Great results! Do you think the HIT block helped, sort of like a vo2max block?
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Awesome work Kurt! Terrific result.
I had to go look up Lola as Iām very into using benchmark workouts to assess my FTP at the moment. Looks useful, did you set it to 105% or something?
Iām looking forward to SSB again next with my incorporated Sweet Spot Progression replacing my Saturday ride. Hopefully I made some gains from build, but itās been a bit interrupted by winter colds and I donāt feel as fit as I did at the end of first SSB (1 and 2).
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Great stuff! 
Sounds like the HIIT work may have raised your ceiling on top of the solid endurance you had developed.
Can you please share the link to Kolieās blog that you mentioned?
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I donāt have the link here, but itās on the TP site and called āYouāre training too hard for criteriums, and here is whyā. (Or something similar enough for google to find it.)
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Got it. Thanks!
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Great results kurt and thanks for the Kolie Moore blog!
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@kurt.braeckel 4.3 is strong! And it sounds like youāre flying. Way to go. 
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Thanks everyone! Very happy and honestly shocked by my progress this season. I obviously respond very well to max effort type training, which is something I did as a runner and have done in my swimming too, but not as much on the bike.
I mentioned in another thread that I thought one shortcoming of TR was the lack of truly max efforts in the prescriptions (everything is programmed as a % of FTP). For me, most anaerobic and VO2max work that TR prescribes is at too low of a % of FTP. So in my training, Iām following the intensive and extensive anaerobic optimized intervals with long recoveries, as well as the max aerobic for VO2max work. This last block, I did two workouts each of intensive and extensive anaerobic intervals, one VO2max focused longer interval work (a 3:15 MMP test and 2x5min otherwise), along with a 3x20 SST work. I had one race in that block as well. (Total of five or six quality sessions and one race in a three week span). That might have been too much work as I was toast by the end.
After a recovery week, Iāve just been doing SST and a shorter threshold workout, and then had two race days in there for intensity.
I donāt know if it helped like the focused VO2max block, but I think the ability to go really deep a few times while maintaining the long duration work, and then most importantly the recovery after that block really paid off.
I had a goal of 305W for the duration in mind, so yes, I punched it up to 104% (old FTP was 295), set it to Standard mode, and just rode it out. I didnāt really use the target power anyway. Ended up riding closer to 320W for most of it. By āfeelā 305 felt like threshold yesterday.
Thanks! Iām honestly shocked by my overall progress since March, and I think most of it is because of the awesome base I laid down following a SST/Tempo progression in November-January followed by that focused VO2max block. Just blew the lid off.
One other note: buy another fan for your indoor trainer. I donāt care if you have two, get a third. I bought a second Lasko Max Performance blower fan, so now I run two in the front and a smaller Stanley blower on my back. With the rising temps (usually 80F in my garage), that fan has really helped me with my indoor workouts this summer. RPE and HR have been markedly lower, which let my indoor sustained work come closer to the quality of my hard outdoor sessions.
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Yeah, I pulled the plug on a recent indoor session because I was overheating.
Like the idea of max effort sessions!
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My last FTP test was 25min 325w (FTP 310w) i could go longer, but i deside to stop after 25min (dont know why, but had before the mental border for 20min and if it went well i extend to 25min. My TTE is now 34min. Tomorrow i will test my real TTE. What is the best way? Starting with 310w and hold it for 40-60min?
Or like the Kolie Moore FTP test:
-10min 95% (295w)
-20-30min 100% (310w)
-10min gradually increase power until exhaustion?
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If youāre doing a real TTE test, you need to ride at FTP until exhaustion. I would start 3-5% below your FTP for a couple of minutes, then increase power up till you feel threshold then hold that as long as you can. Thatās the KM protocol, anyway, and early in the year when I was testing TTE, that was effective and useful for me.
The KM progression 1 or 2 entered into WKO5 will also give a good estimate if properly executed.
