Started a Base, Build, Speciality cycle back at the start of November 2018. I focused on weight loss for the base phase till 2 weeks before my first race event which coincided with the end of SSB2 a week ago.
I knew the gains would be very little between base phases due to the weight loss, but was happy to see any gain at all. Now moving into build phase Iāll focus on fueling workouts and worry less about the scale because I dont want anything to slow down the FTP gains from here.
Just finished Triathlon Sprint low volume Build phase.
previous ftp at end of base phase
192w
current ftp at end of build phase
-196w
was sick for a whole week of key (vo2 and sweet spot) workouts and did the ftp test mostly fasted and in the morning (whereas i usually do it in the evening where iām usually more focused) and supposedly i snored a whole lot and woke up super congested so not the best recovery
so considering all that, iām happy about the small increase
now iāve got to dial in the diet to lose weight while at least maintaining ftp.
Age 63. Been cycling for about 5 years doing sportives of up to 100 miles but would really like to improve my times before I get too old!
Started TR structured training for the first time in January 19 after recommendation from a friend.
Using virtual power on non smart Elite trainer
First FTP 188
Just finished doing ssb low volume 1
2nd FTP test today of 201 so reasonable improvement
About to start ssblv2 and hoping to continue the steady progress before doing sustained power build perhaps medium volume if I can manage it.
Iām really hoping Iāll notice a marked improvement once I start outdoors again!
A newbie question - what would be a reasonable maximum FTP score one might expect based on age?
Well, after feeling super confident throughout base, got up today feeling really insecure about whether my FTP had improved. Did Lamarck (4x10 @ 100%) which to me seemed a lot more reasonable than the ramp test, in which I always seem to break early, or a traditional 20min test. Fortunately I survived and did the intervals at 295w. So, for this season:
pre SSB1HV - 275w 3.9w/kg
pre SSB2HV - 285w 4.0w/kg
pre build - 295w 4.2w/kg
29/11/2018 - 188w : Start of 5 weeks traditional base after 4 months off with a broken back
06/01/2019 - 248w : Start of SSB I MV
30/01/2019 - 243w : Mid SSB I , new trainer so had to retest
26/02/2019 - 259w : Start SSB II MV
Hoped for a 3-5% increase but got close to 7, so Iām happy.
Time to dig in for another 6 weeks and see what happens.
I had a ramp test schedule for week five of sustained, but my asthma crept in over the weekend. Did taku and maybe test tomorrow and do some more endurance after.
Support has finally agreed to replace the trainer today. Weāll see what happens with the new trainer. The weather here is still not great, so an outside test is still in wait for now
up 8% from SSB2, got in 4 solid weeks before getting sick. week 5 was a mess, I did finish lamarck without much fuss tho. Happy with the results and ready for my first Build Phase!!!
This is after Sustained Power Build - mid vol. 8% increase with what I would estimate is an 85% compliance. Iām beginning XC mid vol this week and looking forward to seeing what short VO2 max intervals will do to my FTP.
One more thing to note, virtual is virtual: There is no guarantee that the numbers match up on an absolute scale. The whole point of this power based training is that it is a match for you, and where you are at, so the numbers are really only a reference point with yourself. Carry on, and the numbers will go up over time, they always do with consistent training, especially when you first start out.
I was intrigued by this so I generated this test profile (using 92% in the first phase) assuming my most recent ramp test gave a good FTP and tossed them both into Golden Cheetah for comparison. My gradual ramp was really gradual with 120% at 10 minutes and 130% at 15 minutes.
Using the TP Baseline test and going +10 minutes and 120% gives a average ride power of 214. The average ride power is what is used to calculate the FTP in this method. My actual TR ramp test had a 1-minute power of 284 and a resulting FTP of 213. If you can extend the base test protocol to 130% the average power would jump to 221. Note that 284/213 = 133%.
My conclusion from this is that once again @Nate_Pearson and the TR crew have made things a simple as possible while achieving maximum effectiveness.
Used to be a running back in college @85 kg. Athletic stuff ended with a knee and ankle injury. Was a sedentary 32 yo couch potato when I started TR.
FTP progress
January 2018 - 225w @ 88kg
January 2019 - 315w @ 76kg (as measured per ramp test. My actual best 1h normalized power is 312w. Fairly close)
As for people wondering about progress in form of FTP, I feel the most tangible gain I got of TR is endurance. At first, my best 5-8 min power was 256w. Now, my best 2h30 (150 min) ride has a NP of 271w. Holding the same power for nearly 30 times longer than when I started.
CanāT thank TR enough for the product they offer. I donāt really understand why it works or howā¦ but it does !
Iāve been thinking about this recently, mostly because of a good number of heavy science topics on the forum, and I think for almost all of us it doesnāt matter if we really understand why/how it work, just that it does.
Almost all TR would be served well by riding more, riding harder, and resting more, first and foremost.
None of us are in the realm of needing to eek out marginal physiological gains because weāve exhausted our genetic potential. Yes, we can train more intelligently, but until youāve topped out on the easy big block stuff, I wouldnāt worry too much about the granular.
If you really want to know, thereās a recent podcast which goes into a bit of detail what happens to your body when your FTP increases.
Done with ssb1hv now, retested after the recovery week and ahead of ssb2hv with a result of 300W. So during ssb1hv I went from 250 to 300W ftp. Pleased with the progress and very interested how close I can get to my 340W ftp from 4years ago before summer hitsā¦
Looking forward to some hard work after this recovery week.
Oh and I unintentionally lost 2kg in the process.
Feb 2018 - 220W Zwift 20min test with virtual power
July 2018 - 277W - Ramp test with Kickr snap as power meter after some training and racing
Jan 2019 - 246W - Start of SSB1LV - Ramp test with Stages L meter
March 2019 - 261W - Start of SSB2LV - Ramp test with Stages L meter
Weight has been around 81-82kg for a while now.
Meh I was hoping for a bit more of an increase than that but onto the next round!
Just finished the first half of SPBMV2 and quite enjoyed the recovery weekā¦ Went away for the weekend so I crammed all of the scheduled rides into a five day spanā¦ then proceeded to drink more alcohol over the weekend that I did all of last yearā¦ Tried the scheduled ramp test but failedā¦ Well I peaked at the same interval as I did at the start of the phaseā¦ I chaulked it up to being tired and dehydrated (legs cramped up and felt cramped all day thereafter)ā¦
Not sure if Iām retry tomorrow or wait another day before resuming the plan/phase.
