Online Bike Coach

Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

75 XSS For 75 Days – Six Weeks In

75 XSS As a Minimum Volume for a Ride Is Showing Some Results

When you train for an XSS minimum, it’s hard to keep Strain below 150KkJ. It’s also hard to keep total kJ’s below 750.

Achieving 75 XSS (Xert Strain Score) points for every ride is leading to some interesting results. While I thought I was being consistent, it’s been a challenge. Most weeks have gone in a “4 rides”, one day off, 3 rides, one day off” approach. Several of my rides have broken the 75 point ‘Floor’, and for a few days in July, I was really on top of my game, despite my signature not moving much at all.

75 XSS as a Training Load

On July 4th, Training Load was right at 52.1 XSS. By July 21st, it had reached 62.1 XSS. The emphasis on 75 XSS rides that are low intensity, aerobic rides, following DFAA1 values, has helped with consistency, along with helping my mental health. I felt more “Fresh” for most rides, and I also used a consistent route to achieve my volume goals.

Looking at the Training Load value from the beginning of my quest, June 20th, I gained at least 18 points.

Xert 75 XSS Training Load June 20 July 23 2021
Notice the pattern – I attempted to ride either ‘4 on, 1 off’, or ‘5 on, 1 off’, or 3 on, 1 off’.

75 XSS as a floor led to a ramp rate that was healthy and modest for almost a month.

Xert Weekly Stats July 2021
75 XSS per week led to a ramp rate that was green, which means modest and safe.

Total XSS was above 450 for each week, and for the first half of July, Polarity Ratio was highly aerobic. I truly did enjoy the 10 hours or more per week. In other words, 75 XSS per Day was working, even though my fitness signature remained fairly static.

I DID achieve a decent breakthrough near the end of July, and I believe I was on track for more gains. Hower….

ONE BIG CAVEAT

The Tamarack Fire required almost 3 weeks to control.

On July 4th, 2021, a fire caused by lightning started in the forest south of Reno and Carson City, Nevada. It was later named the “Tamarack” Fire.

That same day, a fire began just north of Reno, and it was named the “Beckwourth Complex“.

On July 13th, the “Dixie” fire started after a tree felled a power line, also in Northern California.

The Fires have completely ruined the air in and around the “Great Basin” of Northern Nevada.

The air quality where I live has made cycling outdoors impossible and cycling indoors incredibly difficult.

Beginning July 22nd, the air became unhealthy, and it has largely stayed like that. To date, I have cycled just five times, and those were on ‘medium hazard’ days.

As a result, I am forced to halt my effort for my goal; 75 XSS in 75 Days. It’s really heartbreaking to see the air so thick, and to read about homes and lives destroyed by these fires. Most have been only slightly contained as winds and weather continue to challenge the firefighters. Several areas where I ride have been decimated by fire. We have purchased an air purifier for the workout room, but it has not yet arrived.

CONCLUSION  – 75 XSS, While Arbitrary, Does Lead to a Good Training Load.

I began this effort of 75 XSS for 75 Days to try and determine whether volume alone can improve fitness and wellbeing. Some of that is obvious. I lost weight, raised my DFAA1 based LTP, and slept slightly better. I do believe I was on my way to greater capacity on my Xert Fitness Signature. There was one day, a group ride, where my cycling reminded me of rides from the early 2010’s, when I was younger and stronger. The other riders had a hard time keeping up, and expressed themselves accordingly. It was a tough crowd.

I may try this again if and when the air clears out. It will also be cooler. 75 XSS at a lower fitness signature is easier to achieve than 75 XSS at a higher signature, of course. But I still have goals, and I realize that 75 XSS fits within my time allotment and family and client demands.

Whatever your time availability is, set an XSS goal per day and per week, and ride towards that goal. You’ll be surprised by the fitness that comes from such consistency.

Did you like what you just read? Click on the button below and buy me a cup of coffee!

