Why are smart intervals so dumb?

Somewhat. I usually switch from Auto to ERG-Mode with just 100 Watts to get up to speed again.
But having to adjust manually is NOT what I would consider a “SMART” Workout and that’s my OP well - lets be honest - rant.

So @Xert: Either make them actually “SMART” or rename them to something more appropriate to the real deal.

Form determines recommended intensity (low, high, peak strain).
TL (stars count) determines the range of difficulty (diamond count) recommended.
Example, at 3 stars status, 3 diamond workouts will be recommended that include both low strain (below TP) when form is rated tired and high/peak strain (above TP) when form is rated fresh.
Active recovery (low watts or rest days) will be recommended if very tired.

TL is measured by XSS over time (hours/week) that includes a variety of low, high, and peak strain (work allocation ratio).
Workout intensity varies from low strain (endurance workouts = blue/aqua range intervals) to high and peak strain (yellow/orange/red range).
When you are fresh high/peak intensity is warranted and you can select from a variety of workouts that include that level strain. Athlete type defined determines focus duration point of those workouts.
When you are tired (high/peak strain recovery required) you can select from a variety of low strain workouts.

Depending on your circumstances you can always dial things up/down manually by using Filter to select a higher or lower difficulty range (diamond count) or a different Focus (athlete type), Or change recommendations by adjusting the Freshness Feedback slider whenever predicted form does not match how you feel.
The most important factor is TL over time. You can adjust IR accordingly to accommodate periods of more or less training. However, anyone doing ultra-endurance events will need to ignore XATA at times (large surplus created) and select appropriate workouts/rides until you return to a "normal’ training load over a period of two weeks or more.
OTOH I don’t consider any type of ultra-endurance as normal. :smiley: (way beyond my league)

This is a great explanation.

1 Like

But it could be, couldn’t-it? When the cadence drops below e.g. 20 that could be taken as an indication that the interval could not be completed and the target resistance could be set to a real low value to allow restarting. Am I getting this wrong?

Regards,
Ludwig

1 Like