I’m getting back into structured training after a long break and would appreciate your input on how to train smartly toward a realistic goal.
Background:
I used to race MTB (mostly XC and stage races) with a peak FTP around 300W at 75 kg. I trained consistently and performed well in multi-day events. Then life took over—career, family, moved to 3 different countries and other priorities—and I stopped training altogether for about 10 years.
Now I’m 39, turning 40 in January, and recently got back on the bike. I’ve gained around 6 kg and tested at 190W FTP. I’m currently riding 4–5 hours per week, mostly indoors on a smart trainer, and I’m motivated to train with structure and purpose again.
My Goal:
Hit 240W FTP (3 W/kg at my current weight of ~80 kg) by January — basically a “return to form” goal before I turn 40. Long term, I’d like to see if I can eventually get back closer to 300W, but 240W is the first big milestone. Maybe should aim for 220?
Questions:
How realistic is it to go from 190W to 240W FTP (~+50W) in ~6 months with 4–5 hours/week? Taking into account that I’ve been there before
Any tips from others in their late 30s or 40s who’ve rebuilt from a long break? Anything you wish you had done differently?
I’m aware it’ll take time and consistency, and I want to avoid burnout or injury. But I’m motivated, and I want to do this right.
Appreciate any insights from the community — thanks in advance.
I think this is a great goal, and very likely possible!
Since you’ve already been at 300 watts in the past and paved that road once, it should be a little easier for you to make gains back up to 240.
5 hours of training is likely enough – I’d just ensure that you find a plan that works well for you and stick to it as best as possible. Don’t start adding in a bunch of riding as soon as you’re feeling good on the bike. Your training plan will be enough to sustainably get things moving in the right direction, and I see athletes try to add in all sorts of long solo rides, tough group rides, or other types of activities to their plans, thinking that it’s going to supercharge their training, when it only brings on way too much fatigue to be sustainable.
If you ensure that you’re not doing things that make it hard to knock out your key workouts with quality, and commit to recovery during rest weeks so that you can realize the gains that you’re working hard for, I think you’ll be in good shape sooner than you think!
Best of luck! Stay in touch, and let us know how things go!
I started structured training in Sept '23 at age 44 with the low volume plan. Ramp test put me at 215 FTP. Looks back at my calendar, I was at 268 FTP after 6 months. So I think what you’re trying to do is at least feasible.
Totally doable. However I don’t think you can control you target, just your training. When I started riding and training with TR again almost 4 years ago I went from 220 to 265/270 in about the same time frame. Since then, my highest tested FTP was 285. All this to say that if you are like me, you’ll get most of your gains in the first six months or so following a plan. I rode more, but was 7 years older too.
Good luck and enjoy the journey. Getting back in shape has been very fulfilling.
Thanks for the answers and experiences you shared. I absolutely agree that I cannot control the outcome, only the process. Having said that I believe setting goals is a big motivator and helps me train with focus and intention. I’m trying to find the right goal to manage motivation/frustration.
I’m in the same boat as you! I was at 285 ftp in 2017 when life hit hard and forced me off the bike. Flash forward to today and I want to start again. It was really encouraging to see others who say that they can get most of the fitness back in 6 months!
The hardest part for me is mental. It is hard to see intervals fatigue me at a wattage level that was my warmup before. Sigh. Add to that that I replaced my Stages PM with a Tacx Neo T trainer - only to find that my Stages has been reading 20-30 watts high for the entire time I’ve had it. So not only do I get so start from the ‘basement’, but I find that the basement is half a floor lower than I thought. Grrrrr. In any case, I’ve resigned myself to reality and will just work from the new numbers.
Thanks for the indirect kick in the butt. Ping me if you want encouragement or commiseration.
Thanks for sharing your experience, ddncons — it really hit home.
I’ve been dealing with that same frustration. At some point, I was honestly bitter about the life circumstances that made it hard to train and ride the way I used to. It’s tough when something that was such a big part of your identity suddenly feels out of reach.
For a few years, I had to accept that I’d ride whenever I could, at whatever level I could, and shift focus from performance to simply enjoying the time on the bike. No power targets, no structure — just riding to stay connected with it.
At the same time, I made a conscious effort to avoid gaining too much weight. I knew the time to get back in shape would eventually come, and I wanted to keep that door open. That mindset helped me stay anchored when I couldn’t train seriously — and now that I can start, it will pay off.
Will you reach your goal by January? Nobody knows. It’s totally individual how you will respond to the training and how quickly you will regain fitness.
I would say that if you’ve been at 300 ftp in the past, even if it was 10 years ago, you have the possibility to get close to get that again. My not very scientific guess is you could get to 260-270 in 12/18 months. Gains to bring you back to your former peak will get harder and could take multiple years. Don’t expect a straight line of progression!
As other have consistency across weeks and years is the key.
