Sounds like you were going too hard.
That’s one of the disadvantages of the 20-minute test, you have to know roughly what number to shoot for.
Have you tried a ramp test instead?
Training in zone 3 is usually discouraged, unless you know exactly what you are doing.
Most training plans contain a mix of Z2 riding and sweet spot plus Z4+ intervals. (Technically sweet spot is mostly the top end of Z3, but in terms of training, it makes it easier to count it separately.)
You should follow a training plan. If you don’t want to shell out $22/month for TR, you could alternatively start with one of the many free plans that are floating around. They are not as good and they are not adapted to your needs, but they are better than what you are doing now.
If you are willing to try TrainerRoad, start with a low-volume plan and try to stay consistent. Only add volume after you have completed 1–2 training blocks without any issues. If you add to them, add endurance rides (Z2).
Thanks stevie for your support and suggestions i will try that out and take things slowly this time. And please tell me after your test is done if you are okay with that. Just share your experiences how it went so that i can get some idea. Best of luck
Thanks mwglow15 you have explained me everything and now i am starting to understand everything slowly i am also going to start a structure plan on zwift which has 12 week of plan endurance,zone2 with intervals and sweetspot training the plan called build me up and active offseason. Thanks again for your suggestions
Thanks OreoCookie I will sure try Trainer road plans and currently i will start with a plan on zwift called buildme up and active offseason it has a 12week plan which has endurance,zone 2 and interval, sweetspot so i will complete that plan and then do a ftp test again and this time i will start at the power where i can gradually increase later
AFAIK Zwift also offers a ramp test. Before you continue, I’d try doing a ramp test to get a more accurate estimate of your FTP. That is super important so that sweet spot intervals are really sweet spot intervals and not threshold intervals.
Your FTP is like an anchor point for your training, and you need to get that right.
So i have done am ramp test before but i think it over estimate your ftp by 15 to 20 watts i think. So i think after doing a ramp test i need to subtract 10 to 15 watts just be that and then put it on the profile.
Because i have done an 20min test before but the same that i failed to mange that ftp given by the ramp test but i think maybe because i have done the same mistake on that one over shooting it at the start going way above my ftp number that’s why i didn’t manage to get that number so next time i will be at my watts at the starting and then after 10 mins gradually increase
Current me if i am wrong.
I am going against most commentators here - doing 5 minutes at 280 when he did 263 for 20 minutes two months ago shouldn’t cause blowing up.
I agree that pacing is poor, but OP must have had a bad day, or not fuelled well or too fatigued (I personally try to have two rest days before any test) because doing 5 minute of 112% shouldn’t cause blowing up.
Also a chance it’s a mental thing - “…240 then fatigued out”. Could just be “disappointed that I couldn’t hold 250 which is my FTP from two months ago so I gave up”.
This is not necessarily the case. A ramp test will probably give you a more accurate estimate than arbitrarily subtracting 15W unless you have data to compare it to, and can be very accurate.
I would use the ramp test, then do a 2x20 Threshold Interval based on that new FTP something like this. If your FTP is accurate, IMO you should be able to finish this, but the first interval should be hard at the end, and the last 5 minutes of the second interval should be pretty solid hard and you should really be concentrating and looking forward to it being over.
Or for a little bit easier, pick another trainerroad threshold workout in the 4.0 - 5.0 range - You should be able to complete that, not have it too easy though, and that’ll get you in the ballpark for AIFTP.
Yeah as i have mentioned before i was in a over training zone but not that much over fatigue I wasing over estimating my ftp that i could hold 300 watts and plus i did 300 watts for the first 4 to 5 mins i think thats where i have done wrong so maybe next time for the first 5 to 10 mins i need to take it a little bit slow and then increase
Thanks BCM i will soon going to try trainer road plan but currently i am going to start an plan form zwift i think now i need a structured program plan and there is a lot of 12 weeks plan on zwift so maybe after completing that i will test again and see
You have not given any data to support you were over training or in an “over training zone” - that is a longer term condition that takes a longer time to recover from (weeks or months for some) and is not the same thing as over doing it in the short term or being fatigued.
So for me i have to say over training because i feel that sensation that pointy pitch feeling on legs all the time and started being fatigue continuously so yeah. Now i know what is over training means but as you said i think i am not in that over training zone then.
but not less then that also because Not having a proper recovery day in a week just one and being fatigue half of the session. So i think its time to recover and add more recovery rides in between rather than riding at high intensity all weeks and start with a proper structured plans
And BTW if would be nice if you guy’s can suggest me some things that on which training sessions should i focus on more because after 2 month’s i am having a tt event on my country. So some suggestions would be great it’s not bad taking some ideas and feedback form everyone as everyone here knows basic things and have experiences so just for knowledge.
In my experience, it is not a good idea to subtract random numbers. With any FTP test, you should verify with a threshold workout (e. g. 4 x 10 minutes) whether the number that you got is correct.
A ramp test determines the MAP (= maximum aerobic power), and most platforms take 75 % of MAP as your FTP. The underlying assumption is that on average (i. e. across many athletes), this is the relationship between MAP and FTP. There have been tons of discussions on this, and they focus on whether this average is correct, how broad the distribution is and how to find out where you like in the distribution. There are also other factors, e. g. whether you have tested on a good day or a bad day. I don’t think it is worth going over this.
I would not worry about all of that and instead use a ramp test, accept the FTP that you get and verify. If it is too hard, reduce your FTP by 1–2 %. If it is too easy, do the opposite. I would not recommend a difficult FTP protocol for a beginner. (Note that if you know yourself quite well and have experience with a particular FTP test, in my opinion, you can make any FTP test work.)
I’m no coach but I’m under the impression that Z3 will make you durable and strong but won’t elevate you beyond a point. I think you need some sort of HIIT sessions (say VO2max), followed on other days by easy Z2 sessions or complete rest days. And since you are a tt’er I’d throw in some threshold work (Z4/Z5 over unders).
Yes that’s what i am going to do a ramp test. Thanks OreoCookie you have explained me in a very good way.
BtW i am having a tt event after 2 moths so i also start working on a proper threshold plan and sweetspot workout so do you have any suggestions for the tt event that what is the best training session should i Focus on?
Don’t be afraid to try things out and see how they work for you. Getting into a regular groove (workout out consistently) is much more important than other factors, especially initially.
Feel free to ask questions here if you have any.
You always need a mix of workouts. I don’t know Zwift’s generic training plan, so I can’t say whether it is a good fit. (Probably not, though.)