I’ve recently gotten into training and did my first FTP Test on my trainer, getting 179W on the 25 Minute ramp test without any cooling which created problems quite quickly for me and I had noted I can hold far more perceived power when I’m outside with wind brushing on me.
As someone who hasn’t done basically any training before I’m curious if my goal of a 300W FTP In the next 7 months is achievable? I’m currently 85kg at 5’11 which puts me around 2.11w/Kg which is pretty low from my understanding and 300W would put me at 3.5w/Kg.
I’m currently setup on a high volume workout plan and want to get my Zone 2 power as high as possible as the reason I’m training is for a 400 Mile ride for charity next year and want to do it in one session.
For some more information, I’m a 22 Year old relatively untrained rider, I do MTB Almost every weekend and usually stay out for 6-8 Hours, ideally with enough power I want to get into XC Racing too.
Not nearly enough info for us to answer…likely a low FTP test result due to lack of cooling, not enough info on past training history, etc.
In general, however, it is not uncommon to see big gains in FTP when first beginning a structured training program. However, going up to 300w may be a bit ambitious.
That said, you should not set FTP goals, especially this early in your atheltic endeavors. Too much you don’t know about your own body and systems. Best to focus on process goals…if you do that, the FTP gains will come.
In 7 months? I would say that it would be difficult to achieve both an adequate preparation for such a long event and target a ~70% FTP increase, simultaneously.
Are both achievable for you? More than likely. A medium volume sweet spot base phase with some sustained threshold and VO2 work would undoubtedly push your FTP up pretty quickly with your background; but, does that help on a 30+ hour ride more than high volume training plan with a ton of endurance? Probably not.
I would identify a primary goal (FTP or the event) and train with more specificity to that, within your timeframe.
Longer answer - I would avoid setting yourself any FTP goals right now as you have almost no context in which to set meaningful goals. Focus on following a plan consistently, see where it takes you. Once you’ve got a year of solid and consistent structured training under your belt you’ll have a better idea of what’s possible. My gut take is also that jumping straight into a high volume plan is too much and that you won’t be able to stick with it consistently. I would start on a medium or low volume plan and then add in more easy miles (and skills work given that you’re a MTBer), only add more structured volume once you’ve ticked off a few blocks of nailing at least 80% of your workouts.
No real way to answer this without knowing where you actually are right now. An uncooled ramp test is as accurate as me looking at you and taking a stab at your FTP.
I don’t think its crazy to hit 3.5 w/kg in 7 months, especially since your FTP is probably low due to lack of cooling during your test. Noob gains are real. I went from 195 (2.5 w/kg) in Sept '21 to 275 (3.6 w/kg) in May '22 on noob gains. That was on a low volume plan.
I would, however, caution you about biting off more than you can chew by jumping right into high volume. If you can stay consistent with the plan without burnout, great. But make sure you are accounting for those weekend MTB rides…we see it all the time on the forum with people wondering why they aren’t improving. Usually its lack of consistency and too much unstructured riding.
Thank you all for letting me know there’s not enough info in general
I’ve setup a “General Base, High Volume” plan for the first 4 week block in TR, wanting to see if I can stick to the schedule properly, the first workout I ran I realized I can’t do them without starting earlier in the day and adjusted because of that.
I’ll be taking this to heart, thanks a lot!
I care more about the event, the desire to push the FTP Numbers up was from a matter of wanting to “get it over with” on the ride itself, hopefully cutting a few hours off since it will be primarily flat.
My plan was to run the Friday workouts in the morning to allow my body the most chance for rest, do you think HR data alone is enough to figure out recovery times when I’m doing MTB? I’ve not yet got a power meter for any of my bikes
This is kind of my hope! Along with the unreliable data from the lack of cooling I hope that I can push myself a bit further and have a more realistic goal
I did Palace to Palace (45 mile ver) on my hardtail with gravel tyres and found myself to enjoy that a lot. I’ll come back after a month with some hopefully more useful numbers and a better understanding of my tolerance for training, got two vacmasters on the way so I can clear up the cooling issues
Not sure if this chart is still considered accurate, but here’s a W/kg chart vs “level” of cyclist (level in the racing sense - Cat 1 = elite, Cat 5 = noob). Regardless of weight, 300W is almost always good - even for a larger (but fit) cyclist, that’s enough to hang on all but the fastest group rides and compete in Cat 5 and Masters B races.
