What happens to your body during a warmup, the do’s and don’ts of pre-workout nutrition, why you may reconsider your next recovery drink & more in this week’s episode of the Ask a Cycling coach Podcast.
Topics covered in this episode
- TrainerRoad CX Nationals Athlete Panel Event
- We’re hiring three software engineers! (www.TrainerRoad.com/jobs)
- Why you should sync Strava and Garmin Connect to TrainerRoad
- The science behind warmups
- What actually happens during a warmup?
- How to know when you should warm up
- What type of warmup is best for your next race?
- Should you train while you are sick?
- How to come back to training after illness
- Do smart trainers and power meters measure power differently?
- Can upper body mass make you a faster cyclist?
- How to time your strength training
- Is heat training discipline specific?
- Pre-workout nutrition to fuel your workouts
- What you should think of before taking in a recovery drink
- How to become a better climber
For more cycling training knowledge, listen to the Ask a Cycling Coach — the only podcast dedicated to making you a faster cyclist. New episodes are released weekly.
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Hi… Just discovered your podcasts and love them. I’m looking for some advice as I can’t seem to improve my FTP.
I’ve almost completed SP-LVII after SS-LVII base and planning on 40km speciality.
I’m training at 285ftp which resulted in 276, 277 for my last two tests. After 3 months I’m a little disappointed with my inability to progress even though I subjectively ‘feel’ fitter.
I’m unsure what direction to take. Have difficulty maintaining 90+ rpm during threshold sessions and flake in the last 2-3 intervals (have to take breathers), so increasing FTP will really cook me. However, I can deal with sweatspot sessions fine.
I commute 2×10 miles daily (easy riding).
Cheers.
Derrick (London, UK)
Hey Derrick,
If you are consistently unable to meet the demands of your Threshold and VO2 intervals, then it would benefit you to lower your FTP. I know this can be a bit disheartening but there are a few reasons this could happen.
1. The demands on your body are different in Build than in Base. As power demands rise above threshold, your zones start to differ slightly with respect to your FTP. In other words, it doesnt scale perfectly. For this reason, it may seem like your FTP has plateued, or even gone down, however the reality is that you are just working on a different energy system.
2. You may be slightly fatigued. This can result from weeks of continuous training, leaving you less able to express high percentages of your FTP. This can effect your performance in your workouts and also in your FTP tests.
All in all, it is important to remember that you are getting faster. While this might not be reflected in your FTP currently, as you recover and your freshness increases, the work that you have done will express themselves come race day. Just keep up the hard work 🙂
Hi Bryce
Many thanks for your reply, its a relief to hear that you’ve encountered this scenario before. I seem to be in a minority by not making significant FTP gains!
I’m thinking about dropping to 279w and repeating wks 6 & 7 (SP-LVII), to see if I can complete sessions without ‘leg resting’ during final intervals. Then recovery week and move on to 40k speciality. Or do you suggest an alternative?
Sometimes I throw in an occasional SS session on a Sunday (Eichorn) . Should I run this at 285ftp (as I can cope ok at this power) or marry it up to my new threshold FTP?
Thanks for your help.
Derrick.
Hey Derrick!
Your plan sounds solid and it would be great if you could find the power level that you are able to sustain for supra-threshold intervals. As for which Specialty Phase you should choose, this will depend on your goals and aspirations for your season. You should select the phase that most closely aligns with the efforts you will see in your races.
With regards to the Sweet Spot work, you can absolutely bump up your FTP in this instance. Another thing you can do is simply increase the intensity of the workout in the lower left. By bumping up to 105-110% intensity, you can keep your FTP constant while still challenging yourself during the Sweet Spot work 🙂
Cheers,
Bryce
Thanks Bryce
Ahh, great idea on the boost in % on SS, I’ll try that.
Sorry, I wasn’t clear in the other part of my message. I’m doing a TT based plan for race season (10 & 25 miles), I was referring to revisiting weeks 6 & 7 – which you have confirmed.
Fingers crossed dropping back will allow some gains further along the line. My aim was to hit 300w FTP. That’s looking a bit ambitious haha.
Cheers!
Derrick.
I’ve just gone from using the Elite Tubo Muin Misuro B+ to a Stages Powermeter as the questioner asks.
Yes, there are differences. The Misuro is a power estimator based on a speed & cadence algorithm. It’s also a notable flakey power curve. In general it overestimates power by ~30W. There’s a few threads on forums about this. Very different to the optical OTS that the direto & later Elite smart trainers use.
I’ve compared the stages to my older Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro which I used until recently. This is a bit closer to stages but slightly lower ~5-10W.
My FTP dropped from ~250W to ~220W, so you’ll need to do a new FTP test.
The Turbo Muin though is a beast. 250W at 36×17 and 90rpm!!
Stephen
Stop teasing us with the new features that need strava and garmin connect linked. I’m thoroughly hyped.
Hope it makes me faster 🙂
Buongiorno! Volevo postare il mio problema…stó eseguendo il secondo step del piano base, ma da piú di una settimana che mi sento le gambe stanchissime e mi bruciano le gambe…ho fatto il test ftp da poco…non é che sbaglio ad alimentarmi? Durante la sessione bevo solo acqua
Buongiorno!
Il mio problema é che dopo due settimane del secondo steep del piano base, ho le gambe stanchissime e doloranti .
Ho fatto il test ftp due settimane fá…potrebbe essere un problema di alimentazione? Durante la sessione bdbo solamente acqua.
Grazie
Ciao,
Questa è una domanda difficile a cui rispondere perché non sappiamo quale piano stai usando o la tua esperienza di formazione passata. Sembra probabile che tu stia utilizzando un piano con troppo volume, nel qual caso dovresti scendere a un piano di volume inferiore.
Se sei già nel piano di volume più basso, puoi provare a ridurre l’intensità delle corse del 5% circa fino a quando non sarai in grado di completare con successo le corse settimane dopo settimana.
Buona fortuna con il tuo allenamento!