FTP Improvement

Short power?

I started my journey at 93kg having not ridden my bike properly in years, and no clue about structured training. Originally I started because I wanted to lose weight and feel healthier and then I found TrainerRoad.

I was using a Cycleops fluid 2 dumb trainer with speed/cadence sensor, no fan, and no clue about nutrition. Now I use a Saris H3, dual fans, and Powertap P1 pedals so times change! My first FTP test in the pre-ramp test days was a 20 minute effort which was absolutely horrific and I paced it terribly, blowing up big time.

This is a few of my FTP improvements over the time. I did all up to Nov 2018 on TrainerRoad doing sweet spot base, build phase and speciality although I can’t remember now all the specifics. In March 2019 I took on a coach who now writes my plans which I execute in TR using custom workout builder.

Jan 2018 - 151W
April 2018 - 225W
Sept 2018 - 285W
Nov 2018 - 302W
July 2019 - 326W
Mar 2020 - 364W

In this time i’ve gone from 93kg to 77kg.

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That’s awesome progress. Out of interest, do you have a feel for how your weekly volume has increased over that time - must take a fair volume to sustain a 360W FTP?

Thanks a lot! I’m not sure actually that’s a really good question.

When I started I didn’t really understand what the volume elements were on TR so I think I started on mid because it was in the middle and I felt like I had enough time for that one! I had no concept of what TSS meant then. I even chose ‘Sweet Spot’ because I thought it sounded like a good place to train, not knowing it was even a zone!

Right now I do around 600 TSS a week, with a couple of rest days breaking it up. For me it’s just making sure I keep everything consistent, as long as I do that it seems that progress gets made.

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No clue what that means. Been doing low volume if that is your question.

He was asking for clarification about which Build you were doing (since there are three possible ones)

  • Short Power Build
  • General Build
  • Sustained Power Build

I see. General Build. Wasn’t even aware. I just let the plan builder figure the workouts out for me.

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Sorry for being imprecise, and thanks @mcneese.chad for clarifying on my behalf, obrigado.

Okay, so i wouldn’t worry about the stale ftp, but i would consider doing short power build if what you want to do is to tackle those punchy climbs you’re talking about. You could also try to do some of the workouts outside if you have the opportunity?

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Your FTP bump is good base phase is not about a larger FTP that happens in build or over multi-year consistent training. Base is your foundation strengthening and growing your ability to do work at your FTP. Phase 2 might see you get a bigger jump but don’t be over enthusiastic as this could make the build so much more tougher.

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What is the difference between short and general? Again, I just put the info in the plan builder and it gave me the workouts I have been doing. Can I change to short midway through my workouts?

So I went up from Base 1 to Base 2 and then after Base 2 but down four weeks of Build. Are you saying my Build should be going up? When you say, Phase 2 might see you get a bigger jump…" what is the Phase 2 you are referring to? Do you mean going back over Base 1 and Base 2 again? The lingo can get confusing.

Full plan details:

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Can I just change at this point and it will automatically update the rides in my schedule?

Find the lead annotation for your current training block, open it, and you might be able to swap it to a different plan.

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Was able to do that. What will be different from switching to Short Power Build compared to General Power Build? Would that sound more appropriate based on the recent post I made?

I think General Build is potentially better, because it is “general” (sorry :stuck_out_tongue: ). It includes more mid-range intervals that are potentially a better fit for the riding you mention. Short Power is really about hammering hard, over and over again. General includes some of that, but takes them and stretches that a bit. Interestingly, Sustained Power could be worth a look, if you want to be able to hold power vs punch and recover more.

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Crap. I’m so confused. Short power mentioned good for mountain biking which I do but you make sense with General.

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Are you “racing” or “riding”?

The plans are pointed towards competition and the usual power applications we see. MTB does tend to have far more “spikes” in power than something like Road. BUT, that depends heavily on what you really do on the bike.

I recommend partly ignoring the labels, and look more at the individual workouts of each plan. See if you can identify which power profiles in them more closely matches your power use outside.

Once you do that, you can pick a plan that may be better suited to your specific needs.

No racing. I just ride whether it is single track with features, some downhill, climbs, etc… Recently got a road/gravel bike that I have been using on the trainer and did some group rides of about 25 miles. Basically general riding and just looking to improve my abilities and conditioning as time goes by.

Then I’d think you are better served with General (if you want to maintain a bit more of the spikes) or Sustained Power to bank overall and more steady power. You can use that to build upon (sorry for the pun) and always sprinkle in the spikes as desired.

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