[Closed] Project 5 watts per kg.

Lighter without losing muscle. Thanks Alex, that was my plan.

Anyone following this my first proper ftp benchmark is going to have to wait a week or two. The cold I had has turned into a chest infection.

How are you going to measure your FTP OP, Tools wise, and 20 mins, or 1 hour?

New numbers are impressive indeed! I can't get on to weightweenies quickly to [s]stalk[/s] check when the old numbers were from but I can guess you weren't slow then either Alex 🙂

I have wondered for a while if this kind of Project is something which could showcase the likes of Torq- ie how far can you take an average Fred with the right knowledge an an above average focus on riding from the participant. Bit risky perhaps from the coaching side and requires a lot from the participant but would be interesting nonetheless 🙂

Those are quite old numbers Just saying and lighter without loosing muscle, my current threshold is around 5.5/5.6 W/kg, I also don't want to hi-jack the thread with the physiology of XC

It would probably make a fascinating thread in its own right if you had the time 😉

Torq coaches average joes all the time.

Not usually with a target like that in mind.
It's usually "to get better". Unless they are already elite level, then it'll be 5.5, 6 W/kilo etc.

Going from Fred to 5 is a whole different kettle of fish.

5 to Fred is fun though. 😆

New numbers are impressive indeed! I can't get on to weightweenies quickly to stalk check when the old numbers were from but I can guess you weren't slow then either Alex

I have wondered for a while if this kind of Project is something which could showcase the likes of Torq- ie how far can you take an average Fred with the right knowledge an an above average focus on riding from the participant. Bit risky perhaps from the coaching side and requires a lot from the participant but would be interesting nonetheless

I will say that especially in MTB racing, numbers are just a small part of it, take for example your 5 minute max power, one may have a large one, but If they can not be repeated near it, then its not all that useful in racing, ie take the national course this weekend at Dalby and the main climb, you need to be able to get up it fast 6/7 times not just once.

The best measure of performance is performance it'self.

And there is a mixture of other factors, which is why XC Physiology really interests me.

It terms of seeing how your average fred would go, It would be much safer in the labs, can do a genetic screening as this will determine certain aspects, ACTN3 gene for example has a large amount of literature on it. normal performance testing would give a degree of what they are/would be capable off.

I will say that especially in MTB racing, numbers are just a small part of it, take for example your 5 minute max power, one may have a large one, but If they can not be repeated near it, then its not all that useful in racing, ie take the national course this weekend at Dalby and the main climb, you need to be able to get up it fast 6/7 times not just once.

The best measure of performance is performance it'self.

And there is a mixture of other factors, which is why XC Physiology really interests me.

It terms of seeing how your average fred would go, It would be much safer in the labs, can do a genetic screening as this will determine certain aspects, ACTN3 gene for example has a large amount of literature on it. normal performance testing would give a degree of what they are/would be capable off.

Happy to turn up to a Lab and have someone tell me if this is theoretically possible.. would be very interested to know?

Torq coaches average joes all the time

Guilty.

My journey over 3 years with them is slightly complicated by the fact that I was more interested in my 12hr+ power for the first 2 years (3w/kg)

Good luck, I’ll be watching with interest as this is something I’ve been debating with myself lately. I’m not aiming for anything this high because I simply don’t have the hours spare, but what hours I have I ensure I make the most of them. For this very reason I use the Carmichael Time Crunched training plans and they work well for me.

Over the past year I’ve been able to up my power output but I’m struggling to lower the weight; but part of the later is my inability to give up beer completely (have reduced) and not willing to diet, just eating healthy meals made from scratch, no processed meals, and I am now actively reducing portion sizes. Current target is to lose 4kgs (5%) weight, a very realistic goal for me.

For me it’s all a life balance, I [i]want [/i]to race like a pro but with work, family, house, etc, being a pro isn’t ever going to be real 😆

just eating healthy meals made from scratch, no processed meals, and I am now actively reducing portion sizes

If you are doing this then look at reducing GI of your meals.

For me it’s all a life balance, I want to race like a pro but with work, family, house, etc, being a pro isn’t ever going to be real

Going from Fred to 5 is a whole different kettle of fish.

