I will be 52 and I should be back over 4W/KG in the next 4 to 6 weeks. As I am still in the SSMV phase. I think it basically up to genetics and I remember reading that only a a small percentage of people will ever be able to go over 4W/KG
Iām 52 and got there in February, after fluctuating between 3.2-3.6 for a number of years. The big difference was deciding to change my diet and cut alcohol for six months - I dropped 12kg in weight, but it also meant I could sustain a MV programme pretty religiously as my recovery was better than it had been for years, meaning I gained 40w at the same time.
Maintaining it will be the challenge now - I donāt want to drop any more weight and power gains are starting to feel hard to come by, so preserving my levels this year will feel like a result.
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45 yrs old and Iāve been hovering around 4w/kg for a while but during lockdown Iāve been able to experiment and see what sort of stimulus works and what doesnāt.
Basically the MV plans work but theyāre not sustainable. I end up over training, and have to take some time away from the bike. I also learned that ramp tests over-estimate my FTP by at least 10w.
Iām more attuned to what my body needs in terms of recovery and Iāve found Iāve been able to obtain the same adaptations as I would have with MV but with far less intensity.
My diet has been vegan for the past 14 months. I drink very little. My weight has gradually decreased from 75kg to around 71.5kg today and that puts me at 4.33w/kg. I think itās possible to get close to 4.5w/kg within a month or two.
Key points:
- Sleep at least 8 hrs. Itās much harder to be motivated to training if Iām feeling tired.
- 5-6hrs sweetspot training per week works really for me.
- Healthy and varied diet.
- 20-30km running each week has very little impact on my cycling.
- Some moderate strength training each week.
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Hah, I forgot about this! Almost there, 280 FTP and 72kg.
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42, and I hover around 3.8 to a PR of 4.4 last season, I default to 4.0 if I ride with some regularity (6 hr/wk). To push past that I need some pretty focused riding and increased volumeā¦ I saw 4.4 last summer after a block of VO2 max and 10min or less virtual gravel hill climb TTs series (those turned out to be great fun and a great training stimulus for me). I went into that block pretty fatigued from 4 months of a MV plan, so taking a different approach this year and maybe that allows for a new w/Kg PR. My PR w/Kg faded really quickly back to 4.0 after a couple of months of just riding, go figure - but was able to maintain 4.0 for the remainder of the season with plenty of just fun riding.
But, if youāre sub 4, youāll want 4 and if youāre 4 youāll want 5.0 etcā¦ donāt let the be the only metric that matters because thereās literally always someone with a better w/Kg
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Well done!
Closer than me. Age 45 3.25w/kg, but peaked at 3.74 last year in August.
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I must be doing something wrong. Iām 43, been on TR since July/2020 doing LV plans but doing a fair amount of outside rides to complement it. TSS varies between 400-600 sometimes more. I finish all my workouts as prescribed. Canāt get past 2.9 w/kg. Tried to eat a bit more to see if Iād improve my raw FTP, but ended up only gaining weight :(. Maybe it is genetics.
Iām not at 3 yet 
Iām in a similar position at 42 although Iām top end of the BMI scale and it takes a lot of hard work to stay there (bowel cancer a few years ago and my gut does not tolerate too much fruit/veg nor much in the way of energy on the bike). Trying to supplement a LV plan this time with a bit more longer endurance at the weekends outside - to be honest, I struggle also with spending more than 90 minutes on the bike indoors. Iām blaming it also on being 193cm tall so Iāll never be that fast up the hills
When people talk about reaching 4 w/kg, what duration/testing method is everyone using? I know my ramp test FTP and my hour power are over 30w difference.
49, I think the hard part is getting the weight down. If your bodyfat isnāt in the single digits, youāre not trying hard enough. At 12% right now, Iām around 4.3 and when I get down to 7-8% that should be around 4.7 or so.
I wouldnāt worry about it - whichever is higher. There is too much variation in environments, equipment and testing protocols for it ever to be truly comparable between riders.
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My personal experience - Iāll be 42 in June. Started cycling around 37 and structured training around 39. Iāve built up to mid volume plans and do those plans pretty consistently. Iām currently 65 kg with an FTP of 275 so about 4.2 W/kg and climbing. Iām still getting 10-15 W increases year to year but I expect that to plateau any moment. Iām hopeful that I can get to 5 W/kg though.
Weight was also a big helper. I went from low 170ās lbs down to 142-145 through good diet and mid volume workloads.
As many others have said, itās all about your genetics and your workload. Everyone is different. W/Kg is just one aspect of being a fit/fast rider and as I get older, focusing on those other aspects - skills, tactics, etc - is becoming more and more important.
To your questions though - Iād assume maintaining is easier than getting there. But by being smart with nutrition, recovery, etc. I hope to stay in the mid to high 4ās for years to comeā¦ Assuming I get there.
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This is key. Wonder how many self proclaim 4w/kg can hold their FTP for only 25 min 
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I came in here hoping to obtain commonalities from those who have conquered this feat, but reading these posts makes it seem trivial
Itās not. Just look at that bell curve (Great post by the way, @AJS914 ).
FWIW, Iām 38 and 3.7 ish. Been trying to hit 4 w/kg for 6 years 
I am going to get a few replies telling me otherwise, but I personally think that you need to be able to hold the power for 40 mins for it to be your FTP.
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40 minutes seems fair. Regardless of what ftp test you use to set training zones, if you canāt hold that for around 40 minutes then you might want to make some adjustments
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I know this may not be why youāre asking this question, but just in case you are and for other cyclists reading this thread (including me), remember that comparison is the thief of joy.
if I recall correctly, men at this age pushing 4 w/kg are at the top 5% of cyclists on TR, itās not doable for most cyclists out there and Iām guessing this is pushing the genetic potential for most people.
I know I will NEVER hit 4 w/kg. I have to keep telling myself that because otherwise, I find myself comparing my performance to others. I keep asking myself whatās holding me back, why canāt I perform like they do? For one, Iām built like a tank and weigh 93kg even after eating clean for a year and cutting calories to the point of losing performance; I cannot lose more weight. I also spent my youth in martial arts and strength sports, I did very little in the way of endurance sports; I just picked up cycling at 40 years old. Lastly, I just donāt have an athletic pedigree.
I know people will say āyouāre just limiting yourselfā or āyouāre telling people to give upā. But I say that you need to know your limits so you can enjoy yourself. I salute all those who have achieved the 4+ w/kg at 40+ years of age, itās a massive achievement and youāre all at the pointy-end of cycling. I will enjoy pushing myself to my limit and be the heaviest rider in the group by 15kg 
.
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To add further context, Iāve been riding and racing for 16 years now. Only the last 2-3 seasons have I had enough data to actually know what my approx. w/Kg. Also remember these values weāre all throwing out are just that, approximations. I have no doubt I started as a sub 3 rider. good thing I like bikes because my fitness is a product of consistent riding for 1.5 decades, it has almost nothing to do with ātalentā