I don’t think this has been developed with beginners or women in mind. If your FTP is, say, 160 W, that’d be a very short test with I reckon a very large systematic error.
If you are sort-of-fit like me, you’d spend 33–35 minutes doing the ramp. A pro with a 400 W FTP would spend 45 minutes toiling away. I have used FTP = 75 % of MAP for the estimate … which is probably not correct in that context. But I’d still say that my larger point is still probably correct: very fit individuals would spend a long time on the trainer doing the ramp test.
That’s interesting, I didn’t know the idea was that old. It’s kinda entertaining to re-read the details (which my brain tends to forget quickly again). E. g. that the ramp rate for men (and only men are mentioned) varies depending on your training status. Am I elite yet?
I think I remember variations where the power is ramped steadily instead of in discrete steps.
To be honest, I like TR’s protocol since it is adapted to the athlete’s FTP and easier to pace as the test duration does not vary a lot (excluding some very large changes in FTP).
I find that fascinating from a physiological perspective. Holding 120% for 6.5 mins is entirely doable but push a bit higher or try it after ramping up to that level and you blow up fairly quickly. I’m guessing vo2max work is a strength of yours?
Yes, and I was following the crit race plan, which focussed on short, high-power efforts. That particular time I was not even close to my limit (I was on the middle of a ride and my average heart rate was 159 bpm according to Strava, which is super low for me). On the trainer, I prefer 30-30s to longer VO2max efforts (e. g. 7 x 3 minutes), though.
But of course, you are right: training and power profile are definitely factors. If I were a sprinter, I wouldn’t expect to be able to hold the same kind of power for as long. Ultimately, I think @WindWarrior’s characterization is apt.
If I were a researcher only and not the subject, I would have nice ideas for further experimentation …
I agree. My 5 min PR is from a Ramp Test! And I do quite a number of ‘real’, all-out race efforts in that 3-5 minutes range, hill climb TTs.
Agree with this, I think it’s a very useful model for me as well. I don’t use the Ramp Test to estimate FTP anymore, but I keep doing it periodically because I feel there’s value in it for these purposes, pacing or assessing that ‘top-end’.
I have a feeling that getting 1-min ramp power out to 5 mins would be possible for me, but would need some clever peaking, tapering and short(/medium?!)-term loss of aerobic ability. A risky project, especially ‘coaching’ myself. Would rather keep tapping away at the long-term aerobic development.
