Flatbroke

I selected to do the strava 6 min climb training plan just and ultimately want to do the 30 min plan but i don't know what the heck they are talking about. Is the training take place on the road or a trainer and what does the following mean

Workout
Include 5x2 minute Power Intervals (2 minutes rest between intervals)

Daily Goal

Flatbroke

[h=4]Workout[/h]Include 4x8minute Steady State Intervals (5 minutes rest between intervals)
[h=4]Daily Goal[/h]Today we're looking for a second day of intensity, but it should be easier than yesterday. Steady State intervals are designed to improve your sustainable power at lactate threshold. Do these efforts on a flat stretch or a gradual uphill and aim to keep a consistent effort throughout all the intervals. At the end of workout your last intervals should be the same power as the first. You want to see even power outputs and time splits in order to achieve the greatest adaptations.

Black wallnut 

I started a plan, well that is to say I signed up for one and then changed my mind. The Plan had too much rest built in and my training needs are more complex than their plans address. In the email confirming the plan selection there is a user's guide or maybe it was a link on Strava.

TrojanHorse

I was going to try them but they insist that Monday is a rest day and that's one of my choice riding days. Usually.

Flatbroke

Do I need a power meter to read the power output? Or can I do this without it

dr_lha

Strava estimates power using your weight, speed, cadence and their estimate of the grade you're riding on. Short answer: no.

unabowler

I signed up for a training plan, and I'm continuing to get the emails but not following it. I picked the Gran Fondo plan, and I think it suits me, but I want to follow it for 8 weeks leading up to an event in the fall (which I'll choose later).

At any rate, I opened to the page where the terminology is explained and found this brief definition of power intervals:

Power Intervals (PI)· Intensity 10 of 10
Increased power at VO2 max. (95+ RPM)

Black wallnut 

In the first question the 5 is how many efforts in your workout, the 2 is the duration of the effort and the "power" is 95-100% of what you can sustain for the amount of time. then they give a rest interval.

The second question is 4 efforts at a hard sustainable effort 8 minutes each in duration, with each followed by a rest of 5 minutes. I'm going to guess that by rest they mean easy spin, 80-90 rpm in a very low gear to just keep the legs loose and you warmed up. In running when you do intervals rest is rest as in not running at all, pretty much just standing around or walking or stretching.

In your third question, no power meter needed as the training plans are based on perceived exertion. Heart rate or power might make the training plan or each workout more beneficial to you.

IBOHUNT

What he said. Here's a picture of threshold intervals where it's 8:30 of power followed by 2:30 of rest. It's a 1.1 mile 7% climb which is a @TrojanHorse "cute lil' hill
It *could* be written as 7 x 8 1/2 with 2 1/2 RBI (Rest Between Intervals)

While HR and perceived effort are good to use if you don't have a power meter I found it hard to judge. I rely on a power meter and as you can see the HR (red line) lags power (purple) by quite a bit (about 90 seconds) until they come close to each other.

zoomed into 2 intervals



7 intervals plus the warmup

TrojanHorse

Well, that is just a cute little hill! I thought you guys had ornery hills out in West by god Virginia, not cute hills. That sort of gentle creature is something I'd expect to find in California!

Flatbroke

Thanks for info guys