 

75 XSS for 75 Days – 3 Weeks In.

***** THIS DID NOT PUBLISH ON JULY 4th, 2021 LIKE I EXPECTED. PLEASE EXCUSE THE TECHNICAL GLITCH. I AM WORKING ON AN END-OF-JULY REPORT NOW. *******

75 XSS Is Bringing me VOLUME, But What Else Am I Accomplishing?

XSS (Xert Strain Score) is a metric that looks at the time you spend riding, the energy you use, and the intensity with which that energy is spent. Several weeks back, after a great winter and then an odd spring, I announced that I would be aiming for 75 XSS per ride, at least 5 days per week for 75 Days. I’m now 21 days in for my goal. Let’s see where things stand.

Xert Progression Chart

Xert Training Load
The Goal was to earn 75 XSS per day, at least 5 days per week. This is the view of my Training Load as of July 4, 2021

When I self-declared my goal of 75 XSS for 75 Days, I was sitting at an Xert Training Load of 35 XSS. This was on May 26th. On June 20th, I publicly announced my goal, and began to focus on the volume. The Xert Training Load had migrated to 43.8 XSS. At three weeks, XSS is now at 53.4.

Xert Planner Weekly Stats -75 XSS is creating a good Ramp Rate

Xert Planner Weekly Stats
By increasing my AEROBIC LOW INTENSITY RIDES, I’m increasing my XSS/day, pushing my ‘Focus’ further out into the aerobic range, and pushing ‘Polarity’ out to 95-97% sub-threshold efforts.

The Xert Planner Weekly Stats show several other positive markers. The week of May 31st, I accumulated 5.2 hours and averaged 47XSS/Day. Over the next four weeks, hourly volume increased to roughly 10 hours per week. This has led to an average XSS/Day of 78.3 points, and a Ramp Rate of around 3.3 XSS.

Weekly Focus actually migrated OUT towards more aerobic values, but it has remained in the ‘Climber’ category for the past three weeks.

Polarity Ratio remains highly aerobic, with 96 to 97 percent of my rides occurring in the ‘aerobic’ intensity. You may recall in a previous post that I performed three or more DFAA1 HRV Ramp protocols to best determine my TRUE Lower Threshold.

75 XSS and Weight Loss

Using the Garmin Index Smart Scale,  I routinely track my body weight, before and after most rides. MOST of my low-intensity rides have been with a Vo2master gas-exchange analyzer on my face, so I don’t drink for the 90 minutes or so that I am out. I routinely consume 16oz of Preload from NBS Nutrition, as a way to stave off losses due to dehydration, and I also ride at earlier hours to avoid heat stroke (I did suffer a heatstroke in June of 2010, which left me with PERMANENT stroke nerve damage in my right eye – don’t try to pass me on my right side, please).

For myself, 75 XSS translates into about 750 KiloJoules of energy per ride. This is roughly 800, or thereabouts. I’ll have more information on this parameter as the Vo2master feature list grows.

Weight has dropped about 2 KG, which is a nice side effect. Body fat is too low to track, and remains stuck at 7%. Biompedence monitors tend to miss Body Fat Percentages for my Somatotype.

Garmin Index Smart Scale Weight Tracking
With the added 75 XSS, I’m burning over 60g of fat per the Xert Garmin Fat/Carb Field, and it’s starting to show with lowered body mass.

75 XSS and Xert Fitness Signature

75 XSS Xert Progression Chart
Xert Signature Results are trending up in “Lower Training Load”, “Lower Threshold Power”, but they’re flat on “Threshold Power”, and other metrics are less clear.

The Xert Progression Chart includes a number of parameters that have value, but are perhaps poorly explained. The default parameters are: Threshold Power, High Intensity Energy, and Peak Power. Lower Threshold Power is also presented and available. However – Lower Training Load and High Training Load, as well as Focus and Specificity, bear some remarks.

My chart shows some interesting trends:

First – 75 XSS over 5 out of 7 days per week lends itself to at least 350 XSS per week. With several long rides on Sundays, I’ve been averaging closer to 500 points (See chart above). As a result of all this lower intensity work, my LOWER TRAINING LOAD has been steadily rising. Ironically, my HIGH TRAINING LOAD has also been rising. This is a bit of a mystery, given my 95:5 and 97:3 Polarity Ratios.

Second – My “Specificity” has gone from about 31% Polarized, to 43% Polarized, and back down to 29% Polarized. I believe I know where this range came from; my wife and I were mountain biking until mid June, when the drought and fire risk pulled me off my mountain bike – the trails are just too marbly and loose to climb or descend with any confidence. I am now specifically road cycling, and can control my intensity more broadly.

