Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

That's where you train and eat a load of haribo at the same time, right?

I read a piece about increasing ftp via sweetspot. Pushing your ftp up from below.

'its easier to lift a table from below, than place your hands on top and attempt to lift it from above'

Bluh.

Sweetspot intervals make it far more viable to train the next day. I know that much.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowntree's_Fruit_Pastilles

I thought that blowing your load was sweet spot training.

Vinegar stroke training

Basically, between now and next Feb/March I want a 10% increase in FTP (300->330) at a slightly reduced weight (70kg->68kg).

Based on what I was told and did for 1 year:-

Step 1 - de train. As you must have already trained for some time to get that level you may need to de train to ensure you don't over train and can use your FTP in March. Involves taking time completely off the bike for 3-4weeks and will have you starting your training block keen.

Step 2 - Aerobic development - Z2 training with a small amount of Z3 to avoid becoming competely one pace. Done in 3 week blocks with a weeks low load in between building to a really Z2 load for the last session

Step 3 - Anaerobic development - 2x sets of intervals per week interspersed with some Z3 and possibly some longer Z2 if you have time Also done in 3 week blocks (building intensity and duration) with a lower load rest week to allow super compensation. You do the intervals when fresh then the Z2/3 stuff which is easier to do when tired.

Step 4 - 2week training camp ending 2 weeks before target date. Heaps of Z2 plus some intensity building to the stage you are completely and utterly wrecked.

Step 5 - rest/taper - some Z1 recovery spinning and much reduced duration intensity eg 2x5minutes Z4.

The theory is that the aerobic takes longer to develop but also longer to degrade - that's why it's done first. The aerobic provides a base for the other training and starts you from a higher position in effect it pushes your FTP up. Modern plans substitute longer Z2 sessions for sweetspot training which gives quicker results but possibly less depth (discuss).

The anaerobic pulls your FTP up, is quicker to develop but also quicker to degrade hence it's done last.

The training camp and following rest is a big bout of stressing the physiology and muscles to cause supercompensation (ie recover plus) The taper stops the anaerobic dropping and ensures you arrive fresh.

Based on what I was told and did for 1 year:-

How did it go?

It looks quite 'traditional' (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Sweetspot intervals make it far more viable to train the next day.

I tend to do SS after consecutive days (so tired) and before a day of z2 or rest.

I suppose it depends how much you do: hours or sessions on the turbo of 4x8m (which seems really soft but apparently is all good).

Following that at 11hrs a week for 38weeks gave me a 20% increase in FTP. Taking account of testing accuracy etc I'd say it was a solid 15% .

Immediately prior to that - 11.5hrs a week for 21 weeks following a less structured plan gave me 5% - again that could have been more taking into account testing accuracy.

I was happy with the traditional base phase as I was targeting longer events

I'd murder my already dead grandparents for 20%!

Diminishing returns innit. If you gained 20% you could be racing Pro Tour instead of touring around Europe on your own dime.

HA!
If I can get 3% a year for the next 5 years I'll be happy.

Yup the big gains were early on. Now into staying the same/small increments.

Great result.

I just started training on rollers.

I wanted to do the free Strava Sufferlandia videos but they don't 100 % work.

So I do 0-5mins warm up. 10 mins at 80% HR. 10 Mins at 90% HR. warm down to 60 % HR.

Is this a good training activity for the rollers for 4 nights a week, plus one club run at the weekend. Will it help improve anything, if so, what sort of improvement is this type of a work out aide at.

That's great info, thanks. Training plan, here I come!

My Z2 is also about learning to ride fast.

I need this as all my intervals are uphill. So I cruise flats, and attack climbs.

Stresses me out when folk start gunning it in a race.

So I ride at say 200w for a couple hours, while also aiming to move fast. Tend to judge the ride on av speed as much as av power.

Depressingly i can can achieve my high z2 on the wheel of my mate also doing his Z2. His Ftp is like 85w more than mine. But this adds to race training. Our last session was over 4 hours long.

I could barely walk the next day.

I could barely walk the next day.

He bums you when you lose? That's harsh even by my training standards.

Looking at some stats from earlier in the year, found a similar ride to what I did today.

23/04/15

Watts: 189
Avg HR: 163

05/09/15
Watts: 192
Avg HR: 164

now I know comparing avg hr doenst tell the whole story however - would you not expect to see slightly better results over an entire summer? I.e I should have been able to produce 192W today for less effort/ hr. I was also slightly less fatigued today vs the ride in Apr.

Although I havnt tested my FTP in a couple of months last time I did it seems to be only a few watts greater than what it was in May.

Before Apr I was doing around 200 miles/month. Apr was the first month I did 500 and since I have done 500 to 550 every month since.

Any ideas what I am doing hopelessly wrong?

Your asking a question that has no answer!

Fitness ebbs and flows and doesn't always grow.

Plus just looking at average watts from a rise against HR shows very little (I'd say it shows nothing but that's not true)

If you want to compare fitness over time you need to do a repeatable fair test.

well I mentioned my ftp remained the same - perhaps I should do another however as it is a couple of months out of date.

Sorry what I meant was, the ride you didn't doesn't really show 'fitness' as using HR to compare stuff like that is not going to really show anything

My threshold is lower now than it was 3 months ago. It's hard to keep fitness all the time unless you just ride all the time then you'll stagnate.

You didn't really say what you're doing so it's not possible to say what you're doing wrong or what you could improve. What's your goal?

Are you actually doing any targeted or specific training- or just going riding and recording your data?

It's very hard to progress past a certain point by just riding a bike without any particular focus.

I guess what I am getting at is that it is hard to quantify fitness improvement- however would you expect these sort of results? they seem very marginal to me. Im talking just general improvements, to be in general a better club rider.

for reference, hours trained:

JAN - 11
FEB - 9
MAR - 17
APR - 32
MAY - 31
JUN - 31
JUL - 30
AUG - 25

chart shows power curve for May and last 6 weeks. Is it possible that I peaked by May and the rest has just been stagnating at the same level due to not increasing training?

last 6 weeks in pale purple (sorry about data spike)

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just riding/recording. If this looks normal ^ then fair enough, I will look to plan some structured training in the winter