This was more what I was getting at when I said it would be interesting to see how far an average Fred could go with a smart, solid effort but not an all consuming, unsustainable effort. I guess, how far can the right knowledge, being smart and being consistent in your riding take someone? Or kind of linked, can a bang average person realistically, physiologically reach the goal of the OP?

I guess the most successful way to meet the OP's goal and enjoy life is start at 6.6w/kg and then start having a life 🙂

Anyway OP, I reckon if you did want to make decent progress then the like of Torq coaching and testing would be crucial as it would be an even more monumental task by yourself

Cut for a body builder (not weight lifter, my mistake) is to show off the structure of the muscles. i.e. make the skin, erm, skin tight

When he was cutting he said he used to carry a couple of emergency biscuits with him when he went out anywhere (and tried to avoid doing so at all) - every now & then he'd "bonk" just walking down the road 😯

(course, all the insulin & shit he was using during training prob didn't help)

So first check in. My weight has levelled out at 81kg nicely and I'm hoping to have that reading 70something very soon.

Just did my first ftp test using trainer road software (highly recommend this, it's really good)...

Managed 303watts for the first 8 minute block and 306 watts average for the second 8 minute block. Adjusted 1 hour calculation according to trainer road is 273 watts.

I've got a long way to get to 5w/kg... I'm setting an interim goal for next year of raising this to 300 watts and getting down to 75kg short term attainable targets are always a good thing in my eperience.

P.s. I nearly drowned in sweat!

Be interested to see how far you get. For reference, i'm 81kg & 187cm, so about 4 inches taller than you.

I've done a few FTP tests, and allowing for learning to do them better, last one I did I put out 347w (adjusted) but I think Zwift over-reads by about 5-7%.

So, real world I think thats somewhere between 320-330w. I went up from around 265 from the first test I did, butI was clueless on pacing etc so lost some there. Real world I guess i've gained somewhere between 40-50w in about a 2 year period. Lost a little bit of weight, maybe 4kg all in, but my 'training' and diet are unstructured at best. I ride my bike as much as I can, just do random sprints every now & then which is commuting & MTB at weekends. I race DH and enduro during the season & in the winter my bike lives on the turbo & I do a bit of Zwift 3 times a week.

I'd love to have bigger numbers, but in reality, I find training boring, I like food & beer & have to remember I ride bikes for fun. For amusement I do the odd XC race & get smoked by most people - it's very apparent that while my numbers arn't bad, there are a lot more serious people out there & my riding is the polar opposite of an XC format. I do have a good sprint on me though!

I might try some CX this winter rather than living on a turbo - it's got to be more interesting.

Good luck - I don't expect it t be anything other than brutal.

One month in... how are you getting on?

So one month in. I'm down to 80.5kg (start of project I was about 85/6) and haven't done an ftp test since my first one just after my initial post.

Nothing in terms of power figures to report having not retested yet..

However I did ride with a group on Tuesday night and was first up every single climb, by a fair margin. That's never been the case and there was a couple of guys out I've always looked at and seen them as quicker on the climbs than me by some margin.

There's one sprint climb where I've always pushed myself. Taken my time on on it from 1min25 to 1min05 so I'm definitely making improvements.

I also went for a mtb ride last week and got a load of strava segment top 10s without even knowing where the segments were, got 2nd spot on one with 575 people on the board.

Anecdotal evidence of improvement starting to show is what I guess I'm saying.

Next ftp test in a fortnight. I'm hoping for a 10w improvement with the work I've put in.

Oh and people are starting to notice I've lost weight and my shirts look like tents on me already.

There's one sprint climb where I've always pushed myself. Taken my time on on it from 1min25 to 1min05 so I'm definitely making improvements.

There's certainly some psychological advantage there, no way have you miraculously found 30% savings by dropping a few kilos! Still, all counts, good effort. I really ought to try harder to lose some weight 😕

(5kg)...nearly a stone. Possibly, although it's a climb where I hit max hr and hold it to the top so not really sure how it can be psychological.

Just doubled checked and it's 1min22 to 1min05 (I'd rounded it in my head).

That's 17 second from initial 82 17/82 times 100 is 20.7% improvement

... if I've dropped 10% bodyweight (slight over estimate) and gained 10% power (1 min not ftp) then (X/0.9)x1.1 is about 1.2 so a 20% increase in short punchy climbing speed, numbers aren't a mile off.

