As a 42 year old triathlete/cyclist. Is it even possible to build and increase my FTP anymore. Or should i train with a focus to just not lose what I have already build over the last 15 years. At what point should an athlete accept this is now their ceiling due to age?
Please avoid the ‘it depends on your race distance and structured training’ answers. If its possible to raise it after training well with TR for so long, then i’ll do it.
hard to avoid the depends… because it depends on your training history. You’re clearly experienced and have a long history of racing/training. Then you have the law of diminishing returns so basically have to train more or more intensive than you did to keep making gains.
Obviously if you were a beginner at age 42 it would be very easy to improve.
Now it…well, depends on your training history and time if you can improve or not.
It is kinda hard to avoid that answer since it is IS the answer.
But in general, yes it is possible, but by how much will depend on your previous training history. But you should expect that your gains will become smaller and smaller, as well as harder and harder, to achieve.
That said, I hit 4 w/kg a few years ago after 30+ years of riding and racing.
What you are really asking is whether you are near your genetic potential or not. That potential goes down every year (at your age), but you can still raise performance if there is a decent gap between potential and current fitness. None of us know whether you are near your potential based on the info provided. If you’ve been training like a pro 20+ hours a week for years, you are probably reasonably close to your potential. If you’ve been training 10 hours a week, you likely have a lot of gains still available.
I was an OK cyclist in my 40’s, decent structured training and FTP reached in the high 200’s. As I got into my 50’s, more time to train and my FTP got up to around 320 using a much more serious training approach. I’m 56 now and still seeing annual improvements, not so much with FTP as much as repeatability and durability. But it’s taken huge volume and pretty focused training to counteract aging. I’m operating at a higher percentage of my genetic potential, but at some point that genetic potential will be going down faster than I can improve my training.
Do you more time available to train now than you have had in the previous 15 years?
I personally would try a dedicated VO2 / Threshold Block and effectively FAFO. (Come in rested, 3 weeks of VO2, rest, 3 weeks threshold & over/unders, rest, 3 more weeks threshold & over/unders). Long form FTP test leading into the threshold component, and when you’re done.
Plenty of threads on this approach, but it can be a plateau buster. And, changing it up and hiring a coach is another option, depends what your interest level is.
And, it definitely depends. I didn’t start structured training until 44 and have put on 100W of FTP in the last 3 years… So age won’t be the limiter at 42.
You can’t avoid it depends because that is the answer. It depends on your training history, how much time you have etc.
I would say probably with some well placed overload blocks but again, it depends.
Unless you come back and say you’re an ex World Tour Pro, then you almost certainly can still make gains. You are but youngster in this game.
It is possible. Now the million dollar question is how much?
I don’t blame you for not liking Depends. Those diapers are the pits.
At 45 I am plateauing 10% lower than what was readily achievable 3 years ago. I’m back on TR to see if I can shake things up, and I also have a couple other stones to roll over (legal).
So…maybe?
I think the multi-million dollar question is what someone is willing to do to find out.
In my experience, the biggest contributor to performance decline in aging athletes is motivation/drive. Every year, you have to work harder to maintain what you have and/or slow the decline. It’s hard to stay motivated year after year, training your butt off for similar or worse results. And even for athletes not caught up in race results or performance, people often move onto other interests as they age. People who used to race competitively might still ride and even go to races, but more of a “completion” mindset rather than worrying about results. I still very much enjoy training hard and trying to be competitive, but I also enjoy racing/riding in “C” events after my season is over when I’m not in great shape. In some ways, those events can be more fun. At some point, I’ll probably give up trying to be competitive and just be happy riding in party mode near the back. That approach would mean a big drop in fitness, but not because of my age as much as my desire to train hard.
How would you adjust your training to just “maintain” instead of “build”? Just do less and not try as hard?
Mid-sixties here and hoping I don’t lose more on my FTP. I’ve been trying to push a little harder lately, and not sure it’s worth the effort: no changes in my FTP yet. I’ve been relatively healthy; no shelf of prescription drugs and aside from a couple surgeries and 2 cancer scares, I’m still here. But the time off for procedure recovery took a toll on my ‘training’, Used to have an FTP in the 250’s, and am currently stuck at ~215. (Zwift, Garmin Connect, and TrainerRoad don’t agree)
But in the end, for older riders out there everywhere: DON’T STOP RIDING!! KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT!!
Well, one thing’s for sure: If you quit now, it’ll go down. And as you get older, the time you take off will take a logarithmic scale. At 20 a week off is like a day. At 60, a week off is a month, or two. The couple days I took off and weeks of lower output after a hip replacement took a lot out of me. Getting back on top took a while. The month off after a prostatectomy almost felt like starting over from scratch.
UPDATE: HAH! My FTP went from 216 to 219! Yay, but now I have to own it. That was after acing Grassy Ridge -3. Yeah…
After a certain age, you have to increase training stimulus to maintain the same fitness. If you keep doing the same training, you will lose fitness every year due to aging. If you want to build fitness as you age, the training ramp just needs to be steeper than the ramp to maintain.
That age being about mid twenties
I know that it’s possible – I’ve raced with plenty of athletes in their 40s who have built/increased their fitness to PR-level heights despite the idea that they “shouldn’t” be able to do so!! And they beat me (plus many other racers in their teens through their 30s) in Pro/1/2 races, for what it’s worth!
Sorry to say “it depends,” but it really does… It depends on how much time you have available to train, how much time you have available to recover from that training, how much motivation you have to do all of that training and recovering… There are a lot of “it depends” that go into training questions/answers, which I suppose is a big reason we have forums like this so we can discuss these subjects.
But to answer your question, YES! It is definitely possible. 
Speaking for myself, yes it possible to build your FTP after 42. I was 42 at the end of 2017 and in April 2019 was instantly 3kg lighter thanks to a bowel cancer op. I dropped my FTP arbitrarily by 50w kept it stable through chemo again and had subsequent spells of building it again. Its only kinda of plateaued in my 48th year (now 49th) because I let it.
Plus the body likes to plateau. Also, at some point the siren call of the couch (or recliner) becomes harder to resist. I have found it harder some days to get back on the bike, but I MUST! I’ve never regretted a workout or ride, but talking myself into doing it is getting harder. 
And as we get older that list gets longer. Fighting gravity is one thing, fighting genetics is another. My hip surgery was a surprise, and genetics. Perhaps the prostate was genetics too. I’m hoping there won’t be any other genetic surprises. I’ve had more than enough.
Has the Earth’s gravity got stronger of late?
Yes it is possible assuming you can do some ‘things’ better that you have not done before. If you can only do the same you’ll get the same or worse results.
I am assuming you arent a retired elite athlete.
42 is no age if you are otherwise healthy.
No indication for others but I’ll say it anyway my peak numbers were when I was 49, and Ive been doing endurance sport since my 20s. Threshold not much improved but 2hr power significantly improved.
You are probably more like to improve longer durations on you power duration curve, 2 - 4 hrs than shorter intense efforts.
