i don’t care about ftp anymore (used to be around 4 w/kg peak season).
back in the gym doing squads, deadlifts, etc. trying to focus on strength and mtb skills. gonna nail the technical riding this year.
and dirt jumps, cuz why not.
I want to be as fast as I was in 2015. I need to ride but I’m very uncomfortable right now. My rain gear sucks and my gloves suck so here I am.
Tonight I got some nikwax tech wash to do my jacket and pants and I guess I’ll go from there. Next are pogies and shoe covers.
Started training for the first time (PerfPro). I’m on one day a week and am working through the bumps.
Week 1: Wrong FTP (240) totally destroyed me by the end.
Week 2: Correct FTP (212) felt too easy while I was doing it, but afterwards felt pretty cooked, so maybe it just felt easy by comparison. It was supposed to be a 74% effort, so maybe it’s all good now. I’m tempted to raise my FTP by a few points anyway.
It’s difficult to keep up with this kind of workout with my diet. I have to eat way more calories than I’m used to and I’m still not good at it. This was a problem during regular cross season as well.
My saddle seems to shapeshift on me between riding on the road and riding on the trainer. By the end of my training run my sit bones were so sore. Is this a thing? Do I need to switch to a training saddle? What might cause this to happen?
Possibly just because when you are on the trainer you don’t move around as much as you do on the road, a bit like being a stoker on a tandem. Just stand up a bit every now and then. Any little change in gradient on the road causes you to make minute adjustments to your position. A comfy saddle might make sense if it’s a trainer only bike.
that is definitely a thing. most people dont get out of the saddle or change positions, so you are just smashing all your weight into your sit bones all day.
i would work on standing up intermittently and changing hand positions so that your weight distribution moves around.
74% effort definitely shouldn’t feel hard while youre doing it. should be more mental, but then fatigued at the end.
if this is your first time getting into structured training, you’ll probably see your FTP go up pretty quickly. i would do a few more workouts before you change it though. it’s a good idea to adjust it every 4-6 weeks to start, then if you keep it up, you’ll have a better feel for doing adjustments without necessarily retesting.
i am currently trying to gain weight and its so godamn hard for me. i rode both days last weekend and two longer lunch rides this week and i’m down 5lbs from before last weekend. wtf.
eating as much as i can at every meal, snacking all day at work… but as soon as i put it hours on the bike, i lose it all.
[quote=aerobear]that is definitely a thing. most people dont get out of the saddle or change positions, so you are just smashing all your weight into your sit bones all day.
i would work on standing up intermittently and changing hand positions so that your weight distribution moves around.
74% effort definitely shouldn’t feel hard while youre doing it. should be more mental, but then fatigued at the end.
if this is your first time getting into structured training, you’ll probably see your FTP go up pretty quickly. i would do a few more workouts before you change it though. it’s a good idea to adjust it every 4-6 weeks to start, then if you keep it up, you’ll have a better feel for doing adjustments without necessarily retesting.
i am currently trying to gain weight and its so godamn hard for me. i rode both days last weekend and two longer lunch rides this week and i’m down 5lbs from before last weekend. wtf.
eating as much as i can at every meal, snacking all day at work… but as soon as i put it hours on the bike, i lose it all.[/quote]
I went through a phase like that. I supplemented heavily with beer and icecream, ended up getting gout! I was also probably the fittest I’d ever been relative to my age.
Luckily I’m a vegan, so pretty sure I don’t have to worry about gout…
[quote=littletinyfish]Started training for the first time (PerfPro). I’m on one day a week and am working through the bumps.
Week 1: Wrong FTP (240) totally destroyed me by the end.
Week 2: Correct FTP (212) felt too easy while I was doing it, but afterwards felt pretty cooked, so maybe it just felt easy by comparison. It was supposed to be a 74% effort, so maybe it’s all good now. I’m tempted to raise my FTP by a few points anyway.