I've been doing structured trainer road sessions and I can feel my power output is higher as holding different wattage on the turbo is noticeably easier.

I personally think it is my 1 minute power has risen along with the weight loss as I always thrash everything I've got out of myself on that climb.

Impressive stuff. Watching with interest.

[img] [/img]

while the weight is a measurable stat, the strava stuff is just anecdotal, wind speed, gps error, etc too many variables

buy a power meter

Pretty sure I just said I've only got anecdotal evidence as next ftp is in another 2 weeks.

Doesn't change the fact I've taken 20 seconds out of that climb that's been static at 1:22 the last 2 full blown attempts I had at it. Would need to be blowing a tailwind gale for that to be wind and it wasn't a windy evening.

No pleasing some people.

I'm pleased 😀

I can see how it happens - these short anaerobic climbs aren't necessarily steady efforts. If you are bit overweight and power is down then sometimes you run out steam before the top. Train a bit and you get to the top without slowing. Times come tumbling down.

Agreed. Its nothing major, just holding 1 minute better and at a lighter weight it's had a noticeable impact..

Looking forward to next ftp test though

Well done on the weight loss- great stuff.

I've been obsessed with the Trainerroad podcasts lately and found several of them really useful before my FTP test last week particularly around pacing.

The biggest takeaway being that the 3rd quarter of any physical challenge is the toughest as it's mentally the furthest away from either end. Sure enough, my previous test showed exactly that.
Physiologically, that I could hold higher watts in the last quarter shows there was no logical reason for that section to be lower- it was all mental.

And by knowing that and focussing on it, I was able to push through this time and post four very even quarters.

Also- if you sprint for the last minute then you paced too conservatively. You shouldn't be able to. It's also mostly anaerobic so not even representative of your FTP.

Again, the previous test I stood up for the final minute, this time- I tried and couldn't.

I'm going to do monthly tests for the rest of the year partly to gauge what's working but also to help improve my testing and hopefully plateau those easy gains I'm no doubt getting by testing better.

And by knowing that and focussing on it, I was able to push through this time and post four very even quarters.

Again, the previous test I stood up for the final minute, this time- I tried and couldn't.

Nice one, CH.

No pleasing some people.

its not that, its just if your undertaking a challenge like this, get the right kit - you wouldn't be happy if your weighing scales were best guess would you?

don't use virtual power
don't use strava "data"

Inclined to agree. Particularly a 90 second segment as a proxy for FTP improvements.

Well done on the weight loss, seems rather rapid.

...How much importance should a XC MTBer put on the 20min FTP test/numbers?

...should the sub 1min / 3min / 5min efforts/numbers be where we should be focusing or using for measuring?

...and like Alex said consistency with these shorter but repeated intervals?

(Hi Alex, didn't realise you are on here) 😉

It’s an aerobic sport, damn it!”

Push up your FTP and you'll likely see improvement in all the others too... (maybe not 5sec)

while the weight is a measurable stat, the strava stuff is just anecdotal, wind speed, gps error, etc too many variables

I disagree. Over time you can get a clear trend, this is what it's all about after all.

Ok so it's not a proxy for FTP, but it's an important stat. It maybe due to better technique or better pacing/application etc but ultimately if you want to race, that all counts.

Crosshair Physiologically, that I could hold higher watts in the last quarter shows there was no logical reason for that section to be lower- it was all mental.

Very interesting - just made me realise I've probably done my previous FTP tests wrongly as I always end up sprinting at the end.

Any other tips on ideal pacing for the 20 mins? Gradual build-up?

Congrats so far!!

Hmm you've just made me review my last FTP test!!

Average for 20 mins was 250*, the last minute of which I was stood up at 301* 😳

[IMG] [/IMG]

Although the virtual terrain messed with my head a little bit too (erg mode on), as you can see from the dips in elevation (top) with a corresponding dip in power. Retard ha!

*made up numbers.

For the people moaning about the strava data please read back half a page. I didn't post an update I was asked how I'm getting on one month in.

My response was that I've got no proper data yet as my next ftp test is on a fortnight but I've got anecdotal evidence of improvement on the bike.

I'm not basing anything on that stuff but it's all I have at the minute when someone asked.

Oh and thanks sincerely for the congratulations on the weight loss from the people encouraging.

