Failure
fail·ure
/ˈfālyər/
noun
1. The action or state of not functioning.
"The point when your working muscle is fully fatigued to the extent that it can no longer complete another repetition of a movement with strict biomechanics."
Or, in other words, Success.
This workout comes early on the training plan when targets are high, and adaptation has only begun.
You attack. Attack and attack. The attacks come thick and fast from a threshold level with no recovery. As with most surges on The Sufferfest workouts, cadence spikes by ~15rpm and the power by Multiplies of Agony and Pain (MAP).
Each interval starts with a TT effort, ~100 rpm, then transitions into a climb with ~75 rpm. While I have no problem surging from 100 to 120 rpm regardless of power (usually), the surge from 75 to 90 is a challenge. Obviously, metabolic and muscular demands are different at these efforts and given enough of these repetitions, I empty the tank to the point of Failure.
With Fight Club, it's the last 30 seconds or so when the legs simply stop working.
Mission Accomplished.
From years of weight lifting (and lowering!), I know that the leg muscles should seldom be worked to failure. In fact, training to failure should be done strategically, or the cost can be detrimental.
I don't recall failure occurring more than 2-3 times throughout The Sufferfest training plan, so hitting that wall actually felt good.
When I rode Fight Club last time, I remember trouble walking afterward, so yeah, this one hits me hard :)
Maybe I'll ride it through, push the taper week for after, then run the 4DP test again.
While I'd love the challenge, I want to stick to the plan for:
I used to jump at every challenge and series Zwift dished out in the past, but eventually decided to ignore the noise and focus on what I'm here for. A virtual jersey, badge, kudos, RideOn doesn't mean anything if I'm messing up my training.
On the other hand, as I mentioned before, I love the freedom of racing and "just riding." Depending on my plans for summer, influenced mainly by my financial situation [insert sponsors here], I might spend some weeks eRacing after completing the 3rd plan.
We shall see.
A lot of questions coming up about the plans, structure, periodization, etc. - and I'm more than happy to give advice based on my experience. It seems that the new integral plans and calendar need a few tweaks, but it's overall a great step forward.
To me, the most exciting part was #SirNeal speaking about the impact of cadence on an athlete's performance.
I foresee 4DP evolving to 5DP...(or 4DPc) imagine getting custom cadence targets too!
A lot of cyclists, especially beginners, raise the issue of cadence and not being able to hit the zones (90-120rpm) that experienced cyclists are fluent at. In replies, I come across many responses that "cadence doesn't matter," and advice about keeping power as a priority. I wouldn't write this on the forums, or SUF community pages, but that's total rubbish.
Worst advice EVER.
Cycling requires technique. That technique involves turning the pedals in an efficient way across a variety of conditions, terrains, efforts, speeds, paces, heart rates, metabolic demands, etc.
Power comes after.
You can always add power by building strength with weights and specific exercises. Like an engine, power without revs will leave you in the dust, while high revs and even moderate power will let you burn rubber.
Telling beginners to focus on power and ignore cadence will maintain or even improve their power output, but will not make them better Cyclists. I say forget the watts, halve your power targets and focus on form, style, efficiency, and leg speed. Learn the Art first.
Heck, when I started riding decades ago, the first thing my coach did was to lock the front derailleur so I couldn't use the big ring, then limit the back to the first 5 cogs.
Spin. Spin. Spin.
It was months before I started applying power on the bike, but by then, I taught my body the mechanics of Cycling without the risk of injury. Today, my pedaling efficiency across the board is 96% on the bikefitting.com system tests.
Now, bring on the power.
With Strength training, weights, Yoga, and alike, I increase my overall power by x%. How do you think that force gets applied to the pedals? Yeah. Pure Speed.
Take a noob, get them strong, but without being able to apply their force correctly or efficiently. That's not in their favor. I will beat you any day if you can only hit your power "comfort" zone at 85 rpm. People saying to "listen to your body", "find your comfort zone" etc. are probably gym rats on a bike, or time-trialists at best.
Xert had similar delusions (in my mind) and basically none of their workouts have specific cadence targets, only a very wide range. The guys behind Xert also showcased a cycling computer that auto-shifts to your "ideal" cadence. What's next? Electric bikes?!
Look, if you can't consistently output your FTP at 60, 80, 90, 100, 110rpm - you'll get dropped. It's that simple.
Why? Is 4w/kg at 60rpm the same as 4w/kg at 100 rpm?
You may play the notes, but never the music.
/ˈfālyər/
noun
1. The action or state of not functioning.
"The point when your working muscle is fully fatigued to the extent that it can no longer complete another repetition of a movement with strict biomechanics."
Or, in other words, Success.
Workout highlight
Fight Club... true to its name, was a fight to the finish.This workout comes early on the training plan when targets are high, and adaptation has only begun.
