Recommended workout changes during the day

General
#1

hi, I’m about 2 months into using XERT and liking it so far. I’ve been using TP and other apps for about 10 years so I’m fairly familiar with the concepts that drive the recommendations etc.

My question is, when does the recommended workout for the day change? Is it time based on last workout? or updates based on ramp rate - mine being Rouleur Agressive 1 - overnight at a specific time? I ask because a few times i have noticed that when i check first thing in the morning it will recommend a recovery ride and when i go in afternoon it will recommend an endurance ride or something different. If i wasn’t such a procrastinator I’d actually be upset that i’ve done the recovery ride that was recommended when i should have done an endurance or some other ride.

Any thoughts or advice? Also i’ve been doing my workouts later in the day than usual because of working from home etc so I’m thinking that may have an impact.

Thanks!

#2

i also find that a little annoying but i’ve learned to adapt to it…
my method is: In the morning when i decide what sort of workout i want to do, i’ll go to planner and first enter a time for the workout… (input the actual time i will do the workout) then wait for advice to update based on the time i will do the workout. I look at that advice and decide based on my own perceived freshness for the day, how much time I think I will have for training, and finally decide if I agree that the focus recommendation is what I really want to do. From there i choose a workout that looks fun and aligns with the above parameters.
By using the planner with the time of workout updated, I can be sure that the advice is correct since it can and does in fact change advice based on time of day and hours since last workout.

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#3

I don’t understand that Issac. How do you put an empty workout into the planner? I see a delete and speedometer type icon. If I select the speedometer icon it brings up the default workout of the day.

#4

this is discussed in a couple of other threads here. The time of day that you have your setting at is one factor, it seems end of day works best for most, that is how it calculates your XSS deficit. Then it also looks at which day of the week it is and what you did on that day previously… it is complicated but as the day progresses your XSS deficit will change. I have not done the search but @ManofSteele , @xertedbrain or @ridgerider2 probably can point you in the right direction. one thread that might help is Understanding Status - #23 by havella

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#5

For OP, the most likely option is that freshness status changed from a tired/very tired status to a fresh status over the course of a day, which happens quite often. In that case, the recommendations will change from Low-intensity, endurance rides when status is tired and shift towards high-intensity (w/ a focus that is dependent upon your selected program & athlete type).

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#6

XATA is changing hour by hour (if not minute by minute) since your last activity.

I use the default As of end of day (11:59pm) which means anything added to the Planner will show that as the start time. You’ll want to edit the start time if you plan to use the Planner. :smiley:
However, a simpler approach is to not populate the Planner.
Right before you ride today refresh the browser page. If you leave XO up most of the time (like I do), refreshing ensures you aren’t viewing cached advice.
Consider the “as of right now” workout options (indoors) or free ride advice (outdoors).
Use Filter if you’d like to change duration, etc.
Make your decision and ride. :biking_man:
Depending on the time of day I also check Scheduled Sessions in case a group session meets my needs.

IOW Xert flexes in multiple directions depending on where you’d like to take things today.
Similarly, if predicted form isn’t how you feel today, adjusting the FF slider can generate a new list of recommendations. Sometimes you’re on the cusp of changing from yellow to blue. A minor slide (<10 pts) may be enough to change recommendations. You decide what works best for you by experimenting over time. For example, I feel I’m recovering faster than XATA predicts at the moment, so I moved the slider to the right. If that position gets to be too much over the next week, I will slide it back. The sequence trigger point will vary based on your IR setting and intensity of your workouts/rides. To test this, open the Planner, move the slider, update advice and watch what happens to form color prediction on the Planner.

Everything in Xert is built on a sliding scale over a continuum. There is never a single recommended workout you must do. :wink: I love training this way and the fact XATA adapts to whatever I decide.
The overriding factor is progressive overload and intensity at whatever focus you decide to work on coupled with how much time you have to train today. Rinse (recover) and repeat.

Yesterday I headed out for an easy spin based on XATA’s free ride advice – Endurance, low target watts (blue zone), 124 XSS goal with a slight deficit to start.
Result was 116 XSS over 2.5 hrs and 58 difficulty score. Since I use EBC outdoors the activity got named “Easy Polar Endurance Ride”. I like this feature as it’s informative without referring to any numbers.

@johnnybike – If you are using a touchscreen with the Planner, you must tap-hold-release on a date to open XATA which displays options to select a workout or create an “empty” activity. The speedometer icon randomly selects a workout from the top four recommended list.

#7

Click on the date in the planner, then on the plus sign to open up ‘Planned Activity’. In the pop up window you can set the actual time (h:mm) for your planned workout for that day. It’ll then adjust recommendations accordingly.

#8

Thanks all for the answers/input. it’s starting to make more sense. Gonna play around with it a bit. I’m not looking for the recommendations to be perfect but directional.