So i did an FTP last night. Moved up from 270 to 280. Weird thing is that I have been injured and the only cycling I have been doing it commuting to work and even at that I am not pushing that hard.
As you can see there has not to need much training from September till now. The only thing I can put it down to is a bike service and clean, I put a new chain and cassette on my bike and completely cleaned the whole drive train, would this cause a significant increase in power?
I say significant because I must have lost fitness since September.
If itās at the crank, then it wouldnāt matter.
If itās at the flywheel then a clean drivetrain definitely would make a difference. Potentially massively so, depending on how dirty.
@Crownan@stevemz thanks, I probably would have gotten a much better FTP at the end of my first base block that 270 in that case
Lesson learned > donāt let the bike go too far before servicing and cleaning!
Joined TR from Zwift 5 weeks ago. Did a final Ftp test on Zwift and registered 305w at 100. 2kgs. Started TR 2 days later and performed the FTP test (ramp) and got 285 at the same weight, I conclude that Zwift flatters its users.
5 weeks on and Iām down to 92.9kgs as of this morning after I took my ease. Fully committed to the program (sweet spot base, mid volume 1) and loving the results so far, canāt wait for the next test to see the gain hopefully back to 300 but for real this time. Hoping to get down to 85kgs ultimately, but even if I donāt the gains Iāve made so far in weight loss are worth the subscription.
Joined TrainerRoad in October with a ramp test of 211W, 65kg. Started SSB1 - mid volume.
Iām not completely new to structure training as I had attempted to follow some plans but I think the result was always dubious at best.
Started yesterday SSB2 - mid volume, again with a ramp test and got 252W!
Iām very happy with this number and at the same time a little bit worried about my ability to follow the upcoming training plan as this power is definitely new territory for me.
BTW, Iām really glad to have joined TR and enjoying the forum!
Did the same, found my FTP reduced by 11W from Zwift to Trainerroad. As discussed in various threads here all FTP tests are different. I wouldnāt say Zwift isnāt trying to flatten its users, though I would be wary of FTPās given out after events/races by it. I havenāt tried but I imagine youād get different FTPs if you used different trainer road FTP tests.
I stuck with the TR value as I was doing their workouts and found it a good value for the workouts and have progressed from there. To me FTP is just a value you set your workouts too for best results and good for motivation if improving.
Well done on weight loss, since getting a smart trainer in March Iāve lost 17 kilos and still reducingā¦ similar weight to you now at 92.5 kilosā¦ do like the fact that when climbing Alpe du Zwift, Iām lead to understand with the incline, we get an extra 7W benefit for each kilo we shift! So for me Iāve earned an āadditional 119wā losing weight alone, never mind the FTP improvements
Well done on the 17 kios, fantastic effort ! Ideally I would like to hit 85 kgs and get to 350 on the ftp, I suspect the ftp is more likely, spent to long being a rugby player to achieve sub 90 kilos.
7 kilos in 5 weeks is excellent progress, canāt see any reason you wouldnāt get down to 85 kilos if you keep going the way you are. I found Iād stay at same weight for weeks then all of a sudden Iād lose 1 to 2 kilos. So if you stick at one weight for a while, donāt think thatās it!
I havenāt got a target, I havenāt changed my diet, just regular structured exercise taking its toil Iām expecting myself to plateau at some point and also hoping to get my FTP to around the same. First target is 3.6w/kg and after reading the Bell thread, if I achieve that, Iāll put my new target at 4w/kg.
i did recently invest in some Garmin scales, expensive for what they do but I weigh myself every day at same time and it just goes off on wifi and records and I donāt have to remember to note it downā¦Spot the rest week in the middle along with a few takeaways and beersā¦ Last 4 weeks
Just done base phase 1 and moved onto base phase 2 and improved by 16 watts from base phase 1 ramp test to base phase 2 ramp test , so improved in 6 weeks , fairly happy with that.
I stopped drinking which made a huge difference to start with to the weight, like you not really altered my eating but have been more aware of the garbage in garbage out prompts we get come up.
Not going to get to hung up on weight though, muscle weighs more than than fat after all. 3.5 w/kg is roughly the figure that I would like to hit by the new year, dependant on how much I enjoy my Christmas that is!
I achieved a 14w bump (6%) in November. Of course, I was delighted, but also frustrated that the improvement came after the season. Better late than never though. Looking at it as starting my ATP at a higher level.
Reading through all these posts and the common output for many is pushing too hard and losing motivation and becoming ill. I fall into this category too. We can get so hung up on ftp. I have done ssb1 mid vol and 2 and still have the same ftp as I started but on the road with groups and solo I feel much stronger on the bike. Some people see an increase in Base program but I think this is probably as they may not have trained at this level before or are new to structured training and see big gains in the short term. Base isnt generally expected to increase ftp for those who are used to training - maintaining it during base is a plus. Build should see an increase of some sort if it is consistent and the right volume is selected to avoid over training or under training. Number 1 for fun.
Itās interesting you say that. Iāve been following FTP increases for a long term on this forum and elsewhere. Most people see most, if not all their gains in the first two base phases, and build and certainly at specialty it plateaus or even lowers to a certain extent. I see a huge 10% increase in Base 1, and then another 7% on Base 2. Now on my own build phase, Iād be happy with even 3%!
Obviously, if youāre ftp donāt increase, itās not to say youāre not a stronger rider. Youāll be stronger in your specialty!
I just picked up a Tacx Vortex around black friday and my first ramp test last week resulted in a 147 ftp. I was really disappointed. Iām very new to cycling but have a deep BMX background so I know how to spin. Iāve done a few 20-30 milers outside and hold 16-17mpg fairly easily. During the ramp test I had to keep shifting to avoid spinning out. Seemed wrong seeing as though itās supposed to be erg mode. I proceeded with the base 1 phase low volume and the workouts were so easy. I never left zone 2 HR. I knew something was wrong. After some reading, I figured out that TR has a spin down calibration. I had done one through the Tacx utility app but not TR. After getting that sorted, I retested last night and man, what a difference. Came in at 209. Only had to shift into a lower gear once as my cadence was up over 110. Iām now expecting these workouts to hurt.
I started Sweet Spot Base Mid Volume 1 on 18 Nov, using my new Wahoo Kickr Snap (first time training with power), and the first Ramp Test gave me 218w as an FTP.
3 weeks later, I redid the Ramp test, and managed an FTP of 241w.
Granted, not all of that is fitness gains, at least some of it will be down to āgetting used to the kitā, but even so, I was good and happy
This gives me a 10.3% increase in FTP and a 18.1% increase in w/kg and a total of 27 watts increase on FTP and a 6.6 kg drop in weight since I started on TrainerRoad 12 weeks ago!
Tomorrow I leave on a six week holiday, not sure how much cycling I will be able to do, but will do some running and hope I can fit in some rides. I hope I do not loose too much as I am starting General Build mid January. I will Ramp Test again before starting build phase.
Dropping 8kgs in 5 weeks is impressive but potentially a bit quick! Hopefully you are still fuelling your workouts and not starving yourself. Performance may suffer eventually.
Appreciate the concern, I certainly am eating plenty and the right stuff, actually eating more if the truth be known, stopping drinking accounts for the majority of the weight loss and the rate I am losing has become a gradual slope. I myself was concerned to begin with at the drop but am happy with it now.
