How long do you wait to Ramp Test after finishing a training block?
I’m wrapping up the hard part of General Build today and if I follow my plan I’ll do a week of recovery and then ramp test the following Tuesday. That’s 9 days after my last hard workout. Does that seem too long to anyone else?
I’m thinking maybe Thursday or Friday of the recovery week.
“Recovery week” in most TR plans seem designed to shed fatigue but keep as much fitness as possible, so I don’t really bother and do it when it’s scheduled.
Also, consider that FTP is useless by itself, is only useful to adjust the intensity of the incoming block’s workouts: the further away from your new workouts you take it, the more likely your new block will be miscalibrated and too hard/easy
Leave it where it is…if you are doing the zone 2 workouts in the recovery week it will make you fresher and as mentioned you want your FTP near the start of your next block. When I did SSB HV last year it took the whole week of zone 2 rides for the fatigue to lift anyway - wouldn’t have fancied the FTP test in that week. (You don’t lose fitness quickly provided you keep doing some cycling)
I tested today instead of a B race - since it was a B race I had a 2 day taper beforehand which was more than enough for me. I did not do a ramp test but a 20min effort instead outside.
I am coming off a 6 week block and am now tapering down for 2 weeks before starting the next training block and will take todays number as the base for that.