Be more prepared with food at so I end up eating more healthy/wholefoods rather than going for the easy take away/junk food options. This applies for lunches to take to work, dinners for home and post race food.
Hoping the above allows me to get weight down from 66kg to 64/63kg and improve watts/kg.
Start doing core work… maybe even some gym.
Do more climbs to improve climbing form (I do my best numbers on flat but climbs I struggle with).
No sure what I’ll do to improve raw watts but my FTP has plateaued and I’d like to figure something out to push the numbers higher (open to suggestions!)
I like this goal. What do you think the magic numbers will be for you? +39 watts and -4.8kg to get to 350/70??? I have the exact same goal as you and I think 350/70 are magic numbers for me. My aim is to get there by the TDF. I’ll need to increase FTP by 5 watts and reduce weight by 1 kg for each training block in the next 6 months. This seems achievable, but will take me to a weight that I don’t remember ever seeing (so I was likely a teenager), although I was at 71.8kg 6 months ago, so I think I can do it. The problem is that when I was at that weight, my FTP just flatlined. So, I’m hoping to drop most of the weight during base and then stay be calorie neutral in Build and Speciality to be properly fueled to improve FTP.
I was kidding but, a serious and realistic goal for me is 320w TR ramp FTP and 72Kg for a 4.45w/Kg. I’m at 311w and a touch north of 75Kg now. Pie in the sky numbers if work remains favorable would be 330w and 70Kg for 4.7w/Kg. I say this as I started November 3 with mid build at 285w and 75Kg. My last ramp was 311w and still 75Kg at the end of the build plan. My best 5 minute this year was 377w. So, ok progress of 8% increase in FTP but, more importantly from 75% of 5 min power to 83%. 87-88% of 5 minute power if it stays at 377w is about 330w. I really think that’s all I’ve got.
On the weight side I’ve been as low as 68Kg about 5 years ago. That’s just not sustainable. I think 70 is possible and I just gave up booze so there is some low hanging fruit of maybe 2-3Kg and a dogfight for another 1-2Kg.
The main unknown is the booze free life/training. Maybe I’ll respond well, maybe just a little, maybe not much at all. I have been a little confused for a while as I did a full blown gas exchange which yielded a relative VO2max of 68 at 75Kg.
I’ll just keep on rolling and see where this goes.
Ha yes it does. Histotoxic hypoxia. I am hoping the boost and think it will come from better recovery, normal metabolism, and maybe maybe maybe advantageous hormone production. I make this sound like I was chugging a 5th every night. Far from it but, for a dude worried about going from 4.15 to 4.5w/Kg I was drinking way too much.
@KorbenDallas I’m not sure I fully understand what you’re saying here, but it sounds interesting and I want to know more. How do you see max 5 min effort in it’s relationship to ‘peak’ FTP? It sounds like you’re saying that 75% of your 5 min power is likely to be where your FTP could top out. That doesn’t sound right to me, but change my mind
One thing I’d like to note is that FTP is just one metric that helps to define your fitness. Some plans will raise your FTP more than others, but you should choose a plan that fits your objectives. What matters is how fast you are on race day, not what your exact FTP value is.
As for the plan progression I intend to use, I will be training for Enduro, which requires the ability to ride all day, but also have a high maximum repeatable power. For this I will be using:
Sweet Spot Base I and II
General Build
Cyclocross Specialty
This progression will likely not yeild the maximum FTP increase since it has a wider range of focus than simply increasing FTP.
If increasing your FTP is your primary goal, then Sweet Spot Base, Sustained Power Build, and 40K TT would be a great way to go.
Ok, got it thanks for linking to the blog post I hadn’t read it yet. So you’re using 5min peak power as a proxy for pVO2Max. My FTP is currently 78% of my 5 min power (405 from the last Ramp Test actually). So if I can lift that to 82% I could be just on 350. Shave some weight and I might hit my goal. We’ll see over the next 6 months if I can find another 18 watts and lose 7 kg at the same time
Right on! This quote from the above TR blogpost further boils down what I’m getting at. It’s nothing special or new. Just trying to explain where I’m getting my goals/numbers:
This is where the importance of raising your power at VO2 max becomes the ultimate goal. As the name suggests, pVO2 max (VO2 max power) is basically just the wattage you can output while riding at VO2 max. It’s your power output when you physically cannot uptake anymore oxygen, regardless of your tidal volume.
