# What does "rest week" mean to you?



## soulfly_nyc (Feb 16, 2007)

So, i've done 3 hard weeks of training and am now in need of a rest week.

From reading the threads in this forum it looks like a common mistake of competitive cyclists is that the rest period is not easy enough. 

So, what is easy? Should I cut my rest week TSS and/or mileage by 10%, 50%, completely?


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Rest week involves not following the classic 3 weeks on/1 week off, which was primarily used for doping schedules.

But, rest involves making your TSB increase to +5, however long that takes. Just do L1-L3 rides (but keep primarily in L1/L2) for 0.5-3hrs at a time.


----------



## soulfly_nyc (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks for that.

Where can i find out what TSB is and how it is measured?

L1-L3 is wattage level (ie recovery, endurance, tempo)?


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Sorry, I assumed you knew about it since you were mentioning TSS in your original post.

TSB is the difference between your CTL and ATL. You are correct on L1-L3. This is all explained here: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx

But since you probably don't have enough time to read and learn all about these before the end of the week, you should probably just take 4-5 days as a rest "week." Do a short, easy recovery ride for about 45min. The next day, do a moderately-low intensity 1-3hr ride (not exactly easy, but not exactly hard, either). Alternate for the next few days until you are itching to go fast again, and general fatigue is mostly gone.


----------



## soulfly_nyc (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks a lot. Bookmarked that link.

What kind of IF should my rides be during this rest week? So far i've been IF = .7 and IF =.5 on the 2 recovery rides i've done...


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

soulfly_nyc said:


> Thanks a lot. Bookmarked that link.
> 
> What kind of IF should my rides be during this rest week? So far i've been IF = .7 and IF =.5 on the 2 recovery rides i've done...


Looking back at some old data from rest days, I find myself around 0.4-0.55 for rides over an hour and 0.5-0.68 from rides under an hour.

My longest recovery ride was about 2hrs long. But, it was during a period in which my training wasn't very difficult. Typically, though, recovery rides during hard training weeks are 45-60min.


----------



## soulfly_nyc (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks. My IF was lower today based on your reco.

My TSB is -22, but had been at -38. When you said "+5" TSB was the goal, did you mean a relative increase of +5 or an absolute value of +5? My TSB was -38 on Monday and is -22 as of today. 

Also, i don't use the powermeter for races so i have some extra training stress that may not be factored into the ATL or CTL.

Thanks, very interesting stuff...learning a lot from that link you posted.


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

soulfly_nyc said:


> Thanks. My IF was lower today based on your reco.
> 
> My TSB is -22, but had been at -38. When you said "+5" TSB was the goal, did you mean a relative increase of +5 or an absolute value of +5? My TSB was -38 on Monday and is -22 as of today.
> 
> ...


+5, so between -5 and +5, depending how you feel -- this is absolute value of TSB. You should use your PM in races -- that's the most important information.


----------

