders tend to have higher absolute FTP regardless of training), and there’s a genetic component to where each of us can ultimately get to. You’ve actually seen meaningful improvement this year, which is great! You should celebrate that! Reaching the upper end of your own potential generally takes years of consistent training, and that journey is part of the fun of training, in my opinion.
A few questions might open this up for discussion among other users:
- What power meter or trainer are you using? If it’s pedal-based, double-check that your crank length is set correctly in the app… an incorrect crank length could throw the reading off noticeably.
- Are you training indoors, outdoors, or a mix? Structured workouts, free rides, or both?
- What Focus/Athlete Type do you have set?
If you’re comfortable sharing your XPMC chart, that would help the conversation along.. folks can then help review your data & contribute their thoughts.
I haven’t seen you write in to our team at all before, but this goes to anyone else reading this too… feel free to reach out to our support team if you want some feedback on your program settings, etc. Our goal is always to help our users get the most out of their training!
Cheers! 
Scott (Xert Support Team)
