Hello, looking on getting more advice on using Xert to feel fresher on race days. What is the quickest way to move from yellow to blue form for an event?
Are there any specific Xert workouts that improve form or is the advice just to complete the endurance workouts recommended. Is it better to just skip the recommended workouts completely? Sometimes I will see on the planner that I will transition from yellow straight to brown, why is this?
I sometimes find it hard to move out of yellow when adding my strength training workoutouts (putting the Xert weight training workout in the planner), adding this can sometimes upset my whole week. I know this is a very experimental method but I need to account for the post gym fatigue in the days after.
Not looking for specific training advice just info really on how transitioning from stages of form works. Sorry its a lot of questions, Thanks
Yellow to blue (I have no knowledge of Xert algorithms by the way) will be easing off on training basically.
Yellow just says a person is training away and is building up training stress (in my language), and then blue represents a person doing less and feeling a wee bit rested (then green even more rested and trading to go)
The quickest way to get to blue in the chart is to do less for a couple of days I assume.
Seems weird the brown thing. That is described by Xert as no activities recorded in 7 days.
Strength … yeah - recent thread on that - in short no one really knows how to cater for strength on cycling training stress management platforms.
One suggestion in the other thread, which might help in the context of your question about yellow to blue, was to use the freshness slider to say you’re not as fresh as the platform thinks you are, and do strength that way.
Then platform will presumably suggest less cycling training stress for the next day maybe? Which might in turn lead to the chart reflecting you doing less.
Thanks, got all that. It is beneficial to be in blue training wise as Xert will only recommend endurance rides if you are always tired (better to have a small bit of intensity mixed in).
Didn’t know about what triggered the brown so thanks, I use the adaptive training advisor so having nothing planned for the next 7 days is common.
Adding the strength workout has been working well for me in terms of stopping me from overtraining so will stick with that instead of messing with the freshness slider which I rarely do unless I am sick.
Might need someone else to answer my question on returning to blue, after a stage race weekend it would take me 7 days to return to blue which might be correct but that would leave me with doing no training at all that week if I was preparing for the weekend and no training being the software’s quickest way to reach freshness. Will completing the endurance rides suggested hold me back from reaching blue or keep me on track of tapering?
Imagine a point on this chart moving from low or high recovery load over a 7-day period.
You’ll want to manage low strain recovery load by timing what you do prior to your race days. Assuming you’ve reached a TL level you’re comfortable with, race days become a component of your HIT training. Post race would require a combination of active-recovery, rest day(s), and easy LIT (not tempo) to arrive blue for the next event.
Another factor is the higher your TL the quicker you can recover, especially from low intensity efforts.
If using an XFAI plan you can also adjust the Recovery Demands slider if you feel you need less recovery than the standard calculation.
You can reduce the Weight Training workout high strain amount by copying the workout and raising MMP by a decimal pt or two (ex. from .7 to .9).
Reference –
Training Status and Form – Xert (baronbiosys.com)
Recovery Demands – Xert (baronbiosys.com)
Hi Sean,
Good question! Hopefully I can clear up some of the confusion!
Whether you’re yellow or not is only determined by your high/peak training load. The only way to be yellow status is to accumulate a decent amount of high/peak strain, like you do when racing or doing a very intense high-intensity workout. Further, the only way to bring yourself back from yellow status is to not accumulate any more high/peak XSS - either by riding pure endurance, or by not riding at all.
In other words, if you’re yellow - your HIE & PP systems need rest! 
Heading out and smashing some KOM’s on a “recovery” ride will only prolong the duration of your yellow status. To best return from yellow status asap, you can still ride/train, but be mindful of limiting the intensity… keep easy rides easy!
Your return to blue will happen when your High/Peak form returns to positive. So long as you ride at sufficiently low intensity, endurance riding will not impact your high/peak recovery at all. On the other hand, doing more high-intensity while you’re yellow status will only prolong your return to blue status.
We didn’t intend for the system to behave this way, but interesting that this behaviour mimics the popular ‘polarized’ training model, where high-intensity workouts are followed by several days of low-intensity cycling. In fact, the new Forecast AI also has this logic built into it!
The system will only assign as much high & peak XSS as you can tolerate without going yellow for too long. If you’re yellow/recovering for too long, you’re missing out on potential training. Here’s an example from XFAI training program that I forecasted for a 5 min Target Power Focus… notice XFAI will only assign high-intensity workouts that would leave me yellow for < 4 days, and high-intensity will never be scheduled when form is yellow at the start of training:
Thank you, like many I am definitely guilty of doing a sneaky effort on a recovery ride and producing some high strain. Love how xert has kept me from doing too many intense days training during the week 