Training Log SJP's FTP, slight return

steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
I'm having another crack at a training plan.

Goal is to ride the Half Fling sub 4 hrs (50kms)

Equipment: roadie on a kicker snap, hrm, cadence sensor and TrainerRoad for a training programme, mountain bike for real rides, ain't got no power meter so using virtual power.

Plan: beginners 6 week base programme, three rides a week plus I'll chuck in some mtb on the weekend, at completion I'll take on an 8 week mtb specific plan, maybe 4 rides a week plus a real one.

I plan to update this weekly once the weeks riding is done.
 
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S

schred

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Sounds like a decent commitment effort and time wise. Care to give us some base stats of where you're at as a starter e.g. current FTP and weight, or just w/kg? I am pretty sure I'd get a lot better if I had some structure, but I don't have any goals that require it.
 
steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
schred said:
Sounds like a decent commitment effort and time wise. Care to give us some base stats of where you're at as a starter e.g. current FTP and weight, or just w/kg? I am pretty sure I'd get a lot better if I had some structure, but I don't have any goals that require it.
Click to expand...
FTP was established on the first session, 180 watts.

Weight 79kgs
 
steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
Week One

Tuesday: FTP. Duration 1 hour. Objective: FTP test. Just a series of warm ups to 2 X 8 min intervals at flat knacker. Result was 180 watts which will dictate the rest of the training.

Friday: Mount Field. Duration 1 hour. Objective: 3 X 12 min intervals at 80% FTP. Designed to build endurance.

Sunday: Baxter. Duration 90 mins. Objective: Endurance, low intensity workout with 29 endurance intervals between 1 and 3 mins, no more than 80% FTP, most less than that. Idea was to keep a cadence of a minimum 85 rpm ramping up to 100+ for the endurance intervals.
 
steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
I' m gonna start updating this as I go so I can better capture the technical info and provide an insight for those that have never undertaken a training plan.

Week Two

Tuesday: Goddard. Duration 1 hour. Objective: maintaining form under pedal speed. Notes: this one hurt, a bunch of single leg drills that were a real eye opener as to pedal form and my lack thereof, then on to 10 X V02 max 30 second intervals at +FTP and increasing every interval, some more single leg drills and then 2 X 6 min intervals at 90% FTP, first two mins at cadence of 90 rpm, then 2mins at 100 and 2mins at 110 whilst trying to maintain form (small decreases in FTP for the following two intervals).

Thursday: Monitor. Duration 1 hour. Objective: base work to improve FTP. Notes: 6 X 6min intervals at 80% FTP, cadence at above comfort level, so for me 90+rpm, 2 min rest between.

Saturday: went for an actual mtb ride. Trainer on its own just ain't gonna cut it.

Sunday: Antelope: Duration 90 mins. Objective base work to improve FTP. Notes: 5 X 10 min intervals at 80% FTP and a cadence above comfort level, 5 min rests in between.

Weekly summary: the novelty has well and truly worn off, the last interval on Sunday really hurt. The tips I'm getting are helping ie pedalling, breathing tension. I'm getting a familiar pain in my left butt cheek that is screwing up my form a bit. Not sure if it's a hammy or a glute but I gotta solve it. Funny I don't get it on the mtb.
 
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steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
Week three

I seem to have discovered that my butt pain is neither a glute or hammy issue, it's a hip rotator problem. Apparently there is a group of six muscles from the top of the thigh round to the butt that control femur rotation in the hip joint. I'm pretty sure that's the problem because I can replicate the feeling by stretching it, it's also an issue that can arise from cycling due to the hips not opening when you spend long periods on the bike loading up your legs. So one more stretch to the repertoire.

Tuesday: Ericsson. Duration:60 mins. Objective: increased leg speed. Notes: a bunch of single leg drills then 4 X 8 min @ 80% FTP, cadence just above comfort zone (88 rpm) for 4 mins, then 95rpm for 3 mins then 103 rpm for 1 min whilst maintaining form. 3 min rests.

Thursday: Carson. Duration 60 mins. Objective: fat burner. Notes: 6 intervals of between 4 and 7 minutes at ranges of 80% to 90% FTP, cadence ranging from 75 to 85 rpm. This one was focussed on hill climbing, I actually found the lower cadence at the 80% FTP harder than at higher cadence, really had to concentrate to keep it at 75rpm and not try and sneak up to 85.

