Kolie Moore's FTP test protocol

Today I tried the Kolie Moore baseline. I did the LSCT Warmup first, then straight into the baseline test.

My current TR ramp test FTP is 273. Zwift has been telling me my FTP is in the 290s, so, I decided to see if this is true by setting the Kolie Moore test intensity at 107% (target FTP 292).

I made it 20 minutes into the baseline test after a 20 minute LSCT warmup, although I suspect the exhaustion was mental as much as physical after a long busy weekend. I believe the baseline gave me a valid result, so I’m setting my FTP at that result (282 FTP) and we’ll see how the next block of training goes.

Personally I’d want to get to 35-40 mins before I’d be taking it to be my ftp.

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You can’t base your FTP on a 20 minute effort, that was a major point of the article. There doesn’t seem to be an agreed definition of a minimum TTE at FTP, but 35 minutes is the shortest I’ve seen thrown around.

The other main point of the article is that you should be able to feel the tipping point. So maybe that’s what you felt - I’ve no reason not inclination to question that - but for anyone else reading, a 20 minute effort does not constitute a valid long-form FTP test.

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Thanks for the reply. Combined with the LSCT Warmup it ended up being a 40 minute total effort, is that not valid?

I’ll keep an eye on workouts at “new” FTP and then try the Kolie Moore again in a few weeks and see what happens.

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Warmup is not a part of the test. If you could hold the power for 20 min it is definitely not your FTP. 30 min (or better 40) is bare minimum to call it FTP.

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You can try that, for sure, but in my experience TrainerRoad doesn’t necessarily give you a good feel for what different zones should feel like due to the lack of any long intervals at or below FTP in most of the plans.

When basing my plans on the ramp test, I could still complete 98% of the workouts in SSB for example - 10 minutes slightly above threshold is doable after all - but it was soul-destroyingly hard and my progress came to a grinding halt. This was with an FTP 3-7% too high.

So if it was me, I would redo the test, and start wayyy lower than you think you should, like 250W maybe. Hold that for 20 minutes. Then slowly ramp your effort up, like 1W/minute at most, until you feel the effort start to change drastically. Then back it back down a few W just to be safe, ride until you’ve got a minimum TTE and start ramping up again just to feel what it’s like over FTP.

You don’t have use the average power of the test as your FTP btw - if you spend a decent amount of time at a steady wattage and can feel a drastic change if you go up 5W, you can call that your FTP.

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Ok, I had a test scheduled for today. So I went on a ride and tried this:

I don’t think I fully captured the spirit of the test, while I was pretty tired, I still had legs to try another hill after the descend, albeit much reduced intensity.

Seems like FTP could be in the 232-239 range, probably good to use the lower bound or 230.

Any comments?

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How did it feel in the 230-239 range?

It felt ok. I did push the HR to 186 (Max 192)… Controlling watts outside is harder. I felt strong at the beginning and wasn’t paying attention to the head unit, ended up doing 3 minutes at 300+ watts, so pacing wasn’t optimal. I feel 230 is apt, I could have pushed it a bit longer towards the end, but that wouldn’t have materially changed anything.

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Sounds like 230 is a good place to peg it at then. As Kolie has said, you lose very little by under-estimating a bit, vs over-estimating where you can pay a hefty price in terms of recovery etc.

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You’ll never know it to the watt, and it doesn’t even exist to the watt physiologically. Call it 235w, but when doing FTP work aim for 225 to be safe (and there are zero downsides to this).

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Interested in trying the KM inspired ramp test. I cannot find it in the workout list. Does everyone have to recreate it following the principles discussed in this thread, ,or is it some way of gaining access to it?

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You should be able to go here and join the team that has the different test progressions.

This might be a bit nit-picky but it isn’t a ramp test.

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Thank you! You’re right, I guess the caffeine hasn’t kicked in yet :stuck_out_tongue:

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Sorry, no it didnt (not in ref to this topic)… that is effectively the 20 minute test counting the LSCT warmup up as the blow out 5 minute effort (which wasnt hard enough for true 20min x .95 test) of the std 20 minute test

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I always get confused with RPE…so the final couple minutes of the ramp test are murder, definitely 10/10. And I should feel that same 10/10 effort (not as murderous though!) for the end of the TTE correct?

And speaking of RPE, what would some of you give your KM FTP test overall? According to KM’s first podcast, FTP should be a 6-7/10. Okay, yeah in the beginning it’s a 6-7 then it escalates as time goes on. Should my average for whatever time I held FTP be at a 6-7? What about subsequent intervals?

For me it’s similar RPE but discomfort of a different sort. The ramp is intensity based, the TTE is duration based. Something like being impaled vs being crushed, neither are fun times.

RPE for subsequent intervals should definitely be in the “doable” zone – whatever that is for you. If a TTE is an 8-9 RPE, then really, anything less than an interval of that duration is going to be a lower RPE. Also lower because you’re doing the intervals as <FTP%. And even lower some more because mentally you know you can go for 30+min @ 100% so doing 15min @ 97% is going to be a cake walk*!

*(for any computer/music nerds reading, is Calkwalk still a thing?)

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It turned into something else I think. But I have fond memories of sending my bandmates ideas exported from Cakewalk and saying “like this, but with a guitar put through an Ibanez Tube Screamer and not midi guitar sound option 3”.

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I’ve got a very early Tube Screamer - outstanding bit of kit!

And then for a brief moment I read your screen name as d_stortion.

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