In comparison to VO2 max, your FTP generally falls between 78-85% pVO2 max, with pVO2 max falling around 118-128% FTP. This is the reason why VO2 max workouts from TrainerRoad use 120% FTP as the basis for short, intense intervals. Erring near the lower end of the spectrum, these workouts allow you to do more work while still at a very high percentage of pVO2 max.
So for me my current best 5 min power is 377 and my current TR FTP is 311. 377(.825)=311. 311(1.21)=311. My FTP is 82% of my pVO2 and my pVO2 is 121% of my FTP.
Realistically for me an FTP of 85% of pVO2 (given pVO2 stays the same). In a nutshell that’s how I’m coming up with my ceiling. From time to time I’ll test 5 min power to re-evaluate.
Completely abandon all goal setting related to “yesterday’s” metrics of miles/kilometers, vertical ft/meters, or hours on the bike.
TSS: Take the annual TSS goal setting/tracking I am currently doing to the next level of: annual TSS plus time in each Coggan iLevel (i.e. be more efficient with my training time making sure it is aligned with my A and B event goals).
Nutrition: Similar changes as many have stated re: quality of foods except I won’t deprive myself of the occasional (regular?) “treats” (e.g. beer, wine, chocolate) as recommended by Matt Fitzgerald in The Endurance Diet.
Strength training: Going great! The only change is dialing up the planning/measuring as I have done for my cycling
Do I take this stuff too seriously??? You betcha! And lovin’ helping others as well where I can!
Do the same ssblv1 and lv2, gblv plans, all in ERG, but do more of them at lower cadence and in lower gears.
Supplement with more (hilly) outdoor riding especially hill repeats.
Many of my target TT events are rolling/hilly and my last year’s ftp growth was based on high gear high cadence work, great for flat courses, not so great for hilly.
What gearing are you using?
My horsie came stock with compact chainring and it’s very useful for really steep stuff (got me through my hardest ever ride last year!) but on the flattish stuff I’m stuck cross chaining 90% of the time.
I’ll be putting on a semi-compact in the next couple of months.
@Darkgerbil I’m a hill climber (although my phenotype more closely resembles that of a TTer) and have found huge benefit in continuing to improve high cadence. I find it particularly useful during the final few hundred meters of a climb to crest a hill. So IMO great that you’ll work on muscular power/endurance with your low gear/cadence work, but I wouldn’t drop your high cadence skills.
@bobmac, thanks for the advice. I think you’re right and it’s how I’ll proceed. I ought to have said that in the lower gear VO2 intervals I’ll still be largely focusing on high cadence, just in a lower gear than last year.
My first event last year was a hilly TT and I went into it confident with a massively improved ftp but I performed poorly on the course, far slower than the prior year in identical conditions. I’m convinced it was the lack of the “muscle geometry” that you get with lower-inertia pedalling, as in, lower gear riding in ERG mode which apes real climbing.
I do a lot of 95-105 cadence in the SS/threshold work.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but that kind of change relative to pVO2, wont show up in your ramp test since it is spitting out FTP based on a blanket % of the 1 min max power from the ramp. While it is not 5 min pVO2 in the ramp, the nature of the test is that it is still very much related to VO2max, as far as I understand it due to the stepwise nature until failure.
@Bioteknik very insightful. Regardless of the method to come up with a number for FTP I still think 85% of my 5 min power will be the 100% of my “FTP” if that makes any sense. I’ve tested outside vs. the TR ramp and I’m very close. If I understand you correctly the TR ramp test will eventually/potentially result in a higher calculated FTP?
At least two Strength/ Core/ Glute Activation sessions a week, and daily rolling
Better Family/ Work/ Training Balance - this might mean less structured indoor work, for more availability in the evenings, but it’s a way I can achieve consistent time on the bike. No doubt commuting/ outdoor spins aren’t the same training effect though.
More healthy fats in my diet, and less back loading of calories in the day.
Outcome Goals:
Still a little up in the air to be honest. I’ve Liege-Bastogne-Liege 274km booked. I’m still waiting to here about my Vets racing application (I was late), and I am not sure about going back to open racing, but have renewed the race licence!.
