Here’s the sitch… Just finished the rest week of first half of Short Power Build Low Volume. Did a ramp test today and got a 4 watt increase. Race is season has started but I have no specific goals this year other than working on being a better/stronger/more tactically savvy crit. racer. In the past I’ve wanted to be a well rounded rider but to my detriment I feel that’s left me just average at all aspects of riding. It seems a little ridiculous to focus on crit racing since I’m a small guy at 5’8 130 lbs but it’s probably the weakest part of my riding so I figured it would be good to focus on it for a season.
My question is: When would be a realistic time in the season to stop testing FTP? I can’t see it being beneficial to keep testing through out the whole of the season b/c if, for example, you’re about to start the specialty phase of training it would make it hard to complete workouts and therefor raising your FTP wouldn’t be beneficial. In my case I almost feel like I should do a few weeks of base then start the build phase again. Anyone else been in similar situation or have tips on how you’ve handled this scenario?
I’m doing back to back builds. this time low volume though. I just finished a different one (sustained), realized I’m not where I need to be and fearing the speciality won’t get me there. So, back to short power and hoping to build it up as crit season just started here in CO. Then speciality.
I think the workouts and plans are designed make you reap the most benefit from training at power targets around your current fitness level. So in theory if you keep retesting and training at the higher level you will get stronger and faster until you hit your “genetic potential” (whatever that is). The workouts will be hard, but they wouldn’t be as productive if they were easier. Hope this helps.
Nice, I’m in CO as well. Just got worked at the Louisville crit yesterday but all in the name of good training and to pop the crit season cherry. What category?
Yeah I understand what you’re saying and if you were just interested in building fitness/FTP as high as you could and not racing I think that would work. If one is planing on racing and actually having the fitness to compete I think you would want to build your FTP to a certain point and then build or specialty plan to get really good at that particular wattage. (Ex: building your time at 95-100% of FTP from 3 sets of 10 min to 3 sets of 20 min or extending time at 115-120% from 3min up 6 or 8 min x’s however many sets) I think this was talked about in a previous podcast but I can’t remember which #.
@aaronBgood I’m debating. I just finished sustained power - had to make some tweaks as I went a lil vaca to to AZ for a short week of riding hard-ish, and getting sick for a half week and extending some recovery. I did sustained because I wanted some more endurance for longer road races and I do some marathon XC stuff too. But my bread and butter are crits. I felt semi strong at some of the Project SuperTraining rides this winter, my FTP has gone up since I started with the base plans after CX. but I just don’t feel as strong as I did at the end of the road season last year where I was doing very well. I know, that’s probably expected as it is March.
I was at Louisville. Got worked and dropped with like four to go. I’m a 3 right now. Im new to TR and thought I would try it as I was a bit crunched for time this winter.
Unless the speciality phase is going to help keep boosting fitness instead of maintaining, I may go with short power. Or maybe the first four weeks of it and then go to crit/rolling road race.