Hardness Test 11

Training
1

I did hardness test 11 today because it appeared in my planner as my recommended training.

I was supposed to to it yesterday but was travelling and i last rode 3 days ago in a ZRL Zwift Race.

The session was super tough, I had to stop pedalling on almost every interval. I don’t remember struggling so much on a Hardness Test before although from what I can see in Strava the highest I have previously done was Level 6

Here is a link to the public session, Xert - Activity | Hardness Test - Level 11 - Xert

Is it expected to be that tough?

Thanks

Pat

2

Is it expected to be tough? It depends on your signature and current training load.

With my signature this workout is impossible to complete. It shows as 4+ stars and 140 difficulty.

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3

Level 11 is TOUGH! I almost made it through Level 11 (alternate) last year… I cracked on the last couple of longer, sweeping intervals:

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4

Would the higher hardness tests be more relfective of durability rather than just TP and HIE?

5

OK well if you are finding it tough then I’m happy it’s not just me

6

I’d say they’re related, but not quite the same thing.

Hardness Tests are more about your ability to repeatedly ride close to the limits of your current signature over the course of ~1 hour. In a way, they test your ability to tolerate discomfort and keep pushing near your physiological limits. That’s why we use Difficulty Score as a proxy for the mental challenge of a workout, not just the physical one (that’s MPA).

For example, I’ve definitely had races where the data suggests I could have gone harder, but in the moment the discomfort was so high that I backed off early. Physically I may have still had something left, but mentally I wasn’t willing to go there :sweat_smile:

Durability, on the other hand, is more about “How close to my best numbers can I still perform after accumulating fatigue for several hours?” For example, can you still hit near-maximal 5-minute power after 3–4 hours of riding?

So both involve fatigue and performance under fatigue, but:

  • Hardness → ability to repeatedly push near your limits (and tolerate discomfort)
  • Durability → ability to preserve performance deep into a long ride

That’s how I tend to think about the distinction, anyways.

7

It always comes back to Rule #5 one way or another :laughing:

1 Like