At 47 I started last April with a first FTP test of 239w (2.17 w/kg)… with an aim of 3w/kg…did lots of Zwifting, lost weight and got there… set another new target of 3.5w/kg. Started last October on Trainer road… have now increased FTP to 334w (3.6w/kg). This has me past my target so now the long term aim is to reach 4w/kg.
So to achieve that I’m hoping my weight continues to reduce to 90 kilos (1.2kg off that this mornings weigh in!) and hopefully grinding my way up to an FTP of 360W which would be a perfect 4w/kg. Yes I’m only 26Watts off that but think this 26Watts will be as hard as the first 96 Watts gained, any gain per test I’ll take, I’d snap your hand off for 10 Watt bump right now! Who knows, my body might not be capable of getting 360W out of it.
I’m 49 next birthday, you’ve got many years on me so I would say it may seem far away but you’ll get there if you want it bad enough and put the work in regularly, more chance of getting it than me as you’ve made it there before so you know your body can do it…
So here’s a question on getting to the magic 4, specifically am I being impatient and actually impeding my progress by not taking a break and accumulated training stress is taking a toll? Since starting in September my training has been with the thinking that past April, I doubt that I am going to be riding indoors much and not following any particular “plan” over the summer maybe one local fixed gear hill climb in September. I’m doing this pretty much for personal satisfaction and trying to keep sight of my 21-year old so he’ll still ride with the old man.
SSBLV1 (@167)
SSBLV2(@202)
General Build (@242, 256)
Sustained Build (@256 no gain after second half of GB but bumped to 260).
I think I mentally gave up on the ramp before Sustained Build once I hit “the time”
I’ve pretty much gone one to the next with only a few days off between, the longest be a 5-day stretch off the bike before starting Sustained Build. I’m finishing workouts but going deep to do so. I’m thinking that I need an extra week of low TSS recovery between the first and second half of Sustained. Have I fallen into the trap of being afraid that I will lose gains if I take a complete rest week or will put on weight since I am now at my preferred weight?
Based on my case study of one - you can totally do this.
I’m 50 and my watts/kg has been floating in the 3.5 - 3.8 range but I absolutely know that I could get there if I really focused on it - I have some pounds I could lose and some watts that I could gain!
This is kind of what I was talking about in some earlier posts . . .
After a rest week, if I feel like I haven’t mentally absorbed the work, it probably means that I haven’t physically absorbed it either. And by “mentally absorbed” it, I mean I look at upcoming Vo2 work with demotivating dread, rather than determined anxiety… which is what I feel when I’m going well.
So I will push the whole plan back a week – and just spend a week doing Sweet Spot work. Maybe a Threshold workout as well. Make it a workout you’d look forward to. You won’t lose any fitness at all doing Sweet Spot, and you may mentally/physically recover.
If you went from 242 → 256 during first half of General Build, and then were stuck on 256 after the second half…I’d say you were cooked, and that test is not representative of your capacity. That is my very amateur, unscientific opinion.
The hardest thing for us “masters” to get our heads and bodies around is the recovery. We need more of it – and more of it produces results. I am guilty of this myself. But I learn more and more every week.
In a kind of sick way, it’s fun – run into a brick wall; learn that it takes one day of endurance and one day of rest to bounce back. Jump off the roof; two off days to bounce back – good learnings
I am 58 and I have seen a consistent decline in W/kg ever since I got a power meter at age 46 (yes, I raced in days before power meters. Even before heart rate monitors.). Since that time my weight has been fairly consistent at between 180 and 185 (I am 6’ tall and fairly large frame). Even in my best, younger, days I was maybe at most 10 pounds lighter. Back in my 30’s power meters didn’t exist but I can say that from a max heart rate, RPE, and gearing point of view my power output was significantly higher than it is now. At age 49 my measured FTP was about 325W (3.96 W/kg). These days, ten years later, my FTP is about 275W. My max heart rate has declined from about 178 at age 49 to 172 at age 58. I am currently at 3.3 W/kg. If I lost 10 pounds (which is getting harder and harder) it would go up to 3.5 W/kg. I doubt that my FTP is going to make any huge leaps these days so I would say that, for me, 4 W/kg is a thing of the past. However, in your 40’s it is definitely doable.
