I’ve recently came back to trainerroad and did AI FTP detection based on my previously recent rides, since then I’m following the low base plan and I’m not going to my phase 2 recovery week.
My FTP progression since I came back was
162 in Nov, 30th
172 in Dec, 28th
181 Jan, 14th
190 Jan, 21st
the last two times was TR AI that told me to update my FTP after I completed a 9.9 VO2 workout. I’ve done a several weeks over 400 TTS a few close to 500 TSS with 5 hard workouts during the week, I’m definitely adding more than the low volume schedule rides. I don’t usually fell too tired and most of my workouts are marked as easy or moderate with the exception of the two 9.9 workouts that I marked hard and very hard.
The question is, am I over training and this is going to catch up to me at some point or is my AI ftp too low and I should try to manually increase it or try to do a +5% or +10% week during my low volume base phase 3?
It doesn’t look like I should be able to be doing 5 hard workouts in 1 week based on my previous experience with TR.
How are you determining that these are “hard workouts”? Cause if you’re marking them as easy or moderate then they might not be all that hard.
Have you done any FTP workouts? If so, how did they feel?
I probably wouldn’t just go around randomly upping my FTP without a good reason.
My first impression is, Yes, your FTP is likely set too low if you’re able to complete 5 hard workouts a week. But this really isn’t enough information to answer your question. We’d have to see what those workouts actually are, how they feel, etc etc.
Yeah, if your FTP was set correctly weeks like that back to back to back would likely leave you feeling completely wasted.
I’m not going to try to guess what your FTP actually is but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s at least 10% too low.
I would take a rest day, an easy day, and maybe an opener day and then doing an FTP test. I would recommend against doing a ramp test as they can be highly inaccurate. At minimum do a 20min test but longer is likely better. So something like Kolie Moore’s FTP test is great. It does take a level of familiarity with pacing FTP efforts but I think a failed test will teach you much more than a “successful” but less accurate test.
Here’s the link to the original article about the test. The first part gets a little science-y but it’s informative.
Not really how “overtraining” works. If you aren’t tired, then you’re not tired.
(inb4 someone replies with some extreme case that we arent even talking about). In the scope of your question, AI Ftp is going to be conservative; keeps inching you up every 4 weeks. It definitely doesn’t want to overestimate you and spit you out of your training plan, then you’ll be frustrated and probably make a post here about the training being too hard.
Could stick to the plan and keep answering surveys correctly and honestly and it will figure you out. Or do Kolie’s protocol that was mentioned and really find out what ftp you’re dealing with
I would avoid the ramp test if possible. Sure it works for a certain number of people but it can just as easily over or under estimate ftp. You’re much better served by doing a longer test.
It looks to me like your FTP is too low. When i first started TR, it took awhile for it to catch up. If you dont want to wait that long, i think the advice you have been given here is good or alternatively just increase the intensity each ride. In my experience, VO2 should be hard or too hard and sometimes all out, threshold should be hard or too hard, and seeet spot should be moderate or hard. Id increase the intensity to those levels and AI FTP will catch up.
Keep riding and letting it update your ftp until it gets hard. If you did 5 ‘hard workouts’ in a week and still recovered, then they weren’t hard. When you start manually messing with their algorithm is when you’ll get yourself into trouble. Be flattered by the fast progression and enjoy it while it lasts
I’ll echo this… And increase it to like 20% too low… Based off of those workouts for those two weeks, I think I’d struggle to complete that week even at 90%.
To the OP, The bigger issue to me is that you would think that structured weeks should look like this… This is the antithesis of pyramidal or polarized training, and even if you’re 20% off with your FTP estimation, you’re doing basically all sweet spot every day, which isn’t great either short term or long term…
In two years of consistent TR training I don’t think I’ve ever been prescribed a workout over 6.1 or 6.2. I can’t imagine doing a 9.9 anything and it only being hard or very hard.
If you stop adjusting your FTP every month (basically TR are the only plans I’ve seen do this) you will be prescribed higher PL workouts. IMHO it’s better to test at the end of training blocks or every 2 months or so. This is one of the biggest downsides. Many of the most productive workouts are at higher PLs, but if you’re constantly changing your FTP , thus PLs drop, you never get there.
My understanding is that the higher PL will be longer intervals with shorter breaks. Is that more productive? I am not a coach, but would imagine the coaching answer would be: It depends
