Your FTP improvements

  1. I started with 4 weeks of Base - Sprint Triathlon - Mid
  2. Then I did 6 weeks of Base - Olympic Triathlon - Mid
  3. Took 2 weeks off to give my body rest as it was the first time ever I followed a training plan
  4. Started Base - Half Triathlon - Mid, but after week 4 I got the news that the local race I wanted to train for was canceled, so I switched the other 4 weeks of the block to Base - Olympic Triathlon - Mid again.
  5. Took a week off during Christmas and New Year
  6. Started 2020 with Plan Builder which gave me again 5 weeks of Base - Olympic Triathlon - Mid
  7. So at the moment, Iā€™m in my 3rd week of Build- Olympic Triathlon - Mid for the first time and added a weekly strength training session in the gym too.

I do try to experiment a lot (switch days, switch gym sessions, replace workouts) as my real goal is in 5-7 years and not my first year of training. Not sure if Iā€™m doing the right thing but it sure feels as if it is working.

I hope this helped a little.

1 Like

Feb 2020 ---------> 315

Aug 2019 ---------->309

April 2019 ---------->302

Mar 2019 ------------>297

Nov 2018 ------------>290

Sep 2018 ---------->299

May 2018 --------->293

May 2018 ---------->288

Mar 2018 ----------->284

Feb 2018 ----------->276

Jan 2018 ------------>272

Dec 2017------------->256

Oct 2017 ------------->225

14 Likes

Jan 20th: 242 ftp

6 weeks of ssblv2 with a random middling session flung in at the weekends, so kinda inbetween lv and mv laterā€¦

Today, 1st March: 259ftp

Worth adding that I shortened all 90 minute sessions to 75 or even 60 minute versions, due to wonky knees.

Begin sustained power build low volume tomorrow with the same rules in place.

Last day in February (or close enough): 255+ ā€“ Kolie Protocol (3.5 w/kg)

All on the back of 4hrs of Tempo/week. :man_shrugging:

2 Likes

Ergo - Seilerā€™s zone 2 gives the best results! Your rate of improvement is quite amazing;)

Weight consistent at 64kg +/- 0.5kg.

October 14, 2019 - 195W (3.05W/kg)

  • Started SSB LVI
    November 26, 2019 - 213W (3.33W/kg)
  • Started SSB MVII
    January 27, 2020 - 226W (3.53W/kg)
  • Started SBB MVII
    February 26, 2020 - 241W (3.66W/kg)
  • Started General Build MV
1 Like

I am doing the mid-volume, full distance triathlon plan. I have completed the 12-week base and 8-week build phases and am now starting the specialize phase. I completed an FTP test at the start of each of the three phases. For each of the three workouts, I used the ramp test. Iā€™ve lost about four pounds over the course of the 20-weeks of training. Below are my numbers. Iā€™m very pleased with my progress.

Start of base training: 224W (3.5 W/ kg)
Start of build phase: 242W (3.8 W/ kg)
Start of specialize phase: 257W (4.1 W/ kg)

My Ironman is in eight weeks. There is no additional FTP test in the training plan, so I guess I will use todayā€™s number for the IM. Iā€™m not sure how accurate it will be given that I have several more weeks of training and Iā€™m currently fatigued from the build phase. How much higher could it be with more training and a proper taper? Who knows.

2 Likes

Now through 4 weeks of a modified Trad Base 1 (1-2 days cycling, 1 day running, 1-2 days hiking, 1 body-weight strength session) in prep for trekking in Peru in June (assuming not disrupted by COVID-19). FTP tested today and basically constant (194 ā†’ 195; 2.83 W/kg). Seems reasonable for a month of almost exclusively endurance work only partially on the bike and at a total TSS/wk of around 350. Happy with the stability, as it shows that the test is probably getting close to my actual FTP. Have definitely noticed a big improvement in my hiking strength, so generally OK if my biking just stays stable for the moment.

Now on to 4 weeks of a modified Trad Base 2. Same hiking, running, hiking, strength split, but with a bit more Tempo work thrown in on top of the endurance.

2 Likes

Having never done structured training before, I started 2020 with TrainerRoad. I spent the past fall racing cyclocross mostly just for fun but also to keep some of my fitness over to the next year. My peak FTP in 2019 was roughly 250 for reference. My race weight for last year was about 71kg.

I skipped the Base phase and went straight into the Build Phase as my first Collegiate races start in mid March and felt that I retained a decent amount of base from the fall. I typically ride about 8 hours a week depending on my work schedule and midterms.

