Your FTP improvements

:joy:

The bike stable is Tony Stark level, but my power levels are more like Hawk Eye, at best :sweat_smile:.

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Date||FTP

  • | - | -
    April 2020|end of GBMV|202
    May 2020|end of SSB MV II|203
    June 2020|middle of SusPB MV|205
    July 2020|end of SusPB MV|215 (this was probably an overtest)
    August 2020|10 days after my big event, the Bergen-Voss gran fondo|210
    November 2020|end of SSB MV I & II| 210
    December 2020|middle of GB MV| 210

To borrow from MasterCard:

Some people #GetFaster. For everyone else, there’s #ProgressIsNotLinear.

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Congrats ! 80 Watts in a year

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Before March I was doing spin class at the gym. I switched over to TR on March 13, guessed my ftp and picked whatever workout looked hard. I did my first new FTP 8 minute test at end of March. I started a TR plan builder plan around May and have stuck to the plan very closely. Here are my results.

3/31/2020 - 293w
5/9/2020 - 325w
5/12/2020 - 306w
6/22/2020 - 314w
8/3/2020 - 336w
8/31/2020 - 329w
9/28/2020 - 339w
11/23/2020 - 337w

Seems like I’m stuck around the 330’s since August. After I finish this plan out, I would like to start another. Is there a plan that focuses just on increasing FTP above all other things (discipline or other)? I used to race MTB and CX years ago, but have no immediate plans to do any racing, I just want to see my ftp gradually go up over 2021 (if possible).

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Thanks! Call it 50 to compensate for the power source swap :sweat_smile:

Still very good :wink:

Just finished SSB1LV after joining TR 6 weeks ago. No prior experience with any sort of consistent training or training plans; just riding as much as I can when the weather permits throughout the summer.
Modest 4W increase (219W to 223W) @ 73kg which was kind of disappointing considering how much fitter I do feel.
Lots of possible reasons but I think over the next 6 weeks of SSB2LV I want to add getting my nutrition in check now that I am training consistently.

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Just did a new RAMP test to start structured TR training scheme.
Went from 303W => 315W. (5.0wkg => 5.2wkg) by unstructured riding and lots (maybe too much) of Zwift racing.
Next target is 325W (5.4wkg), dream big :sweat_smile:
Sweet spot and O/U are going to hurt!

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FTP is just a number , if you feel fitter that already is a big + !! Keep going and improvement will follow ( hey any improvement is good even if it is “only4W”)

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Proper climber right here. That’s Nairo-levels of weight

My FTP test synopsis.
I head out for my ride, legs feel empty. I do a conservative warmup to ride the legs in to form, RPE feels high and HR higher than it should be for the watts. 10 mins to go until I start my 20 minute time trial through hell and I tear open a gel hoping it might make this a little less sucky. It starts, and we’re hurting early. Farkkk this it’s hot and I want to quit 5 minutes in and averaging at 275 watts {current FTP}. 10 mins in and we’re at 285 and struggling, surely no way I could increase power anymore right? 2 minutes to go and everything is starting to go into tunnel vision, and then Thunderstruck starts playing through my earphones, I don’t even like AC/DC but this is what we needed, as the song progresses the watts are flowing and we’re crushing the final minute at 400 and above. It’s over and I collapsed over my bike finding any bit of oxygen I can. I look down and I averaged 299 watts and consequently new 20 min PB!

And that folks, is how AC/DC added 10 watts to my FTP.

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Damn you’re a good story teller, I got was into that lol

But can you spell AC/DC ? :+1:

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The final minute at 400W will inflate your ftp. I would not consider the test to be successful because you did not pace it correctly.

My two cents.

Not so sure about this. Yes, it will rise the avg number couple of watts but if you have power left in your tank that also can be indication that you have paced it a little low. 20 min should be really all out so what 400 watts at the end is the same like 2 watts added to your pacing power. Especially as your FTP is avg not np power.

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I’m doing something wrong.

2020/05/13 - 234
2020/06/17 - 245
2020/09/17 - 246
2020/12/02 - 245

42yo male. Riding for 8yrs now. LV (base/build) plans + outside riding, averaging ~7hrs and 4-600TSS per week.

Ok. If there’s still gas in the tank, it wasn’t paced correctly. Whether the number is too high, or too low.

7/22- 278 prior to SSB1HV
8/11- 297 mid SSB1HV
8/30- 313 completion SSB1HV
8/30 to 10/25- rough personal stretch with very inconsistent riding
12/3- 329 after SSB1MV with an extra long ride thrown in.

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I was not on a good legs day and throughout the whole test it felt like I literally could not go any harder but the final 2 minutes was like ok the end is in sight, let’s kill ourselves. I have done lots of 20 min tests before and am normally just holding onto the power rather than kicking. Yesterday was an exception.

Date FTP W/kg
June 2020 First Ramp Test 166 2.3
July 2020 End Zwift FTP Builder 197 2.9
September 2020 End of TR Oly Tri Base MV 218 3.2
October 2020 End of TR Oly Tri Build MV 231 3.4
December 2020 TR Oly Tri Base MV + 2 Week Break 221 3.3

Another ramp test, first decline in FTP since I started structured training. But I was already expecting it. I stopped training completely for two weeks due to personal and professional commitments combined with stress and low motivation for training. But now I’m back and motivated to get back to keep improving.

According to my previous plan I should be going to Tri Build now, but I’m just going to repeat base, and only then go to build, and shorten the specialty phase.

Now I need some advice: do you think I should accept the lower FTP and the new training zones, or is it acceptable to keep the previous number? I thing I’ll get back to the previous number fairly quickly. I’m thinking of either keeping the old FTP or maybe retest in 2-3 weeks to adjust.

What do you think?

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