Very nice improvement in just a little over a month. I’m in the same boat - I just my FTP test last week at 236 and just completed week 1 of SSB1 base plan (5 weeks to go). So far so good. I can’t wait to see the outcome.
The first year up to October wasn’t structured at all.
I started out not knowing how to ride a road bike (didn’t know how STIs work, didn’t know what clipless pedals were, and so on), and really did whatever.
I mainly did GCN workouts I found on YouTube and probably didn’t do more than 4 hours a week for the first few months.
When the weather was good over the summer I mainly tried to improve my endurance, and didn’t really look into numbers.
I was pretty dissatisfied with my results and started to get coached in mid October. Since then, the results were pretty good. The focus in the previous 12 months was on TT, so the vast increase in 20 minute power was somewhat expected.
Next year my A+ event is a 5 day stage race, so The FTP Is somewhat secondary, and endurance, repeatability/ ability to recover and power efficiency will become paramount.
So far, I have based all my training on 8 to 12 hours per week.
I think the keys to success in the past 13 months were:
- consistency
- progressive overload
- high intensity
- focus on recovery (gleaning the hours to get sufficient sleep)
I will likely have to ramp up volume over the next year a little, to cope with the stress of a multi-day event.
Therefore, I don’t expect my FTP to increase notably over the next year. My goals are a rather moderate increase in FTP to 5.35 W/kg (to reach exceptional) and my 5 minute power to 6.7W/kg.
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So basically you start cycling and went to 5 w/kg. I agree - why bother with all these lower values that normal human beings have 
But seriously it is one impressive story. Comparing these with your bikes stable you are like a batman or something
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The bike stable is Tony Stark level, but my power levels are more like Hawk Eye, at best 
.
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Date||FTP
- | - | -
April 2020|end of GBMV|202
May 2020|end of SSB MV II|203
June 2020|middle of SusPB MV|205
July 2020|end of SusPB MV|215 (this was probably an overtest)
August 2020|10 days after my big event, the Bergen-Voss gran fondo|210
November 2020|end of SSB MV I & II| 210
December 2020|middle of GB MV| 210
To borrow from MasterCard:
Some people #GetFaster. For everyone else, there’s #ProgressIsNotLinear.
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Congrats ! 80 Watts in a year
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Before March I was doing spin class at the gym. I switched over to TR on March 13, guessed my ftp and picked whatever workout looked hard. I did my first new FTP 8 minute test at end of March. I started a TR plan builder plan around May and have stuck to the plan very closely. Here are my results.
3/31/2020 - 293w
5/9/2020 - 325w
5/12/2020 - 306w
6/22/2020 - 314w
8/3/2020 - 336w
8/31/2020 - 329w
9/28/2020 - 339w
11/23/2020 - 337w
Seems like I’m stuck around the 330’s since August. After I finish this plan out, I would like to start another. Is there a plan that focuses just on increasing FTP above all other things (discipline or other)? I used to race MTB and CX years ago, but have no immediate plans to do any racing, I just want to see my ftp gradually go up over 2021 (if possible).
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Thanks! Call it 50 to compensate for the power source swap
Still very good 
Just finished SSB1LV after joining TR 6 weeks ago. No prior experience with any sort of consistent training or training plans; just riding as much as I can when the weather permits throughout the summer.
Modest 4W increase (219W to 223W) @ 73kg which was kind of disappointing considering how much fitter I do feel.
Lots of possible reasons but I think over the next 6 weeks of SSB2LV I want to add getting my nutrition in check now that I am training consistently.
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Just did a new RAMP test to start structured TR training scheme.
Went from 303W => 315W. (5.0wkg => 5.2wkg) by unstructured riding and lots (maybe too much) of Zwift racing.
Next target is 325W (5.4wkg), dream big
Sweet spot and O/U are going to hurt!
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FTP is just a number , if you feel fitter that already is a big + !! Keep going and improvement will follow ( hey any improvement is good even if it is “only4W”)
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Proper climber right here. That’s Nairo-levels of weight
My FTP test synopsis.
I head out for my ride, legs feel empty. I do a conservative warmup to ride the legs in to form, RPE feels high and HR higher than it should be for the watts. 10 mins to go until I start my 20 minute time trial through hell and I tear open a gel hoping it might make this a little less sucky. It starts, and we’re hurting early. Farkkk this it’s hot and I want to quit 5 minutes in and averaging at 275 watts {current FTP}. 10 mins in and we’re at 285 and struggling, surely no way I could increase power anymore right? 2 minutes to go and everything is starting to go into tunnel vision, and then Thunderstruck starts playing through my earphones, I don’t even like AC/DC but this is what we needed, as the song progresses the watts are flowing and we’re crushing the final minute at 400 and above. It’s over and I collapsed over my bike finding any bit of oxygen I can. I look down and I averaged 299 watts and consequently new 20 min PB!
And that folks, is how AC/DC added 10 watts to my FTP.
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Damn you’re a good story teller, I got was into that lol
But can you spell AC/DC ? 
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The final minute at 400W will inflate your ftp. I would not consider the test to be successful because you did not pace it correctly.
My two cents.
Not so sure about this. Yes, it will rise the avg number couple of watts but if you have power left in your tank that also can be indication that you have paced it a little low. 20 min should be really all out so what 400 watts at the end is the same like 2 watts added to your pacing power. Especially as your FTP is avg not np power.
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I’m doing something wrong.
2020/05/13 - 234
2020/06/17 - 245
2020/09/17 - 246
2020/12/02 - 245
42yo male. Riding for 8yrs now. LV (base/build) plans + outside riding, averaging ~7hrs and 4-600TSS per week.
Ok. If there’s still gas in the tank, it wasn’t paced correctly. Whether the number is too high, or too low.