For how long have you been training?
Years. I did racing in my early 20s and got this ftp w/kg in about 3-4 years of 8-10hpw consistently (started at 4 and made it to 5 w/kg at a slightly lighter weight).
Took a few years off but stayed active in general.
Now I have been training for 2 years and I am back at the fitness level, which I got to probably after about 6 months.
All that said, I havenāt had any improvement in ftp in years but I have sustained it no issues without specific ftp training. I have had big progress in my lower duration power numbers tho by purposefully training them and hitting the weights.
I do think I would need to up the hours per week to break through the 5+ w/kg, but honestly, as cool as it sounds, itās not worth the time and effort for me. I also donāt have any climbs longer than 15min in my area so w/kg ftp doesnāt really matter much, vo2 power is the real limiter.
Isnāt it amazing when itās a nice 75 deg evening out we absolutely find time to ride to the āTuesday Nightā ride, hang in the parking lot and chat, do the ride, and then ride home. But when itās a trainer session for 1 hr - oh how easy it is to bail due to lack of time
thatās a lot of hours !
example of 3 core TrainerRoad workouts ? sorry for newbie question
Damn, many of you are training just the bike as much as some competitive triathletes train all 3 sports!
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday scheduled workouts are usually the āmainā workouts to complete. But there is nothing wrong riding zone 2 on days you feel fatigued or want to add more volume. Zone 2 is the bread and butter of endurance sports, In my own opinion.
Started road cycling May 2018
Avg 6-7 hours a week (5hours of pure riding)
Started training September 2020 (using spreadsheets) - TR starting oct 2021.
Was around 4wkg in Jan 2021 - am about 4.5 wkg now.
Still doing around 6-7 hours a week but with a lot more consistency and structured work.
Average week is
Mon - off
Tues - Hard (v02max or threshold) 60mins - I make sure to never miss this session
Wend - Free (run/rock climb/endurance)
Thurs - Moderate 60 min (SS or V02max)
Fri - Pub
Sat - Sweet Spot (90min to 2 hours)
Sun - Long Ride (3-4 hour z2 MTB) (Not every week)
At my wkg Iām quite confident to keep up with most group rides along as it isnāt punchy - but perhaps this is because I donāt train much anerobic.
There is a lot you can do with 3 consistent days per week
Progress is slower now - gaining 5w every month or two, struggling to break the 300 barrier. I feel like Iām pleateaud at my current schedule
Winning the genetic lottery is a wonderful thing.
I got some decent genes. Problem is, I was old when I found out. I didnāt start doing anything athletic until I was about 30.
Right now, close to zero. When I start back Iāll be in the 6-8 hour range, and when I have the time and desire to train seriously I can get up to as much as 12 with work and family obligations. Anymore, and I start to see a negative impact on my health and other aspects of life. I come off the couch with probably 3.8 w/Kg and can train it up to about 4.2 w/Kg - I had targeted 4.5 but Iām not sure if Iāll ever get there with the amount of time Iām willing to put in.
Only gene lotteries I won were the ones for looking younger and solving math problems in my head Riding 8+ hours per week just makes me pack fodder. Love love love to ride my bike and try hanging with the fast group, at least until the road tilts up. But going downhill on skis or a bike at 90kg and Iām gravityās angel.
Iām not sure I won anything anywhere. More like 2 out of 3 numbers needed to win $100.
Usually around 12-15hr/wk depending on the phase Iām in. Iām typically around 4-4.4w/kg (at a whopping ~95kg) depending on time of year. Your training really depends on what your goals are and how much fitness youāre trying to build/maintain along with what youāre able to commit to (obviously).
A typical week for me is something like:
Mon: Off or 1hr easy
Tues: 1.5hr TR intervals AM, occasionally 1-1.5hr at lunch or after work (in summer)
Weds: 0.75-1hr trainer ride AM, 1-1.5hr group ride PM (in summer)
Thurs: 0.75hr activation ride AM, 1.5-2hr TR intervals PM
Fri: 1-1.5hr easy spin either on TR or outside
Sat: 4-5hr either on TR or outside depending on what Iām in the mood for
Sun: 1-1.5hr easy or sweetspot depending on where I am in season.
Iām making lemonade out of lemons
OP, if I was you, Iād keep the 1 hr per weekday and the 2hr ride on one day of the weekend. Take 1-2 days off or 1 off and 1 easy per week. Do 2 days of intervals. My goal would be to increase your power as a priority over increasing training time / distance. I personally focus on developing high power then add on the z2 stuff in the summer when I have time. Building power is hard, building endurance is easy IMO
Works the opposite here, focusing on high power caps me around 250W ftp and focusing on longer and longer zone2 and sweet spot builds an aerobic base that pushes ftp over 270W. Repeatedly seen that over 6+ years.
It could be. It depends.
Hereās a story about one of my group ride buddies. His winter training program is 5-6 hours per week and he maintains a 275 watt FTP. He hangs with the group no problem. Heās also 40 something.
He lifts weights once a week for 1 hour, he swims for 1 hour, and rides for 3-4 hours. Usually that is two x 1hr rides during the week with structure. I usually seem him do 20 minutes of total intervals per ride (SS, threshold). Usually a pyramid format. I see him do a 1-2 hour ride on the weekend (endurance with longer tempo or sweet spot intervals).
So thatās it. 3-4 hours per week of riding and two hours per week of other working out. And heās fast.
Iām kinda sorta not really fast for an enthusiast, at least on flat ground, but more in the road Cat4 sense of kinda fast. And for me thatās 8 hours/week of cycling and 2 hours/week of lifting/mobility work. And Iām about to have my 39th anniversary of turning 21
This is exactly what I do. Build power during the dark cold days (Nov-March) on the trainer, then more long Z2 stuff from April. Within 6 weeks I can have greta endurance.