What’s the point?
I’ve been spending a lot of time over the past 6 months completely rebuilding our DDA workout library in addition to expanding our coaching offerings with prebuilt training plans.
Prebuilt plans are tough. They require a close examination of the intent of every workout over a series of weeks/months. This process got me thinking more critically about a more formal system to evaluate the “appropriateness” of each workout. The graphic below illustrates my basic framework.
The DDA approach is for each structured workout to accomplish one of these four objectives.
- Push the power curve higher (produce higher power for a specific duration)
- Push the power curve to the right (produce specific power for a longer duration)
- Make power more repeatable (produce repeated efforts with less power decrement over time)
- Increase power when fatigued (produce near peak power after fatiguing efforts)
It’s easy to choose workouts without thinking critically about their intent. I know I’ve at times made this mistake in the past. Using this evaluative framework should help in being more purposeful and measured in your training approach.
Ultimately, did the workout produce the intended results? Your training data makes this a yes or no proposition.
Blog Update: Mental Toughness, KFC, and my First UCI Podium
Check out our most recent post on the blog where DDA coach Sam Bassetti gives a breakdown (with some data analysis by yours truly) of his first podium at a UCI level race. Sam does a great job of recounting what it’s like to struggle through a week of tough racing while remaining focused and present till the finish line. The take away, never give up on yourself in a race!
Nate Dunn
Founder/Head Coach
Data Driven Athlete