A few days after the New Year, the training period (pre-base stage) will begin with a set goal for May 31, 2021.
I am currently in … “pre-base” with “Improvement rate” set to “Off-season” and in the “Profile” section of the account settings as “No decay - Training load matched”.
I have the “Climber” profile set - probably appropriate due to its weight (57 kg, 50 years)
And now a request to experienced players using “XERT”:
change “Improvement rate” from 4 January to a different parameter?
For what?
“Maintenance”, “Slow”, “Moderate-1”?
Do you recommend changing the “Decay” option in your profile?
On which?
“Small decay”?
“Optimal decay - default”?
Or another one?
Will you also suggest what to look for when using “XERT”?
I have been using the platform since the end of September and so far it convinces me. I have the impression that I managed to significantly improve the “LTP” (from 182W to 200W). Although some trainings are an attempted murder on me by “XERT”
I’m not an expert per say, but I’ve used it for year. During the base phase I set mine for no decay, then back to the normal decay during build and peak. I do a breakthrough session during base when it says my signature is stale. For this upcoming year I’m aiming for a good ride at a Fondo in July which would put me in Pre Base for a while. To avoid that, I just picked a Target date, set to Slow Improvement, approx 4 months before my July date. Once I finish the base and build, I’ll readjust my target for the actual July date and set it to Moderate Improvement. Not saying thats the right way to do it, but Im trying it this year. I think having it set to moderate the whole time would burn me out hours wise. After that I’ll just do some maintaining or slight taper. Good luck.
Suggest using No Decay only for extended periods of pre-base/base without any BT events. But only if your signature had recently been validated with Optimal Decay enabled. If you aren’t sure change back to Optimal and perform a BT workout. Decay should be back to Optimal by the time you reach Build phase.
What star status did you start at in September?
4 star status with a 100+ TL in “off-season” means you are at elite status already.
Were you already trained when you started using Xert?
Pacer needle and XATA indicates you are ahead of plan and need to take days off.
Are you following a weekly plan of rest/easy/hard/long days or day by day?
If you are able to invest more hours per week and recover fine then you should up your IR. For most of us IR is limited by our schedule due to work and family time.
In general you want the pacer needle to float between 11am and 1pm. Carrying a slight XSS deficit is normal so there’s no reason to treat is as a target to exceed which will push the needle to the right.
With a TL at 100+ and status of 4 stars you are already at a level where the intensity is higher for workouts that aren’t pure endurance. If you find workouts tough to complete now I’m not sure what it be like in build phase where more intensity kicks in.
The main thing to keep in mind is how well you recover as intensity increases.
You are in charge of scheduling your rest days and dialing things down if you aren’t recovering. You can use the freshness slider to do that.
As far as monitoring progress the default XPMC charts says it all but also take a look at Stress and Fitness Signature options to compare your month to month changes.
It appears you are natural climber so you might want to work on a weakness for a period of time. Take a look a your spider chart under Ranking. The chart is roughly a quadrant comprised of sprinters, attackers, all-rounders, and endurance categories. You can switch your athlete type to a weaker quadrant and recommended workouts will change accordingly. You can switch back to your preferred type in build phase if you have a target event in mind with a different focus.
Overall it is a matter of increasing TL over time with higher intensity as you move from base to build to peak. You should include a BT workout/ride every few weeks to confirm you signature is valid.
I started in September with a 4-star status (after synchronization with Strava for a period of three months - I had a test period in XERT at that time).
I work professionally and I can’t spend more time training.
Before I started using XERT in September, I explored “BigRingVR” quite heavily for my conditions, and in the previous season 2018/2019 - Rouvy where I reached the level of “Legend” as the first player at the beginning of January (Rouvy starts his career on October 1st).
I started my adventure with cycling in July 2017. and in the winter season 2017/2018 I used the then fashionable “Zwift” - only then I made three training plans which made me very aware and strengthened. After this adventure with training I didn’t do anything systematized neither on “Rovy” nor on “BigRingVR” - here were just “corpse” rides to get the best tour / trip time.
Outside, I also did not spare myself much.
Generally, in September I reached the point where I had no goal, so I decided to try training, especially since my friend, a huge expert in cycling, technique, physiology - suggested to me “train smart” for a long time;)
The choice fell on “XERT”.
As he downloaded the data from “Strava”, the first trainings were so hard that I had to reduce their intensity to 95 or even 93% to complete them at all.
But I will write honestly, that then I was experimenting with the “Goal” dates - I shortened them from December to November, mid-November - I wanted to see what “XERT will do”
One thing is certain and tangible for me - when I have stabilized in XERT and as if “used” to the training regime - I observe a significant increase in LTP level and, as a rule, since mid-October I have not reduced training intensity by 1% (in the application). This shows me, perhaps wrongly, that systematic training brings results in terms of efficiency.
But I confess - I can’t rest
I know that rest is a very important element of training, but sometimes I do training / activities for several days in a row - and this day off is due to e.g. going out from work or family responsibilities that cannot be covered in any other way
Once again - thank you for your extensive help and wish you all the best, health, success and prosperity in the New Year!
I thought I recognised your name from the BigRingVR leaderboards Artur. I went a bit mad on BigRingVR for a period in 2019 and ended up with patellar tendonitis. After backing off and a period of physio I tried a few off the shelf training plans from a couple of sources last year then found xert a couple of weeks ago, your questions and the answers to them are certainly helping me.
Thanks
Mike
I’m sorry about your injury: (((
Hope you get back to full health and fitness soon.
In BRVR, I basically achieved what I wanted (I drove over 130 of the most extreme climbs).
It’s time to do something meaningful - that is, I use the “XERT” platform while driving routes with BRVR video (as a background). The trainer is controlled by an application on a smartphone (Android) and the BRVR receives cadence, power (alone) and HR data. Thanks to this, I have pleasant and useful
If you want, we can add to your friends on Stravie, facebook?
Then it is easier, easier and faster to exchange views, etc.
BRVR has no social or communication platform, unfortunately.
