Interested to see what peoples (and coaches) thoughts on this are?
I’ve just finished a very successful marathon training plan and am now jumping into Ironman training. I’ve a few races but main ones are a 70.3 in July and Full IM in September. Last 5 months have been around 10-14 hours of training a week but heavily focused on running, just a couple of swims and bike rides per week.
Looking at setting a new triathlon specific training plan for the next 5 months and can’t quite decide. Do I go with a high volume plan (around 20 hours per week) and just reduce/skip sessions that aren’t possible… Or do I go with a Mid Volume plan and add in sessions where I have some time available? Does the AI coach prefer one or the other?
Personally I’d go mid-volume and either add sessions or go longer as feeling, just because if I see the workout on the plan I really WANT to do it LOL and the AI coach will gently scold you for missing sessions. Also this way you get all the core plans and don’t skip the more critical ones.
I’m sure there are plenty of other reasons to consider going higher volume, so I’d keep an eye on your progress and if you start to plateau you can always change plans to get more volume automatically.
I’ll be the devil’s advocate and tell you to do the high volume plan - lol. I am currently on high volume and if you are okay with deleting sessions (which I feel like you are), it does give you more options for swims (I usually get 5, and I always delete 1) and also gives different running workouts (similar to marathon plan with HIT/MIIT for the Sunday long run)…I think you can easily follow high volume plan doing 15-18 hours…
This is interesting, I hadn’t thought about the fact that the high volume plan would give me more similar workouts that I had been following for my marathon one…
This week has been a non start anyway due to travelling and a knee problem so I may reset the mid plan for next week and go high volume.
I am currently on a high volume plan with my A race set as a 70.3. Most weeks it is comical how high of volume the program recommends. For example, this week is a build week for me and my plan has me at 25 hours. With a full time job, training fatigue and life stress there is no way that is happening. In general I think that the high volume plan does a terrible job at prescribing the correct amount of volume. Every Sunday evening I look at the coming week and move sessions around or delete them to make the plan more appropriate.
Why not switch to medium volume? I do like having a plan for my week that allows me the ability to train higher volume if I am able, but I feel no guilt at all missing or deleting sessions.
HIGH Volume! I recommend it…if you’re aiming for 15 hours, then you’re good to go.
…Previously, ATHLETICA automatically analyzed and selected the appropriate volume, and I think that’s the better option, allowing the AI to analyze and adapt accordingly.
The difference is in the aerobic hours in Z2, but it’s better to give the app more “room” to decide and possibly reduce rather than adding and forcing a schedule. I train 15/18/20 hours a week and I prefer HIGH, even if I drop to 10/12.
The problem is switching from Ironman to Marathon High Volume… you find yourself going from 5 hours of running to 8/9 with double sessions and you have to be good at managing yourself with the workout wizard by converting them into bike swims or cancelling sessions because if you follow them you risk injury… unfortunately it is still a limitation of the app, in the sense that it takes 2/3 weeks to understand and adapt the program
Sure I read (or heard) somewhere that the big difference between the higher performers vs. Mid and low performers was the amount of Z1/Z2 volume. The difference could not be seen in the higher intensity volume.
You want to improve, add more low intensity volume, do not increase the amount of intensity. The latter has limits.
The increase in zone 2 work also helps you build up your mileage with reduced risk of injury, which should then also allow you to add in more intensity as well.
