adjusting-your-training-plan-for-time-crunched-new-athletes
So how should I interpret my results?
If EF for the same workout is increasing over time, does it mean, that I'm making some progress? Can I compare different sessions also, like a steady run and a hard hill interval?
If the training plan generated by Athletica seems a little too ambitious within the athlete's daily time constraints, how would you go about and change their plan? Delete sessions, shorten or let the planned workouts go "missed"? New athletes may find it too much to run 6 days a week as they are starting out. Which sessions should one prioritize if something must go?
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I was just about to ask the same question. I've lost a chunk of weeks since the new year due to illness (have a kid in preschool), so my volume is kind of in between the low and medium volume plans. How does the system respond if my 3 hour scheduled ride for a given day is only 2 hours long? I'm trying to steadily build up to 10-12 from the 6-8 or so I've been managing.
On a related note: is the ability to block out time for sickness/vacation/etc. on the roadmap?
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Hey there! These are common questions so thanks for voicing. As we speak there is a solution in the works for this that has moved from the backend into production phase for beta testers soon. Basically you will be able to select your exercise time constraint for each day of the week, and for each exercise modality, and the day/session/time will be populated accordingly in alignment with Athletica logic. Kudos to backend developer Bence Tamas for his genius behind the scenes in building this. Anyone reading this who desires this solution soon and you are not on our beta tester group please reach out to me.
In the meantime, you will need to select the low, medium or high volume plan in accordance with the general guidelines for those plans offered, and delete the sessions accordingly, shorten sessions as required, miss a session as needed. Remember, Athletica will always adjust ongoing sessions in accordance with what you've already done (or haven't done). Its always keeping an eye on you.
Also look at the week and move the sessions that suit your lifestyle and your feel. A blend of both lower intensity (i.e., aerobic development) and high intensity (i.e., short intervals) are ideal for the time crunched athlete. In any given week you want a blend of both in your training diet - the bulk of course being your <L2 sessions. I just recorded a podcast with WHOOP on this and I'm coupling it with a blog I'll post later this week on it as well.
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Reading this it seems there are two points here:
1. Training is on track but can't meet the time allocations for a given day or week. In this case simply do what you can, move sessions around or select alternative session from Workout Wizard.
2. One has missed a number of weeks of training. In this case it might be more advisable to switch to the Train to Maintain option for a few weeks to rebuild the base. There are less demanding HIIT sessions here and more aerobic focus. Once you feel fitness is back on track then can reload an appropriate training plan for a specific race
@fergusyl What I’ve seen is that if my long aerobic development session is below, then Athletica will increase the load of the following sessions. Thus it might increase upcoming strength endurance or VO2 max sessions. However, I usually have more than one aerobic development session scheduled in the week. In that case I might just do more than scheduled for the second one. Thus if I have a 3 hour and a 1 hour session scheduled; that might end up as 2 two hour sessions. Same total duration and load, just distributed a bit differently over the week.
If all I’m going to do is exactly as proscribed for every session, then I don’t see the point of the AI. I like that it’ll adapt the plan to ensure progressive overload.
The other thing to look at is the workout wizard to see if there’s something with a shorter duration that appeals. Maybe even the fatigue tab, as that will have a workout with less load, which for aerobic development directly translates to less duration.
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I am getting a warning that I should change to a lower volume plan, but I cannot find the appropriate settings menu to accomplish this. I’d like to switch the plan volume now and then adjust as my fitness improves. How do I do this?
Hi @mcurran76
Just go to Settings => Trainings and you can adjust there. Then be sure to save/update the plan at the bottom after you are happy with the change. Let me know how you get on.
Best,
Paul
This feature for specifying time availability by day and modality sounds excellent to me. Any projection on when it will be pushed out of beta testing?
Hi @rap. This is now available and being used by the beta testing group. If you choose to subscribe to Athletica please let me know and I will add you to the group.
Best,
Paul
Awesome thanks. I’ll be subscribing when my trial is up next week.
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Just read this. Is this still in beta? Sounds exactly like what I need. Is there a possibility to add me to the beta group?
Hi @DCP,
Yes - as mentioned if you subscribe, please let me know and I will add you to the group (subscribers only in the beta group).
Best,
Paul
Hello @Prof ! New subscriber here as well. Can I also please be added to the beta group? Thanks, Chris
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I just resubscribed. Can you add me to the beta group?
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Hi @Prigov … welcome. You have been added to our beta testing group.
Best,
Paul
Hello @bfrostieone … thank you for subscribing. You have been added to the beta testing group.
Best,
Paul
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Hi @Prof could i please be added to the Beta Tester
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Welcome to beta @jaccharlesscott !