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7 Day Training Load Optimal Range Unrealistic

Does anyone else have trouble meeting the minimum optimal 7 day training load.

My minimum 7 day load is 722. I like to have one day a week completely free of training. This means I need a load of 120 on all the other days. I mainly run and do crossfit with a bit of hiking or mountain biking on easy days.

I am a 45 year old male and guess I would rate myself as an intermediate runner. My current 10k time is around 43 minutes (although garmin predicts it at 45 minutes) and my best just over 40 minutes. I have starting training again and am wanting to break 40 minutes. Garmins guess at my VO2 max is 50. I mainly run and do crossfit with a bit of hiking or mountain biking on easy days.

This loading is no problem on intense running days however I would normally only do 2 intense (tempo or interval) runs and one long run 8-12 miles a week. My last 8 mile run only yielded a load of 104. I am finding on my recovery days I am having to do a really intense HIIT to hit my load targets. For those that are crossfitters think Murph! for those that are not that is 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, followed by another 1 mile run, all while wearing a weight vest.

long story short, I am finding that on any day that I am NOT doing a really intense run and doing an easy run or X-training I am having to do 2 reasonably intense workouts or one super intense HIIT a day to meet the optimal 7 day load range. I like to think I push myself pretty hard but this feels like it has overtraining written all over it.

I will say I have only been using Garmin for 3 weeks so perhaps it has not had enough time to compile an accurate assessment of my fitness and recovery requirements but I seriously doubt it is that smart.

Is anyone else having a similar experience.

0 4017833 over 2 years ago in reply to e7andy

The correlation between these two graphs over the past month doesn’t make sense: The cycling graph shows two 90km rides in the first two weeks and lots of 50km rides all on the road (not Zwift) yet the training load graph shows the opposite, the graph drops dramatically after first 90km ride and despite consistent 50km rides - despite the ‘optimal’ green line rising in response to training load. The training load graph is way out if sync with actual load.

0 e7andy over 2 years ago in reply to 4017833

Start by looking at the training load for those activities. Do you think they make sense? Training load is as far as I know based on heart rate and max heart rate. Do you have correct heart rate data for the activities? Are you using a chest strap? What is your max heart rate and how did you come to that value?

0 4017833 over 2 years ago in reply to e7andy

Yes I think the heart rate readings are correct. It’s just the training load graph is out of sync with the actual load…there’s something wrong with the algorithm which is wrongly calculating the load.

Why would a transition from a 50km ride to a 90km ride cause the training load worm (graph) to go down instead of up? The 90km ride was significantly harder than the 50! Then this false reading affects the next reading and so on.

0 e7andy over 2 years ago in reply to 4017833

What training load do you have in those activities? Could you share links to them? It is a lot easier if we can take a look at it instead of asking for each value.

0 4017833 over 2 years ago in reply to e7andy

Well currently, after a hard ride yesterday I’m having a rest day, but Garmin is confused, telling me I’m both Unproductive (Training Status) AND Optimal (Training Load) ! Garmin AI leaves a lot to be desired, even after more than a year of receiving consistent daily data from me, it still thinks I’m someone else! Perhaps an impossible human who can split themselves in two? Bizarre.

0 e7andy over 2 years ago in reply to 4017833

Unproductive means that your VO2 max is sinking and your load is good so those statements by Garmin Connect are true. They should be exactly like that.

0 4017833 over 2 years ago in reply to e7andy

Why would VO2 max drop, if training load is good? It doesn't make sense. VO2 max doesn't rise and fall that rapidly, especially if you're riding 150 - 200km per week. Sure I'm not a pro, riding 700km per week, but most Garmin users aren't!

Garmin AI seems to think we humans are capable of perpetually increasing our training load, instead of recognising that most of us are mere mortals. ...I wonder what happens when a pro rider is already doing 700km per week and Garmin thinks they should be doing more? I think the presumption of perpetual increase in training load is serious glitch in the Garmin algorithm - clearly articulating the limitations of AI.

0 e7andy over 2 years ago in reply to 4017833

Good training load doesn't mean that your VO2 max will increase. It can go either way. You body is not a machine. It will also take time to change your performance values. Why your VO2 max is going down right now is probably caused by the training you did several weeks ago. Your training load is currently good and you might see an increase in your performance values in a few weeks or months. It depends a lot on where you are in your training. For beginners the increase will go faster than for people that has been training for years.

The VO2 max value can go down 0.1 so you will not even see a change in value since it is an integer in the presentation. You have to look at the arrow next to the VO2 max value in the Training status widget to which direction your VO2 max is moving.

You don't have to constantly increase the training load. That is not how it works. You need to have easy weeks and periods. When the training load goes down you can see an increase in your VO2 max. That is when you are likely to see the training status "Peaking" and you are ready for a race.
Garmin rewards variation in training load. Check the load focus. It is good to have a balance between anaerobic, high and low aerobic activities but that doesn't guarantee that you will get more fit.

Training status and what they mean: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/fenix5x/EN-US/GUID-6F81BF5B-B49A-4506-95E2-0F4A04D8B319.html

You also need to remember that this device that only can estimate your VO2 max from the data you give it. If you do an exercise under circumstances that will affect your performance in a negative way like running in snow or on ice you will get bad values. For biking it works better since you use a power meter to measure the effort but external circumstances can still affect your performance and give you incorrect values.

It is a very good idea to go to a test clinique and get your values measured by professional equipment so you have the correct max heart rate, lactate threshold, VO2 max, FTP etc. Without correct values it is hard for the watch to give you correct feedback.