Yes it can be done…48 yo. Recent FTP test has me at 299 watts and at 74 kg, and it’s February with a lot of the season left to go to build more. Plus I’ll probably lose another 2 kg. I’ve rarely been this fit this early in the year. Due to an unusually cold and wet winter in Oregon, this is the first year I have followed the Trainer road plans almost exactly, but always do a long road or dirt ride on Saturdays (3-4 hours) This has been the reason for my early fitness I believe. Started with sweet spot base mid volume in November (did not race cyclocross last year), then to short power build mid volume in early January which just finished last week. Focused training works, stick with it and have fun!
PS: My FTP in November was around 270. Goal FTP for mid April will be 310-315 and at 72 KG or around 4.3 w/kg.
I had been sorta wondering this same thing since I turned 40 last week. I bought my first MTB August 2015 and my first road bike August 2016. I bought my trainer and started TR March 2018. I was up around 3.7-3.8w/kg but then had a bad crash on September 1st that kept me from training much for about 3 months. I got back on the bike with intensity on December 1st, started TR workouts (SSB2) again Jan 1st and on Monday just tested at 3.7w/kg. Now that I’m moving onto a build plan I’m hoping that I can hit that 4w/kg mark. It would take a 7% increase so I think that it’s attainable.
There’s your problem right there. It’s not recommended stacking back to back Builds. It’s too much stress. Not to mention SPB which is mentally demanding. I’m guessing with the SPB plan staring down at your future your mind and body didn’t want a FTP increase only to suffer further. I’d recommend move onto a Specialty or drop back to SSB.
Head yes, body no. Overtraining is probably something I’ve never been accused of before lol. Off to the calendar to rethink my approach. Think I will drop the planned SP rides and finish out the week with some recovery rides and start something different next week.
You should be able to hit that. I’m 50 and 3.96w/kg. Been cycling just over 2 years and picked up TR August last year so I’m hoping that the TR magic sauce gets me to break through that artificial barrier.
Can you improve your cycling is the question, W/kg is just measuring the result. If you can improve more, go ahead, where that takes you can only be found out by doing it.
My buddy jokes about this… he calls it Dad speed. He’s actually a year older, but there’s something about determination when you’ve got kids too that gives the dads a little bit of a boost.
I am getting fitter at 40 than I’ve ever been, hoping that this season I can make it up to 4.5 W/kg, only first getting to just under 4 at 38. Been racing triathlon since 30(race age of 31), but never had this sort of consistency.
For me, my trainer sessions are my “thing” that I build my meals and rest and schedules around now. I play with the girls and do my dad stuff around the house, but the trainer is my little slice of heaven (or hell, as it were), so it is definitely getting more focus than ever before. I wish I had thought of it with baby #1.
About the same as you, though I’ve been racing tris longer. This is the first long block of time I’ve dedicated solely to my cycling, now 14 weeks in and I’ve already achieved my highest ever W/kg. I’m guessing next ramp test will set my new raw FTP PR, and hopefully I’ll be up above 4.0 before long (maybe even the end of this build?).
We’ll see if I ever translate this to triathlon, where my bike holds me back from my high end goals relative to my competition… or if this is a nice fitness boost… or if this leads to me ditching tris altogether for a while (given my time constraints) and just riding since it’s my favorite of the three sports.
Not too old. I’m also 45 and while my FTP gains from year to year are more like regaining the previous year’s FTP and adding a couple watts, I can reliably get in the same ballpark year after year. Just be patient, do all the work, and mind the details. And focus on the kg side of the ratio, not just the W.
I often tell myself, the best month i had leading up to this season was one where i only maintained fitness or maybe lost a little bit. Staying consistent through the offseason was definitely worth a good 10 to 15 watts.