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Yes the KM test i mentioned is progression 1. I think i will start a couple minutes @95% and going slowly to 310wā¦
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I concur, I have 3 fans (2 lasko pros, 1 lasko cyclone which isnāt as good) and Iām wanting to get another pro, my inside temp was 80 today doing 3x20 sweet spot (technically threshold, it was a 3.9 level threshold) and itās definitely a lot less comfortable these days in comparison to the cooler/dryer days
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I trade coaching tips for beer 
My current fav is Saint Archer Tropical IPA which is one of your fine local breweries down in SD.
Donāt forget to embrace the heat!
My best ramp test was two years ago in 82F / 28C garage after a training block that included a handful of 2+ hour weekend Z2 (HR) rides in 100F / 38C along with SS training in that warm garage.
Iāve got about two months of heat acclimatization and two weeks ago I did 4x4.5-min vo2 intervals in the cool morning (70F / 21C) and HR never hit LTHR !!!
and estimated VO2:
Iām seeing benefits in both cool and hot conditions, in the words of John Lennon Power to the People! 
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Iāve done a lot of training lately in the 80+ degree garage. The fans help with the cooling but itās still damn hot! I raced a 90 min road race in 85 and wind and was plenty strong late. Definitely an added benefit of indoor training, IME.
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Finding this thread has been a real treasure troveā¦thanks, to everyone whoās added to the collection of wisdom here. Last season my training was unstructured, leaning towards a polarised model - two hard vo2 max / AT type intervals a week, a long weekend ride, everything else easy-ish. Season didnāt go dreadfully, but I never saw the kind of kick in FTP Iāve had in seasons past - actually, it went down. My ability to close gaps and hang when it got tough was better than its been for years - but it felt tough too often, hence my landing here.
Iāve done one 3 week block consisting of 2 or 3 sessions a week of 2x 20 88/95%, split into 5 min blocks. Tested again at the end of the third week, when looking at my HR and how I felt the lower of those 5 minute blocks was definitely sliding into tempo range. Nice 5w kick up, stronger on my weekend ride - Iāll take that.
Now coming up to the end of the 2nd week in a largely identical block, following straight on from the first - dreadful weather here this weekend so threw in a longer 3x20 at 86/90%.
Two questions - if Iām building the power curve up, rather than out, the first weeks following upping the power requirements are obviously the hardest - when, or if, do I build rest weeks in following this approach? My initial plan was to do a solid 12 week block of SS - so 4 iterations of this mini-block. Sustainable to avoid dedicated rest weeks, if Iām managing fatigue with low intensity work between the SS sessions?
Secondly - Iām 50 this year. Any mileage in slipping a VO2 max week in halfway through the block, just in an effort to hang onto what Iāve gotā¦if so, is a week enough?
First question: I would take recovery. There are a bunch of different thoughts on this - the standard 3 work/1 recoveryā¦ the more āMastersā focused 2 work/1 recoveryā¦ or the one Iāve played around with 16 days work/5 day rest. If youāre doing just sweet spot, you can probably work a little longer without a true recovery, but 12 weeks seems excessive to me. We need recovery to adapt, especially as we get older.
Second question: I wouldnāt. Do your sweet spot block, then come back with a focused VO2max block. There are masters programs out there that have you throw in VO2max intervals into long rides in order to hold what youāve got. Iāve never done those, but there are people here who have who might speak to its viability. I personally donāt think your VO2max capabilities are going to decline all that much while doing focused sweet spot, and I personally had tremendous success with the focused three-week block of VO2max after my SST progression.
Those are just my opinions based on my own training and success with this at age 44. Take them for what theyāre worthā¦
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Thank you Kurt, very much appreciated.
Iāll echo that rest will be crucial. Donāt waste 12 weeks of training by not building in at least 2-3 regeneration weeks. Youāll hate yourself if all the works is for nothing more than a ton of fatigue. They donāt need to be 7 full days of easy riding.
After a 3 week loading phase I like to take 2 full days off the bike after my last workout/ride. Then do a couple endurance rides in the 60-90 min range, then Iām ready to go. It ends up being 4-5 days of āeasyā.
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