Here’s the thing I don’t understand.
TR uses one number to set difficulty for all workouts. To determine that number, they recommend an 8 min ramp test which inevitably favors VO2Max dominant individuals.
I assume that the logic of using one number is predicated on the relationship between relative prowess in VO2Max efforts and strength endurance intervals and sweet spot and stamina is all pretty stable among all riders. Is there good evidence for this?
For my part, I find VO2Max efforts consistently easy at my FTP relative to other training efforts and I am often wondering how best to balance my ftp setting. Should I set it a bit lower and ramp up the VO2Max workouts to 105 or higher, or leave it as is and struggle with failures on 15 minute or longer intervals. From a training perspective is one better than the other?
Would not a better approach be to set FTP levels for different workouts based on different tests and then set the mark at a consistently hard level for all workouts?
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