Sweet Spot TSS Rides Indoors

Coach Jake's Sweet Spots his way to 214 TSS Indoors:

When you have a Sweet Spot TSS Ride on your plan and the weather outdoors isn't cooperating, what do you do? You ride indoors of course! But what if you have a 3 hour and 175 TSS ride? Coach Jake Rytlewski demonstrates how to follow your plan by doing a Sweet Spot TSS Ride Indoors. 

Sweet Spot Definition
The underlying principle of sweet spot training is a balanced amount of intensity and volume that produces a maximal increase in an athlete’s threshold power. The sweet spot occurs between high zone 3 and low zone 4: 84 - 97% of FTP. This is the zone where athletes build the most aerobic endurance and simultaneously increase their power at threshold. More bang for one’s buck and thus the nickname, "sweet spot".

Figure Courtesy of Dr. Andy Coggan, Ph.D

Choose Your Course to Sweet Spot On/Up

TSS Rides are Sweet Spot "Flexible" Note how Jake rides between 2.5 and 3 hours and between Zone 2 and the high end of sweet spot. Not exclusively sweet spot between 84-97% like the OG method. This flexibility accounts for rider fatigue during the workout and from the training load he or she is carrying. Plus provides the freedom (& hopefully the enjoyment) for a wide array of training rides - from a group ride, to various length climbs, to a solo session outdoors or on zwift simply working hard, riding fast and putting the time in the saddle. This also circles back to “How to Sweet Spot” because all 8 of those training techniques fall into the sweet spot TSS ride with an exact dose of training just like a doctor.

Single Day Sweet Spot Ride Progression: In a sweet spot training plan or for building CTL for a coached athlete we’ll typically prescribe TSS twice a week with a 25 TSS per week progression. Start with a 150 TSS ride on the weekend which takes roughly 2.5 - 3 hours and increase the ride length and TSS dosage all the way up to how much time the athlete has to ride and/or the amount of TSS their event will be. #LongLiveLongRides Weekend Ride Week 1 = 150 TSS Weekend Ride Week 2 = 175 TSS Weekend Ride Week 3 = 200 TSS Weekend Ride Week 4 = 225 TSS Weekend Ride Week 5 = 250 TSS Weekend Ride Week 6 = 275 TSS

The key and the biggest technique we point out to athletes is to not exceed one’s sweet spot. while riding, aka zones 4, 5, & 6. While group rides are great for training as are climbs - this is where we see athlete’s exceed their sweet spot zones and fatigue prematurely during these long 200-300 TSS rides. However, with discipline athletes can achieve hours (not minutes) of sweet spot and consequently circle all the way back to sweet spot’s benefit: to increase their threshold and be able to have great endurance.

Particularly important for fondos, centuries, marathon mtb races (+ ultras) and gravel events. Join our *FREE* Athlete Forum to nerd out with FasCat coaches and athletes about your FTP, race data, power based training, or anything related to going fast on the bike! Jake has been talking the talk and walking the walk [FasCat Core Value #7] for over 15 years. To get help with your long rides fill out a New Athlete Questionnaire to schedule a free Coaching Consultation with Jake.