So I completed the SSB LV1 plan and am wondering where to go from here.
TLDR; first RAMP test was 123, after SSB it was 150. Should I move onto the build phase or continue with base.
Background: I just bought a road bike in August so I am completely new to the sport. I was a distance runner in highschool so the structured and interval work offered by TR was very appealing. I bought a smart trainer and got started. I basically came in with no fitness at all. I had knee surgery on an old ACL tear 2 years ago and never fully recovered. My left leg had basically no muscle.
My first RAMP test came out to a 123 FTP. I am 5’10 and 160 lbs, so that was pretty awful, but I wasn’t that surprised given my leg and overall fitness. I made it through the 6 weeks of SSB1 and felt great. I am already starting to see my muscle coming back.
I took another RAMP test last night and got a 150 FTP. I felt this was pretty good given my level of fitness.
So my question is, should I move on to another base plan? Or should I go right into the build phase? I haven’t had any knee pain yet but also don’t want to over do it.
Ok, so firstly congratulations on getting a 20% bump in FTP from completing SSBLV1 ! That’s a great result and you should be rightly proud.
As above, the next obvious stage is SSBLV2
You don’t mention your age, but assuming you have coped well with Low volume there is no reason why you shouldn’t consider moving to mid vol. unless you feel it may impact your leg rehabilitation
Yes, I am 32 and haven’t ran competitively in over 10 years. My main goal is just to get stronger over the winter so I can be ready for next year. I want to do a couple of “rides” and just be able to do some longer rides and even some local group rides. I picked a ride called the Red Bud Ride in London Kentucky. It is April 13th and offers a 100mi, 60mi and 30mi courses. I am thinking about doing either the 30mi or 60 mi ride. It also has way more elevation than I am used to in SW Indiana. So want to try and prepare for that as well. I am just too slow at this point to even think about actual races but would love to do that eventually.
If you do the 60mile ride then you’ll have done your first 100k cycle (it’s actually 62.5 miles so do a warm up ). That’s a good motivational goal for your training and you have enough time to complete SSB2, then build, then speciality
I would add an outdoor ride at least once a week. If you are fairly new or returning to cycling it will help with bike handling, confidence, comfort etc.
Congrats on your new ftp! It looks like you are on the right track. I would continue on with base training and finish out SSBLV2. I recommend this because you are basically going from “couch to” and with little prior riding experience a solid aerobic base is important. To expand your aerobic capacity a little farther sprinkle in some low stress Wednesday or Sunday workouts like Dans or Petit if the knee feels up to it.
So just a quick update. I finished the second 6 week block of SSB and my FTP went from 150 to 175. Starting Sustained power build this week! Guessing the gains are going to slow down a lot from here on out. Overall I am very happy and feeling much stronger.
Nice to see that I’m not the only guy here under 200 ftp! I’m about to start my 5th week of ssb1mv tomorrow. I started at 143, and I’m so eager to see where I’m at when I take my ramp test in a couple weeks. Good luck with your build plan, let us know how it goes!
I’m in a very similar boat. I’m probably riding with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 legs. My left leg has a little atrophy from a knee injury. I think it’s important for us to work on the imbalance. I’ve started working on the pistol squat. When using the left leg I only have the strength to go down to 30". Every couple of weeks I plan to lower the table/chair 1 inch if I can. I’ve also added planks to include side planks. I’m also in SPB.
Good luck!
Just another update on my progress. I just completed the ramp test halfway through sustained power build, I am now up to a 190 FTP. It was probably the worst I have felt during a RAMP test yet. Fighting a head cold so I was a little surprised to see that much improvement.
). That’s a good motivational goal for your training and you have enough time to complete SSB2, then build, then speciality