“Keep it simple stupid.” This phrase has been around for a long time. Personally I am not a fan of the final word, but it does remind us that not everyone we communicate with has an advanced degree.
Any discussion about endurance training can quickly get lost in the weeds. “A deep dive,” and “down the rabbit hole” are phrases I often hear in discussions about training. A coach should learn as much as they can about sport science, while learning how to guide an athlete’s development without dazzling them with unfamiliar words and concepts.
One area where simplicity is beneficial is training plans. Some plan designers seem to equate complexity with quality. They write ten different ways to do easy runs and fifteen ways to do a lactate threshold interval. The poor athlete is required to study every workout to figure out what they are supposed to do, spending nearly as much time deciphering instructions as actually exercising.
This is an admittedly extreme example of a cycling working intended to be done prior to Thanksgiving Dinner.
Warm-up/Appetizer:
5 min. building to 50-60% FTP
1 min. ramps @ 65, 75, 85, 95% FTP
2 min. light pedaling @ 60% FTP
2 x 10 sec. sprints (accelerating to 110+ rpm) with 1 min. rest between
1 min. 65-70% FTP
Main sets/Dinner:
1st course
8 min. @ 90-95% FTP
Every 2 min. out of the saddle acceleration for 20 sec. @ 110-125% FTP
3 min. @ 50-60% FTP
2nd course
4 min. @ 95-100% FTP
2 min. @ 50-60% FTP
3 min. @ 98-103% FTP
1 min. @ 50-60% FTP
2 min. @ 100-105% FTP
30 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
1 min. @ 105-108% FTP
3 min. @ 50-60% FTP
Dessert:
10 sec. @ 140-150% FTP, 30 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
30 sec. @ 130-140% FTP, 45 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
45 sec. @ 125-135% FTP, 60 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
60 sec. @ 120-130% FTP, 45 sec. @ 50-55% FTP
45 sec. @ 125-135% FTP, 60 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
30 sec. @ 130-140% FTP, 45 sec. @ 50-60% FTP
15 sec. @ 140-150% FTP, 90s @ 50-60% FTP
Cooldown:
5-10 min. @ 40-50% FTP
I would be lost before I got to the second course.
Joe Friel has made the process really simple, and I see signs of this approach catching on, especially at FastTalk Labs. Friel identifies three kinds of workout, plus strength training. Two of those types qualify as high intensity, the other is low. The only thing that changes within each workout type is duration. Friel refers to this as dose. The main thing that changes as training progresses week by week is dosage, and which type gets a high dose, which type gets a medium dose, and which gets a low dose.
With this system it doesn’t take long for the athlete to settle into a comfortable rhythm, without the stress of trying to solve a new puzzle each day. Simple is better.