It’s difficult to keep up with this kind of workout with my diet. I have to eat way more calories than I’m used to and I’m still not good at it. This was a problem during regular cross season as well.
My saddle seems to shapeshift on me between riding on the road and riding on the trainer. By the end of my training run my sit bones were so sore. Is this a thing? Do I need to switch to a training saddle? What might cause this to happen?[/quote]
How are you coming up with your FTP number ? I used to find it much easier to do that shit in the field, rather than on a wind trainer. Or even in a race, preferably a TT. Doing it inside just messes with your head. I understand you may have weather constraints.
Changed the name of the thread so I don’t feel obligated to comment on everything.
Became tired of following Coggan pissing matches with the world around him, basically.
I did one FTP test in December. The 240 was a mistake cuz that was the default when I did the test, and it was never updated. Since it was my first time, the numbers were meaningless to me, and so I didn’t notice (until halfway through the ride when I was totally gassed).
I don’t have a power meter (yet?) and training has never really interested me, but the opportunity presented itself, so here I am, figuring it out as I go.
Has anyone looked at/used Xert? It seems like it’s big thing is that it uses an estimate of your FTP based on previous efforts, rather than through testing.
I’m not sure what to think about the planner function. The suggestion feature is kinda neat, but I like to know at least what my week of training is going to look like. The plans are supposedly 120-days out from your target event. I might fool around with this during the next off-season.
Regarding HR zones: the gist of it is that there are five (sometimes seven but let’s stick to five) HR zones. The zones are determined in relation to your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). The easiest - and most likely incorrect - way to determine one’s MHR is to subtract one’s age from the number 220. Based on this calculation my MHR should be 164 bpm whereas my lab tested max is 174 bpm. You can get the accurate MHR by either going to a sports lab and do a stress test (where they will measure not only your MHR but also your threshold HR and your FTP in bpm and watts) or by doing this fairly unpleasant exercise: pick a section of road (minimum five minutes’ ride long – a hill is best) and start off at an intensity you think you can just about hold until the end. Every minute accelerate and ride a little bit harder until you are right at your limit, then try and sprint for as long as your legs will allow. Record your maximum heart rate.
Once you determine your MHR, you can calculate your training/output zones. You will find that Strava uses a slightly different calculation of zones. I think the following one is a little better:
Zone one – active recovery
(<55% FTP power / <68% threshold HR / 50-60% MHR)
Training at this intensity means you can stay active without becoming fatigued. After training hard your body will often go in to shut down mode to try and recover as quickly as possible. This, however, leaves you feeling sluggish. Training in zone one will allow you to keep your legs turning over without adding to your levels of fatigue.
When to ride in zone one
Perfect for when you need to recover form a hard session but don’t want to feel sluggish the next day.
Zone two – endurance
(55-75% FTP power / 68-83% threshold HR / 60-70% MHR)
Riding in zone two teaches your body to burn fat as a fuel source and encourages your body to produce more mitochondria. The very top of zone two is your aerobic threshold. Therefore in zone two your blood lactate shouldn’t be elevated.
When to ride in zone two
To work on your base fitness. Sessions in zone two can typically last up to six or seven hours for pro cyclists but you don’t need to ride for that long to feel the benefit.
Zone three – tempo
(76-90% FTP / 84-94% threshold HR / 70-80% MHR)
This zone works on your ability to hold a consistent high pace. When in zone three you will be riding in when riding hard but comfortably. Most people really enjoy zone three training as they feel they are riding quickly without riding too hard. Training in zone three has a lot of the advantages of zone two, however it’s a lot more tiring. Therefore, the number of sessions that can be completed in a row, or the length of each individual session, needs to be limited. The biggest reason for riding in zone three is that it stimulates your body to increase the amount of glycogen it can store (in zone three glycogen usage is starting to overtake fat usage as the primary fuel source).
When to ride in zone three
Often periods of zone three are included in a predominately zone two ride. This way a rider can earn the benefits of zone three training without the accompanied fatigue. One to three hours is the rough period of time you should be able to sustain in zone three.
