So I’ve started with TR for a week now. Have moved around some trainings because of, well, life - but have done them all nonetheless.
It started of course with the Ramp Test that put my FTP at 279. I record all TR workouts also on my Garmin FR945 to keep track of my training status. It seems double, but I like it because me and Garmin go way back
Now after today’s training, the Garmin detected a new FTP of 284! Cool, of course - but TR didn’t provide such an update.
Question: should I accept the newly detected FTP on my Garmin, or not?
Greetings from the Netherlands, where it is indeed very rainy and windy (ref. to the podcast).
My eFTP shot up to 296w two weeks back and has settled at 286w. I think Garmin might similarly calculate FTP. But my TR FTP is 249w and on long intervals and sessions I don’t feel its too low or the need to up it. I could be wrong but I think eFTP/garmin FTP are calculate on short intervals which sometimes I can nail but I doubt I could sustain it over an hour.
I’d leave your FTP as is for now but subsequent to that if you feel you’ve got more in you raise it as per the Garmin
I do the same thing recording all my workouts with TR and/or Zwift rides with my Garmin. TR won’t provide an FTP update outside of the Ramp or FTP Test and it sounds like your Garmin suggested the new FTP after a regular training session which in that case I’d accept the Garmin FTP and keep moving on. The 5W difference won’t really change much in the grand scheme of things, but the motivation of seeing an increase in FTP likely will.
It depends. When was the ramp?
What wo were you doing on TR?
If you are on ERG mode, your FTP shouldn’t change dramatically. TR will keep in in place.
In my case, even after WO that are slightly over FTP garmin would tell me my FTP was lower, which is kind of expected because im not doing a test, so my power was a lower rate that should, plus the rest periods of the wo
Is your garmin paired to a pedal/crank based power meter while your TR software is paired to a smart trainer?
5W higher on the garmin sounds like about a drive train efficiency loss. Might just be the same FTP measured at different points on the bike. If so you should probably go with the power source that is consistently paired to TR.
Guessing you are using power match, correct?
that wo shouldn’t give you higher power reading. But garmin do crazy shit with their estimates… so who knows. Maybe the 20s sprints are enough to trigger a higher FTP… I would keep the TR for consistency.
You can always add more individual wo and see how you react to them.
I guess you could try putting that new Garmin FTP into TR and base your workouts on it. If you’re able to complete everything then you’re golden and if you can’t then you have your answer.
Workouts like Shasta are certainly easier to go well above the 200% FTP setting for the 20" sprints and I wouldn’t have thought your Garmin would actually suggest a new FTP from that style of workout–I’ve done plenty of those ones and haven’t seen that on my end anyway.
There is something wrong with your Garmin. I am not sure what is doing (or smoking). That wo should not trigger and FTP change. Or at least i dont think so.
One way to find out if that’s the FTP: manually update the TR ftp and see if you can complete the WOs.
If you can, then no reason not to keep the ftp. If you struggle you can always move back down.
The only time my Garmin has detected a new FTP was right after I did a 20 minute test. The weird thing is that it suggested my 20 minute power as my FTP, not 95%. I don’t quite trust it.
I happened to be doing 10 second maximal sprints (just started the Endurance Diet 6 week quick start) and my Garmin Fenix 6 offered to bump up my FTP by a few watts as well. Xert also pushed up all my numbers afterwards.
I’ve been using TR consistently for 6+ months so that wasn’t due to a lack of data. I put it down to the fact that when I’m following TR plans I’m sticking to a prescribed wattage which is based off my FTP so there is no reason for these automated systems to be bumping up my numbers. Yesterday’s workout was 12 maximal 10 second efforts which means they suddenly got data that was very different than they’d seen before. If what you were doing is similar it may well be down to that and not a faulty device, all of these estimates are based off curves so if you suddenly pushed part of it out a long way it may have increased other areas as well.
If you are going to increase your FTP on the Garmin I’d definitely recommend changing it in TR otherwise the Garmin is going to think everything suddenly got easier for you when you are following TR workouts and that is going to throw out all of your other metrics. If you can’t handle the TR workouts at the new number then reduce both back down, I always keep mine matched.
In the last 6 weeks:
October 6 - Garmin FTP update after 30 second sprint workout
October 8 - Garmin FTP update after short threshold interval workout
October 13 - Garmin FTP update after short threshold interval workout
October 27 - Garmin FTP update after short threshold interval workout
All of those estimates are believable. This feature has worked very well for me over the last 16 months that I’ve owned the 530, nothing unusual or suspicious.
My Garmin Fenix 6 also gave me a bump in FTP last week after I did Shasta (from 231 to 237). I accepted it on the watch but kept the same FTP on TR. Should I have changed it in TrainerRoad as well?
