Just completed a ramp test prior to starting SSB Mid volume 2, and the results are a 9 watt drop from 295 to 286. Went into the test pretty rested and fueled up, and was hoping for a slight increase as I wasn’t finding the sweet spot intervals overly taxing during SSB Mid Volume 1?
Historically im not a great tester, and dread them! My concerns are if I was finding the sweet spot intervals more than managable during the first block should I,
1: Stick to my current 295
2: Raise it slightly to make them a bit more taxing
3: Drop to the ramp test result (286) and progress from there.
Advise welcome as I want to ensure moving forward im getting the benefit from the next block!
Any one of those 3 options could give you the best benefit in your next block. Without knowing why you experienced an FTP drop, it’s hard to know which one to choose.
Bearing in mind that the primary goal of base isn’t to increase your FTP, I’d be inclined to stick with your current FTP and see how the next week or 2 go. If workouts seem TOO easy consistently then you could manually bump up your FTP a bit.
I would stick with your current FTP, but bump up the individual workouts by 2% until the RPE was more than you expected. Currently doing that now and I think it takes some of the pressure off by exceeding your FTP rather than chasing a higher one that you haven’t achieved in the test.
First two work outs done with a 2% bumps and its defiantly feeling more like sweet spot especially antelope! last 10 mins took a bit of concentration and the cadence dropped to about 86 from 90/92 with a HR of 155, so I think the 2% was a good call