Target power is too low

Support
1

I’m new to Xert. I’ve imported all my fitness data from 1/1/2022 to date from both Garmin and Strava. However, 3 recent workouts recorded using the mPaceline app will not upload to Strava without a subscription fee, so it may look like my training deficit is greater than it really is (seems to be stuck at 13). I’m a 73 year old sprint distance triathlete. Moderately fit, but imo undertrained (trying to use Xert to push me to remedy that)

So, I’ve been selecting 'recommended, workouts, and find that the targets are extremely, basically unachievably LOW. Like say 60 watts for recovery and 80 watts for effort. Changing the intensity from 100% to 120% seems to produce something that feels like a moderate effort, and I can still easily pump up my output on the last effort interval to ~180+ watts without feeling stressed. My last FTP when I was using Zwift last Winter/Spring was 170 watts (~2.3 w/kg). Though I haven’t ridden much since then, I have run regularly, and all that data has been synced.

My trainer is an InsideRide smart roller. In ERG mode, it is not unusual to exceed the target when shifting to a higher gear and/or increasing cadence, once the trainer can no further lower resistance. I suspect that this is true of most ‘smart’ trainers when run in ERG mode without a dedicated power meter.

I suppose, that if I keep following the recommended workouts, Xert will eventually dial it in to where I don’t need to increase the intensity in order to produce a desirable level of training stress. That would be good, as a major point of Xert, should be for me NOT to need to be guessing how much additional effort will be beneficial. Right?

2

How does your power curve look to you? Maybe try to do a breakthrough workout to get your power curve more accurate?

3

When was last BT (breakthrough) as shown under your name on XO (xertonline.com)?
Take a look at your XPMC chart under the Progression tab.
If you display a Year’s worth of data how many BT dots do you see? (clear, bronze, silver, or gold)
Is your running data merged with your cycling activity under one profile or did you create a separate profile for Running?
What settings are you currently using under Goals?

4

Last Breakthrough: Cheung - Come As You Are4 days ago

I can’t seem to get the XPMC chart to display more than the last couple of days. If I enter in the beginning of 2022 as a start date, it immediately changes it to 2023. (also, are the dates displayed dd-mm-yy, or (U.S. style) mm-dd-yy?)

Could there be some problem due to having let my subscription lapse for several months, and then rejoined recently? I made sure to import as much data as possible.

I do not have a separate profile for running. Runs used to be uploaded to Garmin. Since that device died, software on my Apple Watch is uploading to Strava. I’ve synced Xert to all of it. In Xert, it says it estimates training loads etc. using HR for all my runs. My HR’s run low. Resting = 43bpm. Theoretical Max for 73 year old = 147bpm.

Goals:
Athlete Type: Time Trials (I chose that b/c I’m a Triathlete, but only do shorter events with 20-30km bike leg, and there’s no drafting under USAT rules.)
Improvement rate: Off Season

At the top of the training page I get warned:
Your current Training Load is below 15. The Training Advisor will provide better guidance when you reach this level.

Below, I Get this:
You are in the Continuous Improvement program and have chosen a Off-Season weekly improvement rate. You have a Training Deficit of 13 XSS points requiring approximately 0.2 hoursof training or about 0.2 activities/workouts. Sustaining this improvement rate will require about 1.4 hours of training per week based on your recent training history. Estimated training needed is 0.2 hours / 0.2 activities.
Advice is based on your recent activities performed on Tuesdays as of 11:59 pm

Your current Training Status is Very tired and should consider a Endurance ◆ activity or workout, generating about 58 XSS of overall strain.

the suggested 1.4 hours/week is probably below what I’ve done at my most negligent. At this time, I would expect to do 2.5 hours at the very least, more often 3+.

I thought that a few consecutive days of workouts would change this, but it hasn’t. Stays exactly the same, day after day. Is it waiting until I make up any lengthy periods with few workouts earlier in 2022?

@ cycling doughboy: I don’t know where to find my power curve or how it should look. Though I’ve had BT’s before, I don’t know how to have them ‘on purpose’.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

6

XPMC chart date range options are in the upper right before you scroll down to the chart.
For example, select Year in the dropdown box.