You attack. Attack and attack. The attacks come thick and fast from a threshold level with no recovery. As with most surges on The Sufferfest workouts, cadence spikes by ~15rpm and the power by Multiplies of Agony and Pain (MAP).
Each interval starts with a TT effort, ~100 rpm, then transitions into a climb with ~75 rpm. While I have no problem surging from 100 to 120 rpm regardless of power (usually), the surge from 75 to 90 is a challenge. Obviously, metabolic and muscular demands are different at these efforts and given enough of these repetitions, I empty the tank to the point of Failure.
With Fight Club, it's the last 30 seconds or so when the legs simply stop working.
Mission Accomplished.
From years of weight lifting (and lowering!), I know that the leg muscles should seldom be worked to failure. In fact, training to failure should be done strategically, or the cost can be detrimental.
I don't recall failure occurring more than 2-3 times throughout The Sufferfest training plan, so hitting that wall actually felt good.
When I rode Fight Club last time, I remember trouble walking afterward, so yeah, this one hits me hard :)
Tour Of Sufferlandria 2020?
Otherwise, my thoughts are now about The Tour Of Sufferlandria 2020, which is on Feb 13-25. I'll be on the 3rd week of the last block, and the route is yet to be revealed. I'm probably going to give it a miss, not sure.Maybe I'll ride it through, push the taper week for after, then run the 4DP test again.
While I'd love the challenge, I want to stick to the plan for:
- Comparison / Analytics / Data Integrity
- Complete my 3 back-to-back 12-week plan, uhm, plan
- Focus
I used to jump at every challenge and series Zwift dished out in the past, but eventually decided to ignore the noise and focus on what I'm here for. A virtual jersey, badge, kudos, RideOn doesn't mean anything if I'm messing up my training.
On the other hand, as I mentioned before, I love the freedom of racing and "just riding." Depending on my plans for summer, influenced mainly by my financial situation [insert sponsors here], I might spend some weeks eRacing after completing the 3rd plan.
We shall see.
Community
On another note, I've been a bit more active on The Sufferfest Community.A lot of questions coming up about the plans, structure, periodization, etc. - and I'm more than happy to give advice based on my experience. It seems that the new integral plans and calendar need a few tweaks, but it's overall a great step forward.
Cadence
Another interesting clip published this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU_q7_pHq9Q where Simon "Psy" from GCN visits the SUF lab.To me, the most exciting part was #SirNeal speaking about the impact of cadence on an athlete's performance.
I foresee 4DP evolving to 5DP...(or 4DPc) imagine getting custom cadence targets too!
A lot of cyclists, especially beginners, raise the issue of cadence and not being able to hit the zones (90-120rpm) that experienced cyclists are fluent at. In replies, I come across many responses that "cadence doesn't matter," and advice about keeping power as a priority. I wouldn't write this on the forums, or SUF community pages, but that's total rubbish.
Worst advice EVER.
Cycling requires technique. That technique involves turning the pedals in an efficient way across a variety of conditions, terrains, efforts, speeds, paces, heart rates, metabolic demands, etc.
Power comes after.
You can always add power by building strength with weights and specific exercises. Like an engine, power without revs will leave you in the dust, while high revs and even moderate power will let you burn rubber.
Telling beginners to focus on power and ignore cadence will maintain or even improve their power output, but will not make them better Cyclists. I say forget the watts, halve your power targets and focus on form, style, efficiency, and leg speed. Learn the Art first.
Heck, when I started riding decades ago, the first thing my coach did was to lock the front derailleur so I couldn't use the big ring, then limit the back to the first 5 cogs.
Spin. Spin. Spin.
It was months before I started applying power on the bike, but by then, I taught my body the mechanics of Cycling without the risk of injury. Today, my pedaling efficiency across the board is 96% on the bikefitting.com system tests.
Now, bring on the power.
With Strength training, weights, Yoga, and alike, I increase my overall power by x%. How do you think that force gets applied to the pedals? Yeah. Pure Speed.
Take a noob, get them strong, but without being able to apply their force correctly or efficiently. That's not in their favor. I will beat you any day if you can only hit your power "comfort" zone at 85 rpm. People saying to "listen to your body", "find your comfort zone" etc. are probably gym rats on a bike, or time-trialists at best.
Xert had similar delusions (in my mind) and basically none of their workouts have specific cadence targets, only a very wide range. The guys behind Xert also showcased a cycling computer that auto-shifts to your "ideal" cadence. What's next? Electric bikes?!
Look, if you can't consistently output your FTP at 60, 80, 90, 100, 110rpm - you'll get dropped. It's that simple.
Why? Is 4w/kg at 60rpm the same as 4w/kg at 100 rpm?
You may play the notes, but never the music.
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