Started my first season of structured training last September. During SSB phase I was pleasantly surprised by FTP increase (roughly 10% in total), but today I’ve done Ramp test after 4 weeks into Build phase (sustained build) and increase is less than 2%. Shouldn’t build phase produce more improvement?
Full background:
started SSB MV1 on September 3rd (base FTP 232W)
completed MV1 + MV2 on December 9th (illness week here, extension week there), with FTP 256W (+10%, good?)
started Sustained Power Build on December 9th (base FTP 256W)
week 1 total compliance, week 2 replaced two workouts with long outdoor ride (Strava Fondo challenge )
…and then dreaded family/Xmas holidays: 10 days of nothing, came back, did 100 km outside + Red Lake +8 in first week of January
got back to week2 and week3 of SPB with 100% compliance
aligned week 4 (recovery week) with business trip (no training available)
did Ramp test today (as a start of SPB week 5), FTP came out as 261W (less than 2% increase)
I came into test fully rested and properly fueled, so I guess poor result is lack of consistency?
Should I just continue into week 5 of Sustained Power Build? Or restart at week 1 and do it right this time, with full consistency?
This is my first structured training plan ever, so I would appreciate any advice/insight from you.
I don’t have any particular event in mind, so I have time on my schedule.
So since 20-21 Dec you’ve done 2 weeks of training and an outside ride with no riding in the week before a ramp test? I’d take what you’ve got and move on. Life will always get in the way - it’s not been great but you’ve had an improvement nonetheless
My training schedule proved to be hopeless mess for last 9 weeks. I should have completed Build phase by now, but I have been struggling with, well, life…
After successful and consistent completion of SS Base MV1+2, I started Sustained Power Build MV, but all fell apart:
cw 50-2019: SPB MV week1, completed
cw 51-2019: SPB MV week2, completed 2 workouts + 240 TSS Fondo ride, so weekly TSS quite as planned
cw 52-2019: family vacation, no training
cw 01-2020: family vacation, no training
cw 02-2020: SPB MV week2, completed
cw 03-2020: SPB MV week3, completed
cw 04-2020: bussiness trip, no training
cw 05-2020: ramp test, SPB MV week4, completed without last workout (Juneau -1)
cw 06-2020 (now): started SPB MV week5, did only Monadnock +4 on Monday, caught a bad case of cold from kids, probably no training for the rest of the week
So many restarts and dead ends… Honestly don’t know where to start next week (cold will, hopefully, go away by then).
Restart from where I left off (SPB MV week5)?
Re-test and go from SPB MV week4?
Threw everything away and restart Build phase from scratch?
I don’t have any particular event at the end of the tunnel, so my schedule is kinda stretchy.
so my personal view is that when you’re in the “base” phase at least, specificity is overrated. So if i’m on vacation or business trip and can’t ride, i’ll just do whatever activity to get some cardiovascular stimulus (e.g., jog, surfing (surprisingly taxing), burpees in the hotel gym, XC skiing).
When you get back on the bike there is a little bit of a power hiccup but it goes away fast.
I obviously don’t have a counterfactual–there’s no doppleganger of me that goes on vacation and DOESN’T cross-train that we can compare to–but i believe that it helps me.
)