Zone four – threshold
(91-105% FTP / 95-105% threshold HR / 80-90% MHR)
Zone four works on your anaerobic threshold. Therefore, the zone starts just below a rider’s anaerobic threshold and stretches to just above. This allows a rider to push up their anaerobic threshold using longer intervals and pull up their threshold by training using shorter intervals. Training in zone four produces a great deal of lactic acid and therefore zone four actually gives the greatest stimulus to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscles.
When to ride in zone four
Training in zone four is very fatiguing and therefore can only be done for limited periods. More often than not zone four training is done in intervals with a period of recovery between efforts. You should be able to maintain zone four for between ten minutes and one hour.
Zone five – VO2
(106-120% FTP / >106% threshold HR / 90-100% MHR)
This is the intensity you can hold for three to eight minutes. Training in zone five is very fatiguing and these are typically leg-burning efforts. In shorter efforts your heart rate may not have time to respond to the effort and your maximum heart rate may actually be after you’ve reached the top of a climb. This is the limit to which heart rate zones are usable as after this efforts will either be too short for heart rate to respond to, or you will simply reach your maximum heart rate. Training in this zone works on your cardiac output – how much and how quickly your heart can pump blood to where it is needed in the muscles.
When to ride in zone five
This is typically the zone you will be riding at when going as hard as you can up a small climb. A good example of this is the effort needed to climb the Koppenberg in the Tour of Flanders sportive.
I personally pick bits and pieces from this. I work a lot on trying to ride as efficiently as I could without going into the red (zone 4). When I did my first race I rode in zone 4 for for 5 hours and got cramps so I realised it wasn’t the way to go. In winter my main concern is burning calories/fat. If I have the time for a longer ride (3-4 hours) I try to ride mostly in zone 2 but since everywhere I ride is hilly, I can’t avpoid peaking into zone 3 on the climbs. If I only have time for a shorter ride (1-2 hours) I will do various intervals. In summer I do all kinds of rides, some mostly at the top of zone 3, peaking into zone 4 on climbs.
You can take a look at some training plans that are based on the HR zones + read more about the matter here: http://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/training/cycling-training-plans-153049
This is from an old Slovak pro. He’s like 55 and kills my buddy in Italy on vacation
I’m doing Zwift 10-12 week ftp builder. Started last week with 2nd week (said to skip 1st 2 weeks if in shape, I compromised).
So far feels good. Less weekly TSS than I’ve done in the past so I expect less chance of burnout in April/May. Also I think I can add in some group rides so long as they are of the LSD variety.
meh, you’re better off not paying attention to heart rate.
I’ve been using heart rate while on the MTB to analyze aerobic effort while not pedalling (downhill, flow, etc). That’s one area that I think the current school of thought seems to ignore, because it is hard to measure. Even then, it’s only for analysis; PE is used for gauging the effort.
Aerobic decoupling is another thing that I have been following over the years, but never really applied. The new beta of GC added that field to the activity summary, though.
I just finished up Week 12 of the British Cycling Foundation Plan. My first B+/A- race is mid-April, but I have one gravel grinder scheduled at the end of March. That should be enough to shake the dust off prior to the first enduro of the season. It’s looking like I’ll peak right around the end of May, just in time for the Hood River enduro. My fitness level feels a lot better than after 12 weeks of TCTP, but that is expected. I’m regularly doing 4 hr rides, which should serve me well through the later stages in the races. I’ve only added about 15 watts, but my weight is down 12 kg from peak fitness last season. The hills were where I was getting killed last year. I took about 300 cal off my daily intake through my base miles and it seems to have paid off with a w/kg of 2.8. I’m also coming off a week of norovirus, which should get me to my goal weight in another week or two.
I was running all my workouts through Xert for the last month. It seems to put my FTP right around 5% of what my tests are putting out. My TSS/wk is still around 330, but I’m now starting into my build. That average should climb a bit. It’ll be interesting what happens over the next 12 weeks.