Thank man! 
Very happy rowing transferred relatively easily to cycling!
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There should be a rule that rowers cannot compete with normal people, only with other rowers Every rower I know is huge, looks like can snap you Iām half without any problem, have enormous engine and generates more power than burning sun.
Congratulations on your improvement
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This is JMO, but unless someone has an event they know is going to happen in the next three months, I think just about everyone should go back to Base.
But thereās an entertainment aspect here for most of us. Iām about to start SSB2MV for the fourth time in 18 months. While itās the block that I most consistently see gains in, I admit that Iām not overly thrilled to be doing it again. That said, itās the one that makes the most sense again given my time constraints, so off we go!
perhaps, and youāve been doing structured training long enough that ssb1 probably isnāt going to bump FTP all that much. sounds like your endurance got way better, so itās a win!
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 279W @ 91kg 3.07w/kg
Thursday, Jan 9, 2020 253W @ 94kg 2.69w/kg
Sunday, Dec 1, 2019 225W @ 96kg 2.34w/kg
I lost focus a bit and was pretty sick once between the Jan 9 and Apr 22 test. I am still headed in the right direction though and I am happy with all of my results so far.
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It could have been an off day where sleep, recovery, nutrition, etc could have just not been spot on for you and the ramp test showed a disappointing result. If the workouts feel easier you are getting stronger.
Finished ssblv1 and ssblv2 and gone from 212w to 222w, ready to start short power build.
Second highest watt per kilo since training but I think if I wasnāt power matching it would be higher. My cranks are about 10w lower than turbo. If we werenāt locked down either my weight would also be a lot lower! Which bodes well for post lockdown rides.
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up to 285 from 280 and made it to 4W/kg
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This is not so much an FTP brag as it is a thumbs up to structured training. My FTP is way lower than previously at the moment.
Looking back at my data for the past few years Iāve managed to bump my off the couch FTP up to 200 after 3 months of nearly nothing. Thatās also 200 solid in LV that I was able to increase volume on within 4 weeks without noticeable fatigue. 
Given that I hadnāt cycled for nearly 20 years when I started on TR, thatās pretty freaking solid. My best guess at FTP as a beginner cyclist was 160 (if I compare virtual power to my current power meter/trainer).
Iām actually more proud of this āoff the couch FTPā than I am of my best ever.
Hereās to the next ramp test.
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Started back on TR in October after a few years away. Previously Iād been using virtual power but got a 4iiii power meter to get more consistent figures.
Iām 61 and weigh 85-86kg. Started with an FTP of 241W so 2.83W/kg. Since then Iāve done SSB LV1 & LV2, Sustained Power Build LV and am now on Climbing Road Race Speciality, I know thereās no point really in doing Speciality but when Iād last used TR I never got to speciality since by then winter had ended so I rode outside. Anyway my FTP is now 266W so 3.13W/kg an increase of 10%. However thatās pretty much across the board, hereās my power curves comparing Base and Build:
Thereās a fairly consistent 25-30W increase. Not so much in the sprints but Iām not really a sprinter.
I seem to underperform on the Ramp Test but I do so consistently so Iāve a good feel for what I should be doing. The 266W was gained on a Ramp Test and not subject to any āfiddle factorā.
I remember from one of the podcasts that Chad or Nate said that for older riders it wasnāt so much about improving FTP but maintaining it. Iād like to get to 3.5W/kg which at current weight would be 297W, might be a big ask.
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Here is my FTP progress since the beginning of last year. I came back from an injury Jan '19 so thatās why the curve is quite steep at that period. All tests are from the Ramp Test protocol.
2019-01-03 - 238W
2019-01-31 - 260W
2019-03-26 - 278W
2019-04-25 - 287W
2019-08-16 - 292W
2019-12-06 - 304W
2020-02-13 - 315W
And a question to you guys, how does 8 min best from your power curve compare to your FTP in terms of percentages? I held 370W for 8 mins i.e. ~1,17% of FTP and thinking whether itās time for a new Rampā¦
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I recently changed up to mid volume and my latest FTP test went up 11%. I was really on form on that day. As I expected, I bit off more than I could chew and the hard intervals on Monadnock +4 were more than I could muster. Toxic night sweats and cold symptoms too.
Iāve knocked my FTP down by 5% so I can get some quality back into my sessions. Not dreading the workouts now.
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My FTP is 266W and from my personal records page my best 8min power is 298W so thatās 112%. If Iād done the 8min FTP test and applied the 90% to that figure Iād end up with 268W which is well within the error range of my power meter.
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I did the classic beginner mistake and jumped into SSBHV1 as my first introduction to structured training and got muscle strains before the last couple of workouts so skipped them and ended up having a slightly extended recovery week. Went from FTP of 301 to 317 and 88kg to 86Kg over 6 weeks (3.42 W/Kg to 3.68 W/Kg).
Now onto SSBMV2 for a more sustainable training load, adding in the occasional run and strength stuff.
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Keep in mind with the 8 minute test you need to repeat the effort twice with an anaerobic ādrainerā in the beginning. That being said if your workouts are feeling on the easier side, and if youāre a bit out from your next scheduled ramp test, test again.
I set a 8 minute power pr 3 days ago as it were, at 376w, (ftp 331) which is 113%. Effort probably wouldnāt be repeatable, maybe at closer to 112%
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Just did my Ramp test to start SSBII MV. Went from 247W at the beginning of SSBI MV to now at 260W. 5% increase!
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Ramp test before SSB2 HV was 282, just finished it and ramp test now was 301. Probably a little skewed tho cuz I could have gone a little longer on the 282, and I had nothing left to give on this one (I really wanted to hit 300). But Im still pretty happy, thought before test I might have actually gone down some, heh.
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Ugh I went down 5 on todayās test after 6 weeks of SSB MV1. Gonna do it again tomorrowā¦not happy with this at all.
Why not just keep training at the same or punch it up a % or 2% manually if you were nailing all your workouts?
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Only went up 7 watts from 232 to 239 after completing SSB MV1. Hoping my gains will eventually be better than this 
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