Sunday: morning ride was a 12km explore, had a nice steep climb in it that had me a bit concerned for tonite's trainer ride.
Eclipse. Duration 90 mins. Objective: strength endurance. Notes: 3 X 20 min intervals at 85 to 95% FTP, cadence aiming for 90rpm, middle interval was at a Lower cadence around 70 to 75. This one was a bastard, hip rotator started whinging mid way through the second interval, so upped the cadence to take the load off. Heart rate maxed out at 168 and spent a bit of time above 165. Seeing how my theoretical max heart rate is 170 I'm happy with that effort. EDIT: just checked the data, 28 mins at threshold (zone 4) 161bpm to 174bpm.
 
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steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
Week 4

Wednesday: Tunnaburra. Duration: 60 mins. Objective: maintaining form and building endurance. Notes: 5 x 7mins stepped intervals at between 85 to 95% FTP, cadence 85 to 100rpm. Each step is 1 min long as the ftp falls the cadence rises and vice versa.

Friday: Geiger. Duration 60 mins. Objective: strength endurance. Notes: 3 x 12 min interval @ 85 to 95% ftp, trying to keep the cadence at 100rpm. Didn't hurt as much as I thought, butt soreness was lurking guess I'll just keep stretching it.

Sunday: Warlow. Duration 90 mins. Objective: increasing FTP. Notes: 5 X 9 min intervals, each one has 3 valleys of 2 mins long at 90% FTP separated by 1 min peaks at 120% FTP. 6 min rests in between. This is the hardest session I have done thus far but I found it not that hard. My last interval I decided to spin at 100rpm (85 to 90 is my comfort zone) to try and really milk out the benefit. Any higher than 100 rpm and I get bobbing which I think goes back to my hip flexibility. The butt hurt was lurking but I managed it pretty well and got through ok. I'm convinced I'm becoming a stronger rider however I think the big variable here was it was a morning session (coz I had to work). This now begs another question, if I did my ftp test in the morning and all my training will I get more of a benefit. I know my work is tiring, not physically but mentally it can be exhausting and I am probably more of a morning person so maybe once this programme is finished I mite structure the next one around mornings.

edit: I just remembered I adjusted my seat forward a bit, I wonder if that helped.
 
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schred

Likes Bikes and Dirt
It looks very dedicated, how's it going? When's the next suffer test?

Also, mind me asking why it calls for intervals below FTP?
 
steve jobs' pancreas

steve jobs' pancreas

Eats Squid
schred said:
It looks very dedicated, how's it going? When's the next suffer test?

Also, mind me asking why it calls for intervals below FTP?
Click to expand...
Sunday morning will be a 90 min session with a bunch of intervals at or above 100% FTP, to quote a comedy show from the '80s (maybe 90s) "I am really looking forward to that one"

I think the intervals I have done to date have been about pedaling faster than is comfortable whilst maintaining form, when its done between 85 and 95% FTP for longer and longer intervals (the last 90 min session had three 20 min blocks) I guess that forms a solid base that they say should translate to a 5- 10% increase in FTP. They call it "sweet spot" training and its a beginner base build programme without a huge amount of intensity. The view is that training in the sweet spot is challenging enough but not so much that it requires large recovery times, its demanding but forgiving. Right now for me its enough, some posture things I'm working out with my physio are helping but they will take time and now I've understood it better that butt pain I'm getting is actually a hip thing and relates again to posture. So loading up too much would have been a bad move.

I feel like I'm already getting a result, the last session of 12 min intervals wasn't too hard and I was spinning around 100rpm before the bounce set it, 4 weeks ago I could have done that once but not at the end of an hour for 12 mins after having done 2 already. I am however conscious that this may be great for road riding but for mtb it cant stop here and I will need to actually ride to replicate the specific demand that mtb will require.
 
S

schred

Likes Bikes and Dirt
FTP is the maximum power you can lay down for an hour, and if you know what power you can lay down for an hour (1 hour = 100% FTP) it stands to reason that you can exceed that amount for shorter periods of time.

Here's Dr Coggan's zones, sorry for the size.
 

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slider_phil

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just got a smart trainer myself (tacx flux) and have been trying Zwift over the last 2 days. A lot more engaging than rollers, that's for sure.

Since it's got built in power I want to look into doing my first FTP test then pick up a program. How are you liking trainer road? I just signed up for the 7 day trial on Zwift and have been doing a few rides over the mountain (since I don't have any locally). Trainer road looks like the go for structured workouts but I'm worried that looking at a graph while on a trainer will get boring quick. I guess it's got a free trial too so I might have to check out.
 
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