If you suspect there are issues with your data, you can file a support request with support@xertonline.com and ask them to take a look. You could also point them to this thread.
You need valid history on file for XATA to work properly plus at least two weeks of current data before XATA will recognize changes in training load. Otherwise, the advice reflects what you have done in recent past weighed against your present Goals (program type, athlete type, ramp rate)

Off-Season is typically used for times when you aren’t training much or want to reduce load after a block of training, or you need to scale back due to injury/illness. It can also be used when starting out with Xert. In that case you would ignore XATA until you reach a TL of 15 as that is the baseline for the model. Then change IR (improvement rate) to Slow or higher if you want to increase TL week to week or Maintenance if you’ve maxed out hours/week you can cycle.

Do you plan to cycle more than run moving forward? That will be a factor as to whether running and cycling data should be in separate profiles.

If you feel you up to it (feel fresh) I suggest you ride a BT workout in resistance mode (not ERG).
Try this one – (2) Xert - Workout Details (xertonline.com)
Exceed targets if able and ride to failure on the longer interval with a spin-up sprint effort at the end (when about to collapse) and see if you can hold it for 5-7 seconds or more.

Reference –
Improvement Rate – Xert (baronbiosys.com)
Beginner’s Guide: Getting Started With Xert – Xert (baronbiosys.com)

7

It’s just your improvement rate is too low (‘off season’). Set it to moderate (or something else) and it will increase. You can play around and see what it does to required hours… just pick one that matches how much time you have (but maybe don’t go aggressive for long)

8

Thanks, that clears a lot up. To answer your original question, there are 7 BT’s from March - July when I was using the program and riding regularly, then another 2 since I started back up late last month. Most of those came when I ignored the seemingly too low power targets and just went for it.

I’ve switched my ‘improvement rate’ to ‘Moderate 1’, so we’ll see what that does. I’ll try for a BT with your suggested workout, though I’ll acknowledge that at age 73, ‘Fresh’ does not come around much.

Most of my workouts over the past several months have been 2 - 3 mile runs with hills, with some structured track workouts of 3 - 5 miles. The much needed rain we’re getting now is driving me to bike indoors, hence the renewed interest in Xert.

Thanks again.

9

Hi @mpjalapeno , welcome back to Xert!

I had a quick look through your data and I’m guessing that you just need to ‘show’ Xert that your fitness is greater than it’s currently displaying. This is especially the case if you’re starting to return to cycling after a longer break of doing less cycling!

10

Well I got a BT that way, though I found the whole workout utterly confusing. I tried to start in ‘resistance mode’, but it was asking me to warm up at 10% grade, so I switched back to ‘Auto’, figuring it would add resistance when the workout demanded it,

Towards the end it seemed to want 60W for a long time, and then it kept showing ‘next interval’ as 0W 0:00 duration, then switching to another low target. I’ll rest up, and try it again in a couple of days, as I’m sure even with today’s BT that I could do better, as at no point did I feel very taxed. I’m sure with resistance instead of ERG, it will be a whole different experience.

If I want to set mode to ‘resistance’, then is it up to me to set the % for each interval, particularly to lower it for recovery intervals? Perhaps I’ll find the answer to this in the Beginners Guide.

11

You should ignore the ERG control instructions and description and ride entirely in slope or resistance mode at whatever % works to attain and potentially exceed targets and duration.
On a standard smart trainer you would use gears/cadence to do this while monitoring the watts you’re generating against the power chart profile on the Session Player.
On your rollers it sounds like you would adjust % and cadence to accomplish this.

You’re shooting for a pattern of strain until a failure point on the last interval.
Something like this but you may not be successful the first few times you try it.

StandardBTworkout
StandardBTworkout982×454 28.6 KB

12

The rollers work just like any other smart trainer. At a given %, cadence AND gears (i.e rpm of the fly wheel) will determine calculated power.

From what I’ve learned in the FAQ’s, it’s probably the uneven history, including MANY runs without a run power meter that are causing it to underestimate my fitness.The estimated XSS for runs, based on HR data tends to be lower than that of bike rides, when in fact, running seems more physically challenging than riding (that perhaps b/c my unusually low HR?). The FAQ’s suggest deleting much of that past activity from Xert.

13

If you think uneven data is the contributing factor, you could clear your data (Account Reset) then import again under two profiles (cycling versus running).

Multisport Profiles – Xert (baronbiosys.com)

Otherwise, I think it’s a matter of accumulating more cycling data to reach the TL threshold XATA needs to work best.

If you’d like to post the MPA pattern you achieved on that BT workout for review, go to activity details, click on the BT badge icon to download the report, then post that file here.

CyclingSummaryBTbadge