Third – “FOCUS” has bounced from “Climber” to “GC Specialist” and back, as my Fitness Signature continues to meander. “GC Specialist” is in the 8-minute range of intensity, and I believe this has to do with the fact that I cannot climb the 800m, 9.2% climb to my house at much less than 300 watts. This short, 2-3 minute effort completely alters the “FOCUS” of a ride, from “–:–” to “8:00”, depending upon how much time I spend above my 5 to 3 minute MMP (which correctly drifts down as MPA drops above Threshold. )

Fourth – I have NOT spent much time worrying about my Fitness Signature. I did achieve one BT in late May, but the “Focus” has been on 75 XSS. My Signature has not changed much with the added volume, but the weight loss has improved my Power-to-Weight Ratio. My HIE values have dropped a bit, but again, Anaerobic Work Capacity is not a focus at this time – Overall Volume is.

CONCLUSION

75 XSS for 75 Days is a work in progress for me. I am enjoying the Time on the Bike. I’m confident that this is building towards greater capacity and lighter weight. When climbing, I’ve seen some Vo2 values in the low and mid 60’s, which is something I’m excited about as a 51-year old with a 35-year pedigree in endurance activities. I’m going to start working on some more intensity as July Progresses, and will use that to hit my 75 XSS. As August approaches, I’ll try to migrate my Polarity Ratio closer to 90:10, and will attempt breakthroughs more frequently. Perhaps most importantly, I want to set some PR’s on the hill outside my home, and on a Category 1 climb outside of Virginia City, NV.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

Did you enjoy this article? Click on the button and Buy Me A Cup of Coffee!

75 XSS for 75 Days – First 14 Days

75 XSS for 75 Days – What’s Happening to my Fitness?

XSS Stands for Xert Strain Score. It’s a way to combine time and energy at different intensities. It’s a measure of Cycling Volume. While I unofficially began thinking about this goal in late May, I announced the plan on this forum later, in Mid June. So it’s been about a week since I last posted, and roughly 2 weeks since I started. Let’s take a look at the Xert data, and then, let’s take a look at the information coming out of my Vo2 master for some of the rides. I think this is very revealing, and it augments some of the prevailing theories out in the blogosphere, while it also refutes some other paradigms.

I Started at an XSS of 40.

Xert Training Load
After a couple of fits and starts, I began to work consistently on June 16th of 2021. I’m working on getting at least 75 points per day, 5 days per week, over 75 days. I started at 40 XSS Training Load.

This was my Xert Fitness Signature on Wednesday, June 16th:

  • My Xert Training Load was at 40.7 XSS.
  • Threshold Power was at 255 Watts.
  • Lower Threshold Power was at 192 Watts.
  • Peak Power was at 1111 Watts.
  • Hight Intensity Energy (HIE or more appropriately, Anaerobic Work Capacity), was at 25.0 KiloJoules.
Xert Fitness Signature June 16 2021
I think the scale on this chart could be improved, but here are the ‘baseline’ numbers for my Xert Fitness Signature.

Two Weeks Later, my XSS is at 50.

On June 27th, at the time of this writing, here are my most current numbers:

Xert XPMC June 27 2021
The Xert Training Load is now at 50.3 after 9 Rides over 13 days. At 75 XSS minimum per ride, according to the Xert Freshness Feedback, which I have decided NOT to use, I am digging a hole in my Form. 
  • My Xert Training Load is at 50.3 XSS.
  • Threshold Power isat 258 Watts.
  • Lower Threshold Power is now theoretically at 196 Watts.
  • Peak Power now reads 1108 Watts.
  • Hight Intensity Energy (HIE or more appropriately, Anaerobic Work Capacity), is essentially unchanged at 24.9 KiloJoules.
Xert Fitness Signature Sunday June 27 2021
Just because the values are essentially unchanged does NOT mean that I’m less fit. We’ll discuss this in a separate post…

Where is the 75 XSS Per Day Coming From, Energy Wise?

Xert Weekly Stats June 27 2021
I’ve highlighted a ton of the columns that are significant in measuring the energy breakdown in Xert. Pay attention to the “Suggested Focus” and “Total XSS”.

