If you can take 3% every cycle/plan that is massive.
Well done.
Latest unoffical improvement last night albeit during a Zwift race
But Iāve far more regular with my testing this year.
Jan 2020: 348w. weight: 81.5kg
Feb 2020: 355w weight: 80kg
March 2020: 357w weight: 79kg
April 2020: 363w weight: 78.5kg (race not a ramp test)
A shift from 4.27w/kg to 4.6w/kg, so Iām happy with that given thereās nothing going on to really train for.
I think I just need to make sure that it wasnāt an off day b/c to your point I was consistent and nailing all workouts so I was confident there would be a gain. If itās still under then Iāll just increase the percentage slightly.
Do I take this as an increase?
Was at 259w in Oct, didnāt train for months after a crash so jumped back in at 250w a few weeks ago.
Just did a ramp test where the last minute was 355w (266 FTP) butā¦
When moving from 325w to 340w I changed 2 gears instead of 1 and completely lost power and concentration, to then get back and hit the 355w minute at 359w then was done.
Do I need to retest or set it at 266w?
FWIW I was not rested either after doing Mills @ 88TSS yesterday.
No shame in the manual adjustment. I actually went through several training phases last season and already two this season without a tested FTP increase. I bumped my FTP up 1% in each case and continued training, and in each case I eventually had a tested breakthrough. In my two years on TR, Iāve found I usually need to consolidate my gains by training for a few months at one level before my FTP will rise. But Iām almost 43, right at 4 W/kg, so the ālow hanging fruitā days are well behind me. YMMV.
Did the ramp rest last night, dropped by 9W in about 4 weeks since my plan finished.
With the lockdown and nothing to aim for Iāve just been trying different trainer apps, doing some online races, and have a 6.5k loop where I live so I can still do a bit outdoors with the lock down.
So Iām still doing plenty and looking good hours, just without structure. I think this have really shown me the value of having a structured plan. While I wonāt start a new plan I will select outdoor workouts now for the non turbo rides
Just checked this and I am at 114%.
could also be as much psychological as physiological. Ramp tests are hard and that motivation to kick last ftpās ass is a real factor especially in the final 30 seconds that matter.
Structured training definitely makes a difference though, even in a couple weeks time you can start to lose that edge, but it comes back quick, and they have maintenance plans that are good.
I preface this with the fact that I donāt use TR training plans. However, I have increased power at LT1 from ~185W to 227W [215 - 257W road corrected PowerTap] since January 12. LT1 for me is set at 135 bpm [1.2 mmol lactateā¦from a test done 24 Feb 2020]. Polarized protocol with Ronnestad 30/15 Vo2 every 4 - 5 weeks [5 sessions over 7 days then one session per week]. Long rides (at LT1) are hybridā¦2 - 2.5 hrs on the Kineticā¦followed by 2 - 2.5 hrs on the road during off weeks. During on weeks the staple ride is 3 - 3.5 hrs on the Kinetic.
Yeah thereās probably a bit of that, another issue is the weather is much improved, I had my trainer set up in the back yard and even with that cooling is a much bigger issue now than a few weeks ago
Here is my progress from July 2019 to today. The July 2019 ramp test was my first FTP test with my Favero Duos, so everything prior to that I take with a grain of salt since it was just virtual power. My weight has been steady at 165 lbs (74.8 kgs). I was deployed from July to Nov of 19, which limited me to a low volume plan and 3 workouts per week in addition to sub-optimal sleep and nutrition.
Iāve been able to bump up my weekly TSS during the past six weeks due to the quarantine. Previously I was in the 300 - 400 range but I pushed that up to a weekly average around 500 for the past six weeks. I think this bump in volume directly correlated to my largest FTP improvement in the past month from 278 to 298 watts.
Jul 2, 2019 - 224 (2.99 w/kg)
Jul 30, 2019 - 240
Aug 27, 2019 - 243
Sep 24, 2019 - 248
Nov 19, 2019 - 252
Jan 1, 2020 - 260
Feb 11, 2020 - 267
Mar 10, 2020 - 271
Apr 6, 2020 - 278
May 2, 2020 - 298 (3.98 w/kg)
Thoughts for continued growth? Is this an indicator that I will be super responsive to the continued loading of volume? This large bump in FTP is super inspiring and makes me confident that I still have lots of room for improvement since I just gained 20 watts in 4 weeks by adding more zone 2 volume.