Like above comments, I’d say 300W in 7 months is quite ambitious for somebody with no recent athletic training. But, it’s not unreasonable after a year or two of consistent training for many people. A lot depends on consistency and time commitment - rule of diminishing returns starts to kick in at some point and every additional watt takes that much more effort/time to achieve.
The high volume plans are HARD - unless TR has changed their recommendations, HV plans are really intended for elite athletes with years of training under their belts. Seriously consider dropping to medium or low volume. If neither feels like enough, supplement with extra Z2 miles on the weekends. I alternate LV and MV plans, which allows me to get in group rides and fun rides as well (going full MV or even HV would move the fun needle from “I love cycling” to “this is more work than my day job”).
Are you trying to loose weight as well? 85kg isn’t super heavy for your height, but if you’re planning to cut down a few pounds over the 7 months, that’s going to impact your FTP gains (especially the closer you get to the end of your plan and the noob gains are already fully realized).
WRT heart rate and measuring effort/recovery - it can work (subject to all the normal HR caveats - it moves based on fatigue, sleep, nutrition, etc). It also doesn’t do as good a job measuring relative intensity of a ride (you can do a 3 hours ride with an average HR in the endurance zone, but throw in a handful of massive efforts - punchy climbs, sprints, whatever - and that average value doesn’t really capture the workload).
We recommend high volume only for athletes who are experienced with interval training and have plateaued with the mid-volume version of the plan. We don’t recommend high volume for cyclists who intend to add additional rides beyond their plan’s scheduled workouts; these athletes are better served by the low- or mid-volume version.
I think the ramp test is supposed to be around 10-20 minutes which means you started too low. Maybe try again started higher.
You definitely want cooling for effective indoor training - not just fans. Fans in a 73 degree heated house are just blowing hot air on you. At least open windows to move to a cooler location if you can.
Yes the ftp goals are insane and unlikely to be achievable. However, maybe you respond unusually well and prove intuition wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time, but if I was a betting man, I would not put money on your success. A better goal would be to train to complete your ride, which is super long and unusual. It would be a big goal to achieve by actually riding 400mi continuously
In Randonneuring/Brevet world most riders will take a nap in a 400 mile distance. Only experienced athletes would do without.
Mental strength is at least as important as fitness in that distance. That typically requires experience.
But you could be the exception to the rule, who knows🤷
@TheGamingBarrel you did fine. Be aware that this is an open forum with lots of voices that neither use nor agree with TrainerRoad - which is ultimately a good thing but can be confusing for the beginner.
I think it is achievable.
I started in July with 167 w FTP, 72kg weight, about 2.32w/kg.
In the end of November, my FTP is 222w and weight 63.5 kg, which is about 3.5w/kg.
55w increase from 167w, which is 33% increase.
Total about 5 months of hard work.
I did traditional base mid volume with lots of weekend ride.
However, I would rather stay at lower FTP, because my training is becoming challenging…
Most importantly, when cycling becoming a number game, it will start to deteriorate your enjoying in actual cycling.
For your case is bit different though. If your weight stays the same, you need to increase about 121w, which is about 67.5% increase from 179w; that is about 17.3w increase per month. Seems difficult to me.
Yes it’s achievable. That will depend on how technical you are in your diet, and will/push.
I’m at your same weight more or less. I train powerflifting too, but I’ve been off for a while (knee injury 1st september, just started again a week or so ago).
I have no problem holding a 200w over 20mins, without pushing max. I know that when I get my strength back to where it should be, 270/280 will feel about as much as a 200w now.
But my focus is in many places (hiking, mtb, martial arts, powerlifting/gym). If your sole focus is ftp, you surely can. Given you have also enough free time.
It might have some value to overeat and gain some kilos in the first months, and then cut down back to 85kg in the last 1/2 months. The strength/power increase while overeating is off the charts
As Joe just posted the workout is listed as 25 minutes so maybe that is all he meant? If you are making near same power as you currently have your FTP set then you will hit that same FTP right before 20 minutes, 19:30 something I think? So for most people who are not gaining or loosing significant power the test will be about 20 minutes and then there is a 5 minute cool down. Looking at recent finished ramp tests it looks like a lot are in the 24 min range.
Awesome! Just don’t set yourself up for disappointment, you have so much to experience on your journey in bike fitness and those initial gains are great! Just remember to be kind to tire body, gains are only realised when your body can actually recover and adapt!!
