That’s really excellent progress in such a short time 
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how about going from 3.0 to 2.6? 
That was in the last couple of weeks… 
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Thanks. I can feel the pace of any progress slowing down and it’s somewhat frustrating. Good to remember where you started from for some perspective. I have no idea how my progress compares to most, but since my last ramp test at 256, I expect only 3-4% gains in this last ~6 week block at most.
I’m doing ~7.5 hrs./wk. now and that’s about the limit of what I can fit into my schedule, without making major adjustments and buying a lot of flowers for my wife. I feel like 10 hrs./wk. are what is needed to keep progressing at a steady pace.
Edit: Decided to test early after a few rest days and came out at 277 FTP / ~2.8 w/kg. So ~8% improvement in the last block…at least based on the test. I probably would have difficulty repeating that in the real world, but on the trainer look to be on path to go from 1.9 w/kg to 3.0 w/kg in about 6 months since starting cycling.
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solid advice, thank you!!
I wish I could stay that lean! hope you are staying healthy and doing well, well done
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Well done and thanks for sharing! I’ve struggled with weight loss since COVID, the whole work from home seems to make it harder, either way good luck!!
How long did that transformation take? Thats very well done! I’ve signed up for a host of events next year so here we goooo!
Good luck!! Thanks and maybe summer is a good goal for timing for me!
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I think I went from 2.8ish back to 2.2 this year…smh
Well done thats great!! Keep at it
Just took a ramp today which put me at 210 watts or about 8 short of the elusive 3 w/kg. I’m 2 blocks, SSLVB and a build phase, into my off season plan
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I started with TR in November of 19. First ramp test was 221 and I weighed 284. I got a non-COVID illness in February of 20, COVID hit and dealing with that work wise basically stopped my training until April. 2020 Tour de Blast got canceled. So, I didnt ride it until July of 2021. At which point I was 235 and had an ftp at 359 I think. So over a year but with some real fits and starts. I had to count calories. I used an app called loseit. That helped a lot. And embracing low calorie/high volume snacks. I’ve eaten an obscene amount of pineapple and watermelon!
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I’d be curious what other snacks you goto. Pineapple and watermelon both make total sense!!
I went from 212 to 242 lbs. with the lockdowns and WFH, although 212 lbs. was as low as I’d been able to maintain in my adult life. I find my inactivity level in WFH is higher and it’s harder to eat well.
I’d tried keto about two years prior to the pandemic and couldn’t stick to it, but ended up doing my own version of a low-carb diet which worked for me fairly quickly to get to 212, which I was able to maintain pretty well.
Biking I started to lose the “COVID” weight I’d gained. I needed to do something to stop the slow climb and found it difficult to go back to low carb while WFH. Have gone from 242 to 216 lbs., so have almost made a round trip or thereabouts from where I’d started. However, I’m much healthier and more muscular, at least in my trunk and core. Biking is also something I probably wouldn’t have started if I was still driving into the office. Instead of the time spend commuting, I can put an hour in on the trainer and still come out ahead.
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I think I started out around 2 w/kg ish. I can’t say for sure as I didn’t have a power meter.
3 years later I had a hill climb that I thought I did REALLY well at. I felt super fit, fitter than ever.
Reverse engineering the hill climb time, nets me about a 2.5 w/kg ftp at that time, so I think given that I felt relatively super fit, that my starting estimate of being 2.0 or less 3 years earlier probably isn’t far off.
( In the meantime I did have a car accident that stopped major training for 7 months, and a knee injury that did similar, so not 3 years of super great training either )
Currently I am sitting around 4.6
This summer I did that same climb, and averaged around 75% more power for the climb, which took me a few minutes less as a result.
I have had multiple ups and downs over the years. After the knee injury my power was lower than ever. I was time trialing, and competing against 60+ year old women, as a 28 year old male lol.
It’s all about consistency over time, even with hiccups, and it always comes back easier once you’ve had it before.
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Thanks for taking the time to share your story
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