Hey all, I have a question about a mid block ftp% bump for my TR workouts.
I’m about two and a half weeks into my high volume SSB training block after a three week rest. all of the workouts have been feeling pretty easy and doable so far. I have found myself substituting the prescribed workouts for the maximum plus version of each one. On yesterday’s workout I click the box up to 105%.
I know it’s early in my training and SS workouts shouldn’t be catastrophically hard, but I feel like I’m not getting everything out of it I can or should.
Is there a standard formula or percentage that I should try increasing my ftp or the workout difficulty%? I know the first and obvious answer is raise it until you can’t complete the week’s training. The problem with that approach is that I could complete the workouts at a much higher intensity, but that would mean I’m working different energy systems and potentially burning myself out after a few weeks.
For reference my current set ftp is 333 and my peak last year was 342. I’m 35 and have 15 years of riding in my legs.
Any advice on how to increase the load safely? Cheers!
Just set it to 400.
I mean, I want a challenge, not to keep soft pedaling for all my workouts.
More is not always better in endurance training. It is November after all. What’s the goal?
How does your heartrate and RPE match the prescribed workouts?
Base training is not supposed to kill you! Every workouts goal isn’t designed to completely drain you.
Last season my FTP was set too high, I barely made the SSB workouts, but made them. Looking back, my sweetspot was threshold and so on. I burned out by the end of build, and had to start incorporating back pedals or lower intensity
@AJS914 state and national TT. there are obviously no dates yet because of the virus, but they usually fall around May June and August.
@adrian_r I don’t ever use a heart rate monitor so I can’t give you specifics, but it is definitely not super high. As for rpe, that’s why I posted this period I mean towards the end of some of them it gets a little tough, but I haven’t had any issues or felt too terribly strained at all. I totally agree that now is not the time to be burning yourself out, but I want to make sure I am also maximizing what I do 
If you are on HV - you can increase your FTP incrementally a few watts at a time as it is all SS and you shouldn’t fail workouts - that’s what I did a couple of years back. However, as mentioned you don’t want to burn to many mental if not physical matches in base training…I am purposefully holding back this year - as I still don’t know when UK TT will start next year - hopefully March/April but who knows. Also when I started SPB you have to be careful that your FTP is dead right - same for SSBMV which I sort of follow now - with a few +1 workouts for extra TSS - you won’t get through the o/u, VO2 or superthreshold work with an elevated FTP and even if you do you may need those mental matches you burnt in SSB 
I have yet to see if my new approach is beneficial or not. For this season I used KM Progression 1 to set my FTP, which was 10% lower than Ramp Test. I just finished SSB2LV. Have not had a retest, but like you, I felt every workout was very doable. Much easier than last year coming off the ramp test. For the first time, Mary Austin and 3min VO2 max is actually doable. Sweetspot seems easy, just a little burn to the end of the last intervals. Hoping this is a good approach, and have not been “too easy” 
If you think your fitness has changed then test it, don’t just start increasing various sessions as some are meant to be easier than others.
This. Just do a ramp test, it doesn’t take much out of you (accept in the moment) so you won’t derail your week
I’ve considered doing a ramp test as it is easy…in a certain sense. But that could make things just as ambiguous because so much of that requires great execution. A little falter could mean a few watt FTP change that might or not be accurate. I’m sure my first test was pretty good, but I figure how the actual workouts feel are better indicators than a brief ramp test. Thanks for the input.
Although I’m not having the same issues as OP, I’m curious about this for my own progression. I recently switched trainers midway through a SSB block and did a ramp test on the new one (Kickr). Now about 2 weeks later the workouts (except when I tried to double them up one day) have felt challenging but feasible. Due for another ramp test next week even though it hasn’t been a full block yet. Should I have re-started the SSB block after switching trainers, or are more frequent ramp/FTP tests beneficial? I’m guessing @Chad and other have some science to back up the re-test q4-6 weeks, but curious if a different approach would entail more rapid adapations?