Adjusted my FTP from 280 to 288 after doing some testing on threshold and vo2max.
Gained 3 kg of weight up to 70kg the last few months, had surgery and was out for 4 weeks without training in January, which ended up with too much candy I guess. Took about 3-4 weeks to get back to 280W.
Good thing is I’m now above 4 w/kg again at 70kg/288W (178cm,36yo). From june to december last year I had exactly 280 every ramp test, but didn’t eat enough, always 500-600 cals under each day.
Now that I eat back my cals I feel great and actually got an improvement. Also my bones don’t stick out at this weight so might just stay here, I don’t get paid to do this so.
March 18th started Sustained Power FTP 199 (Flux s) and the highest heart rate I’ve attained in a couple of years. Here’s hoping to some good gains from here.
Hopefully, I’m pivoting back to base now. Cancelling build part two in favour of SSB2 HV due to cancellations. I’m really hoping that this COVID business will end in summer and I’ll get back to racing.
Coming into specialty (40k TT) at 331w, weighing in this morning at 73.6kg for an even 4.5w/kg. Now it’s just fingers crossed my early season A race isn’t impacted (9 weeks out so hoping for the best)!
Amazing job getting to 4.5 w/kg. Just looking back on your posts in this thread, I see there are some similarities in our paths: I also started at the same time as you, getting my first drop-bar bike in Oct '18, and I know we’ve done some of the same hill-climb races.
Things diverge when it comes to the numbers though-- I’ve plateaued at around 260 ftp and 3.35 w/kg since last summer. I think I have a few years on you, so maybe I just am what I am, limited by genetics and age. I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life, and I’m still enjoying training and riding my bike, so I’m not complaining. Still, I am pretty jealous I do wonder if I’m doing something wrong… maybe overtraining/not enough rest… or maybe the opposite.
thanks!! I have a fairly optimal lifestyle for training and being young is definitely to my advantage. A number of local guys I ride with claim they’re on the wrong side of 40 and have thusly reached their genetic peak and will only go downhill from here, but they don’t use trainerroad
Keep plugging away and that number will bump up. Hope to see you at some of the races this year (if we have any!)
Disappointingly i couldnt test on the same bike as my last 3 tests as office is shut which has a gym and watt bikes.
Using my Wahoo and a new drive train, incl oval chainrings, my FTP went down 4 Watts which is only 1.3% after the first 4 weeks of build. Given the testing constants have all changed; the bike, turbo type, accuracy of turbo, ti,me of day test was done, and recovering from a cold in rest week, i’m actually relieved its essentially the same. Ive always found that turbo harder. I was thinking it would test lower. However, on the positive its my new Reference point and its just a number. With my A Event in June being cancelled im back to SSB to get more base training in.
If my B event gets cancelled i may just continue through SSB I and II again as they were my only GF events, and if they are re arranged its likely to be Q3 by the looks of it. CV19 is going to last for many months.
Not able to increase volumes or take advance of wfh as children are being sent home and my 18 month old will reduce my work hours with my wife and I sharing so may have to compensate in evenings etc…
going to be interesting time for everyone. stay safe
* I don’t have a dedicated power meter, so trainer-reported power is all I get. The Qubo is a wheel-on mag trainer that can’t be calibrated without a separate power meter, and the Suito is a direct-drive with spin-down calibration. I’m choosing to believe the Suito is the more accurate of the two.
Started Trainerroad just a few months ago, not really trained structurally in the first few weeks.
At first I started with a plan for a mountainious race, although I live in Flanders and we don’t have any mountains, but hey. Then a build-plan and only recent my first base plan. Basically, I took the wrong direction haha.
Anyways, FTP increased quite significantly nevertheless. Started at 205 and am currently 264. Did try to watch my foodintake since a few weeks and I already gained a bit of weight (whopping 0.6 kg).
I remember having an online discussion at the end of 2019 which touched the question; what to do if you want to achieve 4W/KG. Being 3.65 W/KG now with one quarter down I hope to continue to improve to reach that first real achievement of 4W/KG. That would be very cool. Maybe I can share my do’s and don’ts at the end of 2020 since I have changed quite some parameters in my training/diet over the last couple of months.
Started SSB1LV in January in preparation for a cycling holiday in March. Went from 239 → 249. Then thanks to that training I managed to ride all 6 days at the camp and had a recovery week. Retested just now and have gone from 249 → 273.
Sure, the camp helped a ton, but I couldn’t have done the camp without that SSB phase and all the advise from the podcast.
Going to do SSB2LV and mix in some longer Zwift rides until I’m no longer in lockdown now
I’ve had numerous major setbacks over the years due to illness, injuries, and work. While my numbers are nowhere near what I’d like them to be, there are no indications that I’m anywhere near my max potential yet. This past year I’ve reduced my focus on mountain biking and have spent more time on the trainer. So far it’s paying off.
Had another FTP yesterday and got a 7W bump (268 → 275). Looking back at my training I’m really happy with my results.
Started TR in June of 2018 with an FTP of 190W. I had never done structured training at this point. About a month later doing Sweet Spot my FTP went up to 216W (newb gains!). Was mildly consistent until Sep 2018 when I pretty much stopped cycling and focused on marathon training.
Retested in Feb 2019 at 217W, but again, wasn’t too consistent, mainly rode as cross training for the marathon.
August 2019 tested at 222W after doing just outside rides, no structure. Prepping for Gran Fondo.
Oct 2019 was when I really got back into TR. Tested FTP of 225W. Did Sweet Spot workouts during the week and raced CX on the weekends. Wasn’t in a set plan, just pulled the SSB1 workouts here and there.
Dec 2019 I decided to go all in and scheduled a full Base/Build/Specialty block. FTP tested at 240W.
From there, it went to 245W after SSB1, then 268W after SSB2, and now 275W after the first four weeks of General Build. All plans were low volume with extra workouts added as needed.
So 190W in June 2018 to 275W in March 2020. Though I had big breaks of no cycling in there. When I really look at my gains, I look at 222W in August 2019 to 275W March 2020.
Hi everyone!
Sharing my TR experience so far…
Commenced with TR 18th of February 2020. Averaging 284 TSS weekly I just completed a 6-week low base olympic triathlon combined with some longer easy outside rides to fill up the cancelled swim sessions as the pools are closed due to quarantine measures.
Today found that my FTP increased 6,6% from 224W (3.29W/kg @ 68kg) to 239W (3.51W/kg @ 68kg)!
Next up is the olympic triathlon build phase which I will change from low- to mid-volume.
Hopefully this motivates you to keep pushing those pedals!
Ride hard, train harder!
Cheers!
Gurbe
(Male, age 29)
Last two weeks (between tests March 2020 and April 2020) only threshold riding at FTP. Progression from 3x15 to 1x60. Was able to ride through Gibraltar +2 easily. So basically I applied every insight from @empiricalcycling I could, with time constraints I have (I have increased also volume - currently around MV in terms of TSS but with 3 threshold workouts a week + 1 recovery ride).
Now I am thinking about 2 weeks of high-density block - I am curious how my body will react.
Overall I am happy with the progress, especially that these six months with TR are 6 months I am riding a bike at all
I do wonder if I’m doing something wrong… maybe overtraining/not enough rest… or maybe the opposite.