Your big jump and history perfectly correlate with my experience. Volume jump from LV to around 500 TSS also caused similar bump in FTP.
@jarsson thatās interesting. Were you able to maintain steady FTP improvement while maintaining 500 TSS for awhile? Or did you feel like the training stimulus you needed for FTP improvement was a continued increase in volume?
The problem is that my FTP increase was 1 week ago, and now I am doing VO2 max block. So I am sorry, but I could not answer this yet. Bumping the volume to 600 TSS is the maximum I can handle with current time constraints. I have a feeling that this kind of volume is enough to build a lot more - there is only a matter what kind of workouts I will do or when I do them (so progressive overload block, blocking types of workouts etc).
Right on, good luck with the rest of your training block.
FTP history - update:
Oct 15, 2019 - 195W
Nov 27, 2019 - 213W
Jan 28, 2020 - 226W
Feb 27, 2020 - 241W
Mar 26, 2020 - 246W
Apr 22, 2020 - 251W
Most recent virtual race (May 2):
20m - 261W
1hr - 246W
Happy with the progress, and happy with having the most recent FTP test numbers confirmed by todayās performance. Weight has stayed fairly steady at 63kg most days, with high being 64 and low 62. My original goal was to hit 4W/kg by cross season in September. Seems I accomplished that a few months early! Now Iām optimistic I can hit 270-275W by Sept 12, which is cross opener. Thatās an average gain of 5W/month, which Iāve managed in March and April.
6% increase today 
. 222-236. Brings me to 3.5 w/kg. Iām stoked. Iāve been having trouble increasing my FTP the past year. Feels good. Now on to some more gainz!
Good job! Your excitement is contagious. Iām jacked to go train.
You can lose weight and gain watts at the same time!
Everyone is at a different place in their journey, so this applies to my scenario, but maybe not everyone, particularly those that are already either very lean or already near their limits, but I think many on here are in the same boat as me since I consider myself to be average. If you have body composition opportunities, you can definitely cut the right weight and maintain enough caloric intake not to see your improvements halt while losing weight.
Iām in my second year of training with Trainerroad. First year was relatively hard gains. Started with an ramp test score of 238, but felt I was stronger than that based on other information so started with an FTP of 250. Trained last year on a low volume plan and saw okay gains and was at 265 watts and ready for another test to perhaps go higher, but ended up with a medical issue that ended the season. My weight at the time in the low 180 lbs (83kg) to roughtly 3.2 watts per. I am roughly 6ā 1" so pretty average build at the time. Iām also 40 years old, in case you were wondering.
On October 14th 2019, started a new program. Set FTP to 250 watts manually. Was gaining weight due to bad habits and holidays so started roughly the same weight, but got up to 190.8 lbs (86.5kg) in late November. On January 24th started changing my diet and increasing my volume. I ramped my volume up to about 10 hours a week (up from 7 hours) and got extremely disciplined with training, not missing a single planned day of riding during this block. Iāve lost over 20 lbs in 3.5 months and today I hit 300 watts, just a hair away from 4 w/kg! My key take aways are not too novel. First key is consistency. Second, more volume. And third is to manage your intensity so that you do enough zone 2 and donāt trash yourself in between your workouts.
Tuesday, Oct 15, 2019 250 183.5 lbs 3.00 w/kg
Friday, Nov 29, 2019 265 190.8 lbs
Tuesday, Jan 14, 2020 274 188.3 lbs
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 282 183 lbs
Monday, Mar 16, 2020 290 178.6 lbs
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 301 168.5 lbs 3.94 w/kg
A couple of final notes. I went from 290 to 301 doing SSB I. So you donāt have to do intensity to gain. My diet has slipped lately during lockdown and I eat basically what I want, but still losing weight. Weāve been walking 5-6 miles a day to keep my 3 year old active the last month or so. Not sure if that helped my test today, but definitely has done nothing to hurt the freshness I feel on rides.