Mid Volume General Build Block 1 - Jan 7th - 247 W, 3.48 W/kg (Ramp Test) 71kg
Mid Volume General Build Block 2 - Feb 4th - 276 W, 3.94 W/kg (Ramp Test) 70kg
End of Mid Volume General Build - Mar 4th - 290 W, 4.17 W/kg (20 Minute Power Test outside) 69.5kg

Iā€™ve been very pleased with the improvement so far. Iā€™m well on track to meet my cycling goals for 2020 and Iā€™m excited to see how my hard work will pay off. Iā€™ve always been a sprinter with a Max 5 sec of 1452 W and 21.04 W/kg so I know that now with a decent FTP Iā€™ll be competitive in Cat 4/ Menā€™s C and hopefully get into Cat 3/Menā€™s B by the start of the summer.

4 Likes

20/10/2018 - 191
19/11/2018 - 205 (a bit undervalued I think - I was sick)
05/01/2019 - 246
10/03/2019 - 267 (I feel like I could have done a bit more)
20/04/2019 - 278 (again, underperfomed a bit I think - rather a breathing / mental failure, muscles were completely OK)
21/07/2019 - 287
01/03/2020 - 300

I definitely like my progress - Iā€™m pretty sure I could have squeeze some more watts on the last test.

Thanks TR !

8 Likes

With those numbers, no reason you canā€™t move up to Cat2 and Menā€™s A assuming you know how to race or have good race instincts. :+1:

1 Like

Edging closer to 4W/kg . 280W ftp at 71kg ā€¦

3 Likes

Took another ramp test today.

History so far
224
230
224
220
217

I do feel strong when I ride outside lol. Seems Iā€™m just not changing much. Iā€™m ok that it takes time. On to the next phase.

7 Likes

8-Oct-19 1st test = 274
18-Nov-19 SSB MV1 = 279
30-Dec-19 SSB MV2 = 288
27-Jan-20 SPB MV pt1 = 293
9-Mar-20 SPB MV pt2 = 305

A pretty decent winter overall :grinning:

13 Likes

Appreciate the Ramp test is a snapshot of your FTP at that moment on one particular day. Iā€™ve seen mine fluctuate but 1 or 2 watts. I generally just keep my FTP the same if it drops by 1 or 2 watts and then use the new value if it ever increases.

However, after a proper end of plan recovery week it is always lower. Today it was 3% lower about 7 watts. I was just thinking this seems so marginal given I think I mentally checked out perhaps 30 seconds too early (realistically I could have dropped my cadance to like 60rpm and gritted for another 30 seconds) which would have kept my FTP the same.

Iā€™m going to keep my FTP at the lower value at least for this week and then increase it to my previous value at the start of next week. Or should I just keep it at the previous value and say today was a ā€œbad day at the officeā€? Workouts this week my feel a little tougher but Iā€™ll be back into it next week?

Just wondering what the general thoughts are on what the FTP swing from day to day? +/- 2% feels about right without seeing any serious detriment in completion of workouts etc

1 Like

image
Coming up to two years of training indoors, my H1 is still going strong. Slowly getting back after a rough couple of months. Do find my FTP plateaus around the 330 mark and could do with losing a couple of kilos, but have noticed a vast improvement in my engine, I can keep going for much longer. After last nights Ramp, I left a little in the tank so I could complete the event I was partaking in. Pushing at this level after the ramp I donā€™t believe would have been possible last year.

17 Likes

ā€¢1 Oct 2019 - 237w
ā€¢12 Nov 2019. End of SSB1 - 251w
ā€¢24 Dec 2019. End of SSB2 - 251w
ā€¢Done some z2 stuff over the festive period.
ā€¢4 Feb 2020. Beginning of Plan builder - 256w
ā€¢9 Mar 2020. First ramp test during plan builder (5 weeks into plan builder) - 286w

Also my weight is down from 82kg to 78kg.

Plan Builder for the win.

11 Likes

Another bump to 258w at the end of general build! Back to base for a month now.

5 Likes

Old 8minute test from 2018 - 253 watts

Jan 2020 started plan builder plan - 255 watts

Just finished SSBLV1 (Modified low volume. I added some extra bike workouts. I also added running workouts too)

Ramp test today - 279 watts

9.41% increase
24 watt difference
:+1:t2:

10 Likes

Iā€™m in the same boat. Peaked around 275 FTP / 4.3 W/kg last year around August. Then I was off the bike for the rest of the year (running focused for a race in October, then nothing through the holidays).

I did a ramp test early Jan and came back 209 FTP / 3.2 W/kg. Back to 230 FTP / 3.5 W/kg, but boy is it humbling clawing my way back.

10 Likes