I want to be 76kg by the end of the summer and have a pretty strict 6 weeks planned out whilst I'm off work to drop about 0.5-1kg per week.

Going to start tracking calories as of next week too, which I've not done yet.

Congratulations on the weight loss.

I think people over-think the numbers. Just because more numbers are available (HR, power, balance, blah blah), doesn't mean the older simpler ones aren't valid!

You are riding up a segment consistently and one assumes that you are "trying hard". Your times are coming down. So the potential energy is roughly the same (you haven't lost THAT much weight), but the rate you are generating it is going up. Nice one 😆 . That's Watts/kg and you can rightly be pleased.

RPE = perceived effort is also valid, and you've already said you are trying, so RPE is probably about the same. The Borg scale for RPE is 1-20 and is roughly heart rate/10. You are probably about 13-17. You could also measure speed or time for average heart rate, as I do for a closed traffic free lap. It's all data.

Keep it up.

Very interesting - just made me realise I've probably done my previous FTP tests wrongly as I always end up sprinting at the end.

Any other tips on ideal pacing for the 20 mins? Gradual build-up?

I've only done one I'm pleased with so no expert 😆

I found having an accurate guess really helpful and then just did as mentioned in other threads- ride at target watts for five minutes and see where my heart rate is at.
As it was, I was above target but it felt sustainable so I just carried on holding for the next five minutes.
The third quarter was indeed the toughest but I was ready for it and just did everything I could to hold the watts. I was literally making crazy noises and spraying drool everywhere at this point.
When I hit 'lap' at the 15minute mark, I could also see my overall average and knew it was a good number so from there it was easy as I didn't want to throw it away.
At 90 seconds to go, I was in danger of stopping so stood up early and the watts didn't go more than 40 higher so I sat back down again. I tried once more at 60 to go and definitely had no sprint so closed my eyes and ground it out- another good reason to test indoors 😆

There's one sprint climb where I've always pushed myself. Taken my time on on it from 1min25 to 1min05 so I'm definitely making improvements.

Regarding big improvements on Strava, that's often down do the actual effort you put in on a particular attempt. Many people don't like the pain associated with a 110% effort so seldom do it. Then along comes a day and you think %%%%it lets go for it. I've got stava pb's many % points ahead of my next best time just because it's a flat out ride till you puke effort, againt a normal "hard" effort.

That's a climb our club races up though. I always hit max hr on it so I know I've flogged myself silly.

Interestingly if you look the previous two efforts had been exactly the same before I've had this month of clean eating and training.

One other thing regarding some of this anecdotal evidence I've noticed, the difference relative to the others I ride with speaks more volumes so far than anything.

Ftp test it 10 days. Will post up when I've done it, I'm really intrigued to see what the numbers are going to say.

...the 3rd quarter of any physical challenge is the toughest...

Personally, I find passing the half way point is a mental boost, and if I'm making my best effort, it's the final quarter where I'll be hanging on and really having to concentrate.

Any other tips on ideal pacing for the 20 mins? Gradual build-up?

Regarding pacing for FTP tests, the sad and painful fact is that you need to do a lot of them.

Ideally you should be keeping an even pace, but therein lies the catch-22 situation. How do you know how hard to go at the start if you don't know how you'll feel at the end? Especially when you first start doing them and are probably seeing gains in both fitness and your ability to read your body. The answer is that you have to keep doing threshold efforts to see how you respond.

Importantly, if your last test was 250W and you set off at 270W next time and blow up - that's OK! It's all good data.

If you do a lot of fast tempo rides or races, you may find that the CP model in training peaks or golden cheetah can give you some indication of whether your ftp may have changed. That can give you a pointer as to how hard to set off.

Ultimately, you have to learn how to read your body.

EDIT: When I say you have to do a lot of them. I mean, initially, rather than forever.

I've got stava pb's many % points ahead of my next best time just because it's a flat out ride till you puke effort, againt a normal "hard" effort.

That's me trying to get that KOM from you.

I just can't put that much effort in on a stationary bike or on a flat road sprint. But on an off-road climb I'll bury myself. Psychological of course.

Regarding FTP tests - there was (maybe still is) a massive TrainerRoad turbo training thread. The TR programmes do FTP tests every 4 - 6 weeks so that the next training block is based on your current value which hopefully has improved due to the training.

