How to Adjust CTL in Your FasCat Training Plan
Nadia Sullivan
Got your training plan loaded up but looking to boost your planned CTL (Chronic Training Load) a little more? You can adjust the projected CTL for your FasCat Training Plan in TrainingPeaks & see how much extra time and TSS you will need to ride!
We're going to use an Example Rider with the 18 weeks of Sweet Spot (Intermediate) plan. This athlete is just getting back into shape January 1st after some time off so their starting CTL is low. By the end of March, their projected CTL following the plan is 68:
Let's say they decide to start riding to & from the Saturday group ride once the weather gets warmer in week 5, and that's going to add another hour of Zone 2 time. We can go into that Saturday ride and add the extra planned hour and add another 50 TSS to the Saturday rides:
After going through the rest of the plan & adding that extra 50 TSS every Saturday, we can see how much our example rider will increase their CTL by the end of March:
That extra hour of zone 2 every week increases the projected CTL from 68 to 74 by the end of March. The key to adding more riding time is that you are still able to recover. For our Example Athlete, adding another 100 TSS mid-week ride might be more than they are able to recover from without inhibiting their ability to hit prescribed efforts on the weekend.
Always take into consideration your age and general stress level when adjusting a plan like this because we don't get faster in training- we get faster in recovery! Now go ride your bike! Copyright © 2019 FasCat Coaching - all rights reserved.
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Foundation : 3 Weeks
- Perfect for all cyclists beginning off season training
- Raise your CTL and the all-important muscle tension intervals
