Just slightly under max repeatable power on those, and I didn’t call them vo2max intervals however my breathing was very heavy and it felt like I was approaching max oxygen consumption. Was very happy with the effort, and WKO relative vo2 is based on power.
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If your training room has a window, go for a portable AC unit. I currently use 3 fans (had 4 at one point), and the portable AC unit is by far the biggest game changer!
we do have an portable AC but the condenser (we think) is messed up and it’s a noisy mess and doesn’t really cool all that much so I’ve stopped using it and I don’t really think it’s worth getting another, plus the energy expense. I can be slightly uncomfortable and get some heat adaptation lol
Anyone try a cooling vest like this one? Seems popular for motorcyclists in summer heat. Not sure how that would feel on an indoor trainer, but would be kind of like an ooler for your ride.
https://www.mycoolingstore.com/kewlflow-circulatory-cooling-vest.html
i would stay away from calling it polarized, it’s got too many different understandings of what exactly polarized is.
with respect to your description of how you are planning your week, its a very sensible and constructive way to go about your block.
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Hi all,
I have a question about estimation FTP in WKO5.
In april i did an FTP test (20min 326w and 25min 325w). My FRC in that period was around 17 and WKO5 estimate FTP 310w.
Yesterday i did again an FTP test over 20min (318w). Because of my FRC is increased to 19.5 WKO5 estimate now my FTP 300w. I think my real FTP is around 300-305w. Next time i will try 305w for minimum 40min and not starting at 322w.
I know that FTP is only aerobic, so when my anaerobic power increase, my FTP power will decrease, but is that also what physical happens? So when i train and raise short power (1-2min) and FRC is increasing, my FTP is going down?
Your FTP is only aerobic when doing longer test. 20 min power has some anaerobic contributions to the power. In terms of wko and pdc basically when improving short power (upto 1 mi) your mFTP goes lower and FRC improves. When you improve longer power part of pdc your FRC would go lower. The good example are sprinters that usually have huge short power and big frc bur lower FTP.
Your difference between two test is in range of power meter error so I would say it is minor.
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Yes iam not worrying about the 8w lower power on 20min. I think that my 310w FTP was set to high and between 300-305w is more realistic. I think i dont have set my FRC in april correctly. After the test in april i could only do FTP workout 3x15min on 300w.
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Models are just that, models. What you are talking about happens to me a lot.
Here is a recent example:
- short testing 5 weeks ago changed my MMP between 3-seconds and 81-seconds
- chart on left shows MMP
- chart on right shows PDC best fit curve
After short testing week I was still capable of pushing ~260W for 30+minutes. The only difference was mFTP decreased because short power (and FRC) increased. In fact FRC jumped from 10kJ to 16kJ. My all-time best Pmax (actual) was 1273W in 2016 and 1236W two weeks ago. The best-fit PDC has me at 1330W, therefore the modeled power curve is wrong both on Pmax and mFTP.
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Thanks!
I think FTP of 300 or 310 is not a big problem. Zones are a big range so when i will do FTP stuff:
FTP 300: 95-105% = between 285-315w.
FTP 310: between 295- 325w.
I never do FTP work on 325w, so around 305w is also in the range for FTP 300 and 310.
Exactly the same for Endurance work, most of the time i ride between 185-200w. Thats low endurance in both ranges.
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Cue Monty Python: “It’s only a model.”
But that’s how my experience has worked. After my recent week of testing 5s, 4-5min, and 25-30min power, my PDC switched from “All-rounder” to a “TTer” profile, and the curve is a much better fit. That resulted in an increase in FRC, and increase in FTP, and a decrease in Pmax. Now the curve is probably very accurate everywhere (I’m actually surprised how well it fits relative to my MMP curve), except Pmax where it’s probably 5% too low based on prior testing, but my recent Pmax tests are about 2-3% lower than previous highs, so it makes sense.
The key - critical, really - thing here with respect to FTP is using WKO to validate what you feel in your testing and out on the road. There’s not much use in splitting hairs about FTP (even though we all absolutely want the bigger number), and there’s practical utility in underestimating when in doubt.
@PattyP - your conclusions about your FTP are sensible to me. Train at that 300-305W number and don’t look back.
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one key to getting the most out of WKO is realizing when strong long or short efforts enter or fall out of the 90-day window, and result in a best fit PDC curve that distorts the model.
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I look at the normalized residuals charts at least weekly to determine curve “health”, and have been scheduling my informal testing based on those and it works really well. Shocking, considering that’s what Tim generally recommended (depending on the training phase, etc.).
I’m always hesitant to trust shiny new mFTP values that aren’t based on multiple recent efforts, and are instead distorted by that one aberrant (or old) effort. As I mentioned, I think the most important thing is to know what threshold feels like and confirm with a test effort whether or not that mFTP is a valid number.
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This is basically core of wko. I always keep the charts with multiple days and efforts to look what has fallen of the curve and compare the model with 120 days pdc. I do not always maintain model in 90 days window in terms of true max efforts and it is very important to know why suddenly your vo2 max is lower or mFTP is higher by 10W 
even that isn’t a guarantee, my curve was ‘healthy’ after those strong short efforts. But it really wasn’t.
agree and IMHO its all about learning to ride by feel
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I have a graph thats give me a warning the efforts falling off the graph voor the next 7 days.
Here’s a screenshot from intervals.icu showing what my FRC/W’ was between my spring SS block and then what it was after my VO2max block in April-May. You can see how much FRC increased as well as power from 10-min and under. A LOT. However, like you, my FTP has dropped a good 25-30w as a result.
Be honest about your FTP and do a TTE test. It will give you the best figure. If you’re training at too high an FTP bad bad bad things will happen and you’ll waste time. Ask me how I know.
I’m kicking off another SS/FTP block this week at a reduced FTP to bring it back up. It’s rather depressing when your SS/FTP intervals feel harder NOW than they did 3 months ago. Regression.
RPE is really high at 290-300w, and it feels abnormally so. As a result, I keep going back and forth on more rest or just push through it by doing 2x threshold workouts per week and the rest of my volume @ 60-65% of FTP. Really really slow and easy.
This is what happens when you train above FTP for too long and aren’t honest with yourself. You build massive amounts of fatigue and then wattages you were holding with relative easy back in the spring suddenly feel MUCH harder than they should. 
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It’s really hard to do progressive low-intensity blocks with a family and schedule that doesn’t allow volume/time to progress in a nice linear fashion week over week (like it can with Sweet Spot where workouts aren’t as long).
Some weeks I can get in two 90-min and one 120-min midweek rides and a 4-hr weekend ride, but other weeks I can only get in a 60-min and 90-min mid-week ride and 2-hour weekend ride. It’s random and my weekly volume looks more like 6 hr → 9 hr → 7 hr → 6 hr instead of 6 hr → 7.5 hr → 9 hr → 10 hr. W/O good progression you’ll never raise CTL doing low-volume. Perhaps the upside is to freshen up, which I might really need.
Do you think I’m still making the same mistake if I told you this…
This time around I have completed a TTE test and feel confident in my FTP and would like to work on building threshold from the bottom up by doing a TiZ progression that looks like this:
Mentally, a 2-week block of low-intensity sounds like a relief.
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I don’t think it’s a mistake. Sweet Spot with an accurate FTP is so valuable.
The mistake would be trying to stick it out with the higher FTP thinking you’ll bounce back, but I think you know that.
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