Regarding the FTP overestimation thing: I know SSB HV isn’t for everyone, but one big benefit of it (in my opinion) is that working exclusively in that region, without including over-unders and vo2 stuff, you get a really good idea of how you should feel during workouts and seeing trends in RPE that may dictate whether FTP is right on or needs adjustment in either direction.
As an example, I don’t do testing for myself, for a variety of reasons. But I started SSB1 HV in November and had set my FTP to 305 after much success at 295w for a few months. I was completing workouts, even without pauses, but after a few workouts I could tell that the last intervals of workouts were more of a slog than they should be, given my experience with SSB. So I backed off to 300, still was having a tough time with the end of workouts, and then went back to 295 for the remainder of SSB1 and nailed it. I’m on week 4 of SSB2 HV and took my FTP up to 300 and am doing great, and I probably should be up at 305, but I’m not going to push my luck before the last big week.
I guess my point is that we shouldn’t be afraid to back off the training target in order to make workout completion, especially if you are struggling with workouts all the time. I understand the desire to want dynamic stuff but we really have to get in tune with ourselves (and that’s speaking as someone who is bad at really gauging themselves). I think we should always be assessing ourselves; as I said I don’t do any tests, largely because I’m not experiencing big swings in FTP any longer, but also because there’s a lot of pressure attached to the assessments and I feel I am able to adapt my training on the fly based on my own trends.
The TR team has built a quality software product and the whole ethos/podcast etc is very likeable. However the biz model is too focused on obtaining inflated FTPs by resorting to too much intensity in many training plans which is exactly what the ramp test is measuring. I wonder what % of TR users can hold their “FTP” even for 40-45 minutes.
Here is an interesting thread about this on ST with comments from several respected coaches:
I might be in the minority that thinks the TR Plans (MV) strike the right balance. I’m not a young whippet (43 years old) and like many TR users, I have enough going on in my life, away from the bike.
Is my FTP set perfectly accurately? Who knows? I doubt it. Can I hold it for an hour? Almost certainly not. I’ve never tried and I don’t want to. Honestly, I’ve never been in a race situation that has required me to do so.
At the end of the day and in my personal experience, the TR plans prepare me physically and mentally for the racing I do. Racing is tough. Almost everyone on the start line wants to punch me in the face. More than once. No one is going to ease up because I’m finding it tough. I either reach inside myself and find something, anything, or I don’t.
For me TR replicates this environment.
Now I’m not encouraging anyone to dig themselves into a hole. There does however come a point where you stop finding things ‘easy’ and you start learning about yourself. I’ve yet to do an easy race. Nobody is there to make my life ease.
Given that no one has insight into someone else’s RPE I would say I agree with this. From reading the forums my sense is that more people overtest than undertest (people are extremely motivated to see FTP gains, and the FTP test is where people get their validation in the context of TR).
My intuition is that the TR “death spiral” is a) bury yourself on Ramp Test, b) get a slightly high number; c) get buried in the ensuing avalanche of high intensity work. That many newcomers seem to start off with a mid-volume plan and it’s a recipe for disaster.
On the other hand, you see the occasional poster humblebragging that their favorite workout is some custom leviathan like, say, 4x45 min @ 98% of FTP with 3 min recoveries (the sort of thing a WT pro would recoil from) and I can’t help but think maybe a wee bump in intensity might be just the ticket.
Find myself agreeing with pretty much all of the points that you raise.
There are however, some absolutely beasts on this forum. Some of the workouts I see people completing make my head spin. Be that because of the duration, the intensity and sometimes both, I tip my hat. I love the What Workout thread. I love people’s comments on their workouts. I love it when people face a challenge and get it done. Not going to lie, I draw inspiration from that thread.
What I don’t get is the FTP drama. Not trying to bait people but it is only a number. In all honesty, will 2-5 watts really make a difference? The quest for perfection is breaking more people than the workouts do. Are your workouts challenging you? Great, crack on. Too easy? Retest. Falling apart before the end of the first or second interval? Down the rabbit hole we go.
I started with TR LV plans three years ago and I would recommend LV to anyone starting TR. They’re flexible, challenging and you will see improvements, if you’re consistent.
Build up slowly. Add 15 minutes endurance here and there. Then maybe an additional hours endurance, once a week. These are positive steps. Allow your body and mind to adapt.
As Amber said, be your biggest fan. Tell yourself ‘f**k YES!!’, when you nail a tough workout. Personally, I think too many people beat themselves before the competition even reaches the start line.
There’s far too many factors in training to make this assumption and remain credible. The prevalence of what you read in forums is nothing more than the frequency people make this baseless assumption.