Here’s my four-week Weekly Stats breakdown. Specifically, note the growth in… Hours

  • Hours per Week.
  • XSS/Day.
  • Ramp Rate.
  • Weekly Focus (I’ll explain what I’m doing with this in a later post).
  • SUGGESTED FOCUS (NOTICE THE AVERAGE POWER! THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT IN A FUTURE POST!).
  • Polarity Ratio.
  • Training Load (see the above graph).
  • Lower Threshold Power (LTP) – Again – I’ll post about this specifically later…
  • and Total XSS.

Two weeks of 75 XSS per day for a minimum of 5 days per week, has led to a jump in overall volume, a jump in XSS per day, a healthy rise in Ramp Rate, and a 45% increase in Weekly XSS. I’ve been cycling BELOW my Lower Threshold Power, with ONE or TWO small exceptions.

What Does Xert’s Adaptive Training Advisor Say?

Xert Adaptive Training Advisor June 27 2021
75 XSS per Day for 5 Days out of 7 has put me at a slight Training Surplus. I’m not paying attention to the information on the left. Instead, I’m using the Xert Rainbow Dial on the Training Pacer to essentially stay within the ‘Brackets’ of Training and Resting.

Now remember – I’m NOT FOLLOWING the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. I’m simply cycling for 75 XSS per day, over 75 days. Some days will be above that. Some days will be Well above that. I may do ONE DAY every few weeks to earn 25 points or thereabouts, when I perform a DFAA1 cardio test, which, again, is a discussion for another post.

But if you look at the chart above, I’m at my hours per week, my Polarity is 97:3 for Aerobic (lower) intensity, and the SUGGESTED FOCUS WATTAGE is at 277 watts.

The Scientists at Xert are NOT directly revealing their research. Therefore, it’s up to me to glean what I can from the structure they’re providing. I’ll explain that in the next post

CONCLUSION

75 XSS per day is yielding some subtle, but immediate results. I’ll break those down with two specific workouts, via metabolic data, next.

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this, please consider leaving a tip or subscribing, and if you have more specific questions, sign up for a consult or coaching.

Using Xert to Show an MD Why You Think There’s Something WRONG With Your Heart.

Xert Metrics Can Show You When Things May Be Wrong Beyond Means Which You Can Control.

Today’s Xert Daily Ditty is really an interview where one of my long-time clients, who is also a teammate and friend, explains how he knew something was wrong when he saw his Xert XPMC metrics dropping. He tried everything. Intervals, sleep, switching days for lifting weights, all of it. But when he took his Xert charts to his doctor, they were alarmed enough to realize that this needed attention. Well, Bingo, Bango, Bongo, he and his doctor were able to perform MICROSURGERY to fix his problem, BEFORE he had another heart attack!

Watch the video here:

Don’t forget – we’re hosting a WEBINAR on Saturday, January 30th, 2021, at 1200 hours  so don’t hesitate to Register and Hop On! We’ll be reviewing my 5MMP Record attempt, which is the culmination of about 9 weeks of Progression!

ENJOY THE RIDE!!!!

Billat 30-30’s with Xert, Vo2Master, and PerfPro

Billat 30-30’s Are a Great Way to Improve Your Ability to Suffer Under Load!

 

Xert has zones that flex with time spent above Threshold. When you bite into HIE, the Xert Dial responds by reducing the band of yellow or orange, and expanding the Purple arc, which is theoretically not possible to surpass. When you do, it’s a BREAKTHROUGH!

But the fascinating thing about this video is that the Vo2 values, during the effort and even into recovery, show how effective this type of workout really is; my Vo2 values stayed ABOVE 80% of Vo2max, for several minutes, and THAT is what improves HIE and “Suffer” ability. Xert properly displays this on the video in the colored arcs. Therefore, you’re looking at the PHYSICS of PHYSIOLOGY!

I use PerfPro on this type of protocol because the graph is easier to read, and it shows me values which I had turned off at the time of recording. The Xert Dial is moved over from the Xert Remote Player, which is a VERY useful tool.

Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to register for the webinar on January 30th at 1200, gmt-8, and we’ll review the 9 weeks of progression, as well as the 5MMP breakthrough effort!

ENJOY THE RIDE!!!