Hi All,
I try to use the search function but most of the questions were the opposite of my situation. I would like to know if ppl have experience or some useful references for calculating sea level FTP, when one lives and trains at altitude.
Is it as simple as use the reverse of this table?
Is the effect permanent or it wears out overtime?
I’ve never trained or raced at sea level, does it mean I never got to do true personal physiological maximal efforts?
Thanks.
I don’t have the answer, but I tried searching to find a “calculator” and couldn’t find one. Seems like a “simple” item with a chance of making a spreadsheet with input of FTP, Training & Event Elevations to give an effective FTP. Might be one out there and I just missed it?
You would just divide your ftp by that amount. For example, if you live at 8000ft (acclimated) and have a ftp of 300, then your estimated sea level ftp would be 300 / 0.886 = 338.
When you live at sea level, your body will lose the physiological adaptations it made it live at elevation (less red blood cells, I think). This would have your 338 reduced over time. However, I don’t think it would go all the way back to 300 because there is just less oxygen at 8000ft and your body cannot fully acclimate to it as if it was at sea level.
So you think the adjustment is symetrical ? (from sea level to altitude = from altitude to sea level)…
This is a MASSIVE difference, like a complete different rider! lol…I would go from 3.6 to 4.1 w/kg.
I have a hard time imagining the difference is generally symmetrical. Altitude imposes a restriction on one part of the energy generation process, the O2 uptake. When that’s less restricted, if other aspects of the process have the capacity, you might see that symmetrical gain – but they are almost certainly not.
Anecdotal example, I live at ~5000 ft, and when I ride hard at sea level my legs “break” in a way that I simply couldn’t do up high. So I ride harder, sure, but it’s not like I’m simply 5% faster, I have more oxygen, and can produce more power for some time, but then the rest of the biological side of the drivetrain starts to lag.
Interesting, I wonder if there’s a way to train the muscular endurance at altitude, to be able to “use” the newfound sea level watts
Not sure which might be right, but here are some likely ones to check:
Interesting discussion/thought.
I also imagine it wouldn’t be symmetrical, though there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support a bump going down to Sea Level.
In one regard, how can the body fully utilise the oxygen at a higher Power if it’s never experienced that Power. Obviously there’s a genetic component.
If I could use a car analogy, you could tune an engine for efficiency at altitude, it would inject less fuel. Going down to sea level, there would be more oxygen available and on a simple system it could compensate to a point of adding more fuel, but eventually you’d have to change out injectors or add more fuel some how.
Obviously that’s talking reasonably large differences, but equally, if an athlete has never produced say 400W in more than a sprint, but at sea level that’s what the amount of oxygen should support, how could the body be prepared without mitochondrial/muscular adaptations 
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I bet the research does exist. It’s just an interesting thing to think about.
I’ve noticed when I go from altitude to sea level that my TTE goes way up. Basically, I can ride at high heart rate for longer. I’m sure I’m riding at higher power output also - but I don’t have a power meter so can’t quantify.
There been some discussion on the podcast about live high/train low being an ideal scenario. In other words the body is used to living with less oxygen at altitude but training low allows the body to be used to producing high power.
Edit: I think it’s episode 360 that Chad mentions this concept.
I had always understood that this effect of altitude does work both directions. If you live at 8k feet your day-to-day FTP represents the adapted FTP at that altitude. If you go down to sea level you should see a bump in line with the chart.
If you live at a;titude you can use supplmental oxygen on the trainer to do high intensity intervals to build the strength you can replicate at altitude. Think of it as low altitude in a bottle.
I live at 6k feet in dry climate and train a lot at 7-8k and have done so for most of my life. When I go vacation to Hawaii my FTP feels identical. I’ve never done a test there, but the RPE at given wattages feels very similar and maybe harder due to the humidity. I absolutely don’t get a 7-11% bump.
If I go to Tucson or Phoenix (2k feet but also super dry), I think I can do a few more watts but it’s very subtle. There’s definitely no obvious “oh, I can do 30 more watts at the same hr/RPE, this is amazing” effect.
Have you actually done this? I live at 7.2k’ and would be interested in trying this but…don’t really want to go get an O2 prescription.
I’m curious as well. Maybe this is a great question for Chad and the TR crew.
I found this article by the Alex Hutchinson… There’s New Data on Training with Supplemental Oxygen - Outside Online
But the cited study seems to be comparing sea level training vs hyperoxic training…NOT altitude training vs sea level (or hyperoxic) training.
It seems pretty well settled that the best way to train as an aerobic athlete is to live at altitude and do your high intensity training at low altitude, so it would certainly follow that if you live at altitude and can’t train low the next best thing might be to supplement oxygen while remaining at altitude.
I wonder how costly a setup might be though.
Interested in this. I wonder if there’s an objective way to calculate “sea level” FTP 
See the first post and the subsequent discussion, I think that study data is the objective way.
Where going from Altitude I multiply by the Bassett number, a starting point going the other way would be divide. I’ve only gone from seal level to altitude, not the other way, I found that I personally was a closer to the acclimatized number after a week or so. Coming back to Sea Level and a little rest, I can say I felt great and immediately crushed a handful of PR’s.
Seems a bit optimistic. It would bump me 0.5 w/kg 
Well, FWIW, I lose ~0.7 W/ kg from Sea level to 10K ft, and subjectively from riding at different intensities, that worked for me.
I could see going down in elevation being different though. If you think about it, if I’ve been training at a 310w FTP (Which was me last summer), and then go to elevation and go down to 250-260, my legs and body are used to the higher force production. If you go the other way, I could see it being different trying to put out a higher level of force that your legs aren’t used to (e.g., if you were used to 250-260 at altitude, it seems to me that all of a sudden trying to use 310 as your threshold at sea level would be different).
Ultimately, I think there’s some variation person to person, so best way to find out would be do a 10-20 minute threshold “check” interval at sea level making note of RPE and Heart Rate, and how that compares to your threshold at altitude.
Went from 8k to sea level and experienced a massive increase in power from 5m to 15m. 8-10%. Let’s see for how long this lasts.