[pult]

Hi,
after having bought the Uphill Athlete Book and having downloaded the hut to hut 8 weeks trainings plan I changed my trainings plan (last year`s statistics: 17% Z1, 47% Z2, 26% Z3, 8% Z4 and 2% Z5) to 80-90% Z1 and Z3/4 training, avoiding Z2. Total time of training per week is unchanged (details below)The new plan resulted into 68% Z1, 24% Z2, 5% Z3 and 3% Z4 (10.Nov 2019 to today).

I think after 4 weeks training with the new plan its worth to reflect and review. Its logical but make me nervous as I barely can hold fitness instead of increasing it (trainingpeaks CTL).

Aim:
A 6 days hut to hut ski tour (3000hm to 4000hm) plus Mont Blanc 2 days after (April 2020)

Background:
51y.o. male; having done such tours every year the past some years; doing sports the full year around 3-4h / week (outside training season)

Former Training plan for alpine tours planned in March/April:
Initially Oct- December: (Trainingspeaks fitness (CTL) gradually but slowly increased)

Sunday 3.5h MTB in hilly area (Z2/ lower Z3 some very short Z4 phases), Monday Z2 run 1h, Wednesday Z2/Z3 hilly run 1h, Friday HIT Z4/5 (15min warming up, 30min 3min/2min), cooling down, plus core strength 45min)

January to March: (Remarkable increase of CTL)
As above but 1 to 2 weekends travelling to the Alps and doing cross country skiing and/or ski tours (>1200hm / skitour) instead of Monday and Sunday normal training.

NEW TRAININGDPLANS:

After review of both I tried to build up my own trainings plan fitting in my time schedule:
Difference between Z3 and Z2 <10%; zones according your book after professional lactat testing

Started at 10. Nov:
Sunday 2.5 – 3h a Z1 hilly area run (uphill Nordic, flat / downhill running), Monday Z1 flat run or roller ski 1h, Monday evening core strength 30min, Wednesday Z1 run 1h (including sprints 8x15sec), Friday ~1h Z3 uphill run (warm up Z1, 2x 8min Z3, Z1, uphill jumps 5x 10sec Z3/4, cool down Z1)

Question:
I am barely able to keep Fitness (CTL) based on trainingpeaks.
Should I add sprints in the Sunday Session? Or doing one of Z1 1h runs in Z3? Or continuing and ignoring CTL. Or longer sessions (I only could train longer on Sunday and Monday)

Warm regards

Heiko

Topic

[TerryLui]

TerryLui on December 12, 2019 at 10:05 am #34229

Hi Heiko,
TrainingPeaks (TP) can offer better information the longer and more consistently you use it.
The below link references 42 days:
https://help.trainingpeaks.com/hc/en-us/articles/204071884-Fitness-CTL-

If you’re just starting with TP, I would keep tracking your workouts without changes and then you can see what TP tells you.
Alternatively, if you need/want to make changes to your workout, then listen to your body and reflect on how you feel/how you recover after the changes. Ex. You increase volume/intensity and discover you need 3 days to recover…that will indicate the increase was likely too aggressive

[pult]

pult on December 12, 2019 at 11:59 pm #34277

Thanks Terry,

I use TP since several years. I would tend to increase volume and intensity, did this this week successfully but this reduces Z1 training which is against uphill Athlete book recommendation?
Heiko

[pult]

pult on December 18, 2019 at 1:38 am #34565

Hi community,

any additional thoughts to my query? (Short summary of 11.Dec query: I am barely able to keep my CTL having changed my TP to 90% Z1 and 10% Z3/Z4 compared to my log year history of training, monitored over 5 years by Trainingpeaks)

If I increase intensity, I would fail to train 90% in Z1 as recommended by Uphill Athlete Book. Should I continue or train Z1/Z2 instead of solely Z1 or instead of 10% Z3/Z4 now 20% Z3/Z4 trainings?
BW
Heiko