Is one of the build plans “best” for improving your FTP?
I’m Road racer looking to improve my ftp with no goals for a while.
Was thinking general build then back to sweet spot.
Thanks for any advice.
In the past, the team has recommended that folks interested just in raising FTP and those who have relatively low FTPs focus on building it via SSB → Sustained Power Build. By FTP’s physiological definition, sustained power build best trains lactate tolerance, muscular endurance, and lifts your max aerobic power some, all of which are key components of a high FTP.
That said, as with all things, the real answer is “it depends”, because what’s limiting your FTP growth might be your max aerobic power, the anaerobic contribution, etc., Bottom line is you can make a case for any of them, but I think the generic answer is sustained power build. (In reality, you’ll show the most growth by consistently completing the workouts in any build, so with no goal events in mind, if one interests you more than the others, do it and reap the benefits of added motivation.)
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Word.
When comparing the general vs sustained mid volume it’s really the weekend rides are the difference. Which are optional to me since I have team rides / group rides. Unless it’s raining or I’m time crunched I don’t really follow.
That’s good insight. It’s hard to keep track of everything they discuss on the podcast. But last year I tried to do ss1 x 2 then ss2 and I completed fatigued myself. But I never took a break post road season. (My own fault).
Was just thinking the general build would keep me in shape with the weekly race and the few late races that are fun but not targets.