So, I had my TR account paused for about 6 months. During that period I was using a training program with TP. I did four good FTP tests during that time, using the Zwift FTP test that includes the 5 minute effort, followed by the 20 minute test. My FTP increased from around 190 to 229 in those six months. It seems to have plateaud - last two tests were 228 and 229. A few days ago I reactivated my TR account and all my training data was imported. After the import the TR AI suggested an FTP of 208. This seems very odd, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
I’ve manually changed the number to 229 and will be starting my TR training plan on Tuesday. I’ve tentatively set up a ramp test for Tuesday, mainly out of curiosity, but also because I’m feeling pretty fresh and it’s been about a month since my last test.
Others have taken a different approach. I would accept TR analysis and then rate the workouts appropriately (unless you have an ‘A’ event coming up shortly, then just wait until after that). Might see this as a recovery week or so as TR gets up to speed on your ability. In my case, it started too high but over the course of time, gradually fine-tuned the ftp analysis. It does seems very sensitive to whether or not it thinks you are tired or need rest. Just be aware of that.
Looks like you missed all the „fun" threads on the new AIFTP and how it differs from regular FTP - lucky you
As previously suggested, I’d just stick with the FTP selected by TR.
One thing to keep in mind is that TR-flavor FTP is not the same as „standard" FTP and interpretations of this standard may very a lot across platforms such as Zwift and TR.
The rule of thumb for TR is that AIFTP reflects the power it thinks you’ll be able to complete a lvl 3 threshold workout at.
You’ll also find that the AI will quickly adapt progression levels to your capabilities if your calculated value is really too low (provided you answer the post-workout survey accurately). And even for this short duration your training will still have positive effects.
FYI - lots of people say things like “just go with it and TR will quickly adjust”. I’m not saying it didn’t do that for others, but that has not been my personal experience. I’ve been on it for several months now and it seems to just now be settling in to where the predicted RPE is almost always equivalent to my actual RPE. Just sharing because for me it was very frustrating to fail or just barely pass several workouts that were not predicted to be that hard, and I’ve seen others post that they went for long periods with workouts that were way too easy. I’d reach out to support and ask them for help/advice if things don’t settle in pretty quickly.
I’d suggest giving your first few workouts a shot and answering the post-workout surveys honestly based on how the work felt with our guidelines in @Pbase’s like above.
If the workouts are too easy, we should recognize that and make adjustments. If you’re finding that things don’t feel right after a couple of “hard” workouts, let me know, and I’d be happy to step in to take a look.
Otherwise, feel free to take another ramp test, but keep in mind that’s not how we define FTP as a baseline anymore. While ramp tests might get you close to a solid training FTP, they don’t work that well for everyone. Some test high, and some test low.
Either way, TR should get things dialed in for you before long.
I’ve just coming from an AIFTP drop due to a few failed workouts followed by Family Holiday.
TR drop my AIFTP from 249 to 213 which I know was too low.
In the past I’ve done a 20 min FTP test and adjusted from those results but this time I let TR do it’s thing.
Took about two weeks of workout until they started feeling normal again and finally this past Saturday’s Threshold Over/Under felt proper Hard on the Overs that the RPE was back to a Hard rating.
This change the Prediction from 216 to 232 which I think is a good starting point.
I think starting out at lower power and working back up for me was good because a lot of my failed workout was due to fatigue, this approach helped mentally.
Ok, I’ll use AI suggested workouts this week, before my training plan officially starts next week.
So, since I suspect the number is too low, does it make sense to two workouts listed as “hard” this week? Does it make sense to do one threshold workout and one VO2MAX?
Also, since I do my workouts in zwift, will the workouts use the zone numbers from TR, even though they don’t match?
The Zwift FTP ramp-test is vastly easier than TRs for some reason. Maybe it also applies to the 20-min test?? I think it’s partly the psychological aspect of the virtual experience. I can dig way deeper when i’m trying to get through the next gate.
Yeah, those test types are definitely different beasts. My tests in zwift are the 20 minutes sustained effort that can be very difficult to pace, but supposedly more accurate. I’ve never done the Zwift Ramp Test. The last time I did a ramp test was on TR, about a year ago.
Doing VO2Max and Threshold with expected RPE hard is perfectly normal and will likely also enable the algorithm to gauge your current capabilities better during your plan.
As for the workouts in Zwift, the Watts will match the requirements set by TR, even if your FTP in Zwift is vastly different. Just get on the trainer and do your ride, there should be no need to worry
Sorry to be the 3rd person to say the same thing, but for full clarity, TR sends the WATTS to Zwift as the goal, not the %FTP. So, it will tell Zwift “do 5 minutes at 175w”, not “do 5 minutes at X% of FTP”.