It's also worth keeping a note of what you did in the 48hrs before you do the test so that each test is as close in initial conditions as possible. Testing the day after a long club ride is going to give different results to a test done after two days of rest.

Been intrigued reading this progress.

So much so I had a crack at a FTP 20min test this week.

Bloody knackered but managed to squeak out 3.04W/kg at an average of 268....

That's at 88kg so I reckon I've got some work to do to get near 3.5 or even 4.

Keep working hard guys!

Crumbs, that 4 weeks has gone fast. I have my next one pencilled in tomorrow. Going to start at +7w and see how it feels.

Not at all sure about giving yourself 'target' values for an ftp test, its like artificial motivation that maybe helps you draw out a bit more than you would under normal circumstances, so doesn't end up reflecting a real world ftp at all.

Only timer on display imo, not even speed or cadence when indoor as they can be mentally worked backwards if you ride the trainer a lot.

And OP must have tested too I guess?

I used to think that Fifeandy- although I can't find the original article that inspired that thinking. But since then I've changed my mind.
For setting training zones, it needs to be a physiological maximum. With the 20minute test, I'd argue that you can't ride harder than your FTP (well 105% obv) because if you can- that's your new FTP (assuming it's a steady state effort).

I also think the benefits you get in terms of pacing, more than outweigh any downsides (of having a target in mind).

I now have a very good platform for consistent testing with a very repeatable protocol so I'm pretty happy with the number.
And for Zwift racing categories, (the other reason I want to keep it improving)- my system is likely to give results consistent with those others have generated from the Zwift test which also has your watts on display live.

Well done to everyone making gains!

Bloody knackered but managed to squeak out 3.04W/kg at an average of 268....

Ignoring the rounding error (3.05 vs 3.04 🙂 ) 3.05w/kg is the 20min power, FTP would be approximated as 95% of this value, ie 2.89w/kg

With the 20minute test, I'd argue that you can't ride harder than your FTP (well 105% obv) because if you can- that's your new FTP (assuming it's a steady state effort).

[mathpedant]Not 105%, a fraction more [/mathpedant]*

*hopes there are no silly mistakes after such a b*ll end post 🙂

Haha, nice work Dan.

CJR is a good student but gets distracted easily and must try harder.
C-

If you can't do, teach 😯 😆

If it were possible to have some sort of negative FTP, then that would be me right now 😐

Humble pie for lunch 😆

Bailed on my test today (definitely not recommended!) as I got half way and blew up.

Could probably come up with a dozen excuses why it went wrong but ultimately my FTP isn't what I had hoped today that's for sure 🙂

Still, it was a good training session. Four high cadence intervals during the warm up, the ten minute (Vo2 Max 😉 ) ftp attempt and a frustrated 500w 1min effort to finish out the hour means I got something out of it.

Have been following this thread as I'm working to a goal of 4W/kg. Just wondered if the OP had tested recently? Curious to know what type of gains he's seeing Vs the training. I'm not really doing specific work, just doing more riding and seeking out big hills (along with a much better diet)

Testing in the middle of next week, although I've got 2 big rides planned this coming weekend and an even bigger one planned the following weekend followed by a 180 miler the following weekend and a 100 mile mtb ride planned the one after (mid week I'm doing at least one chaingang ride too)..trying not to overdo it on the turbo and enjoy the summer.

Oh and apologies those of you waiting to see if I've gained in power. This first phase has been more about losing weight than upping the power, when I hit 72kg my focus is going to shift (hopefully this will coincide with the winter when I will be on the turbo more than outside).

I'm a steady 80kg at the minute and plan on mixing the diet up with some running as well to help keep it coming down from Monday.

On a rest week this week.

Will be testing middle of next week for definite though.

Ok drumroll.....

Just rolled in from an ftp test as we came home from hols early yesterday due to pants weather....

....

Based on trainer road 90% of two 8 min efforts averages with anaerobic burn outs before hand my current ftp is....

288watts.

Current weight is 80kg.

Previously I was at 273 with a weight of about 85kg. Not bad for 6 weeks progress imho.

Good work OP. Watching this with interest

Good work! a 5kg loss, and a 15watt gain is excellent!

I'd advise getting the EPO out, if you're still aiming for 5w/kg...

I agree with your earlier comment though - aim high, and you'll still do better than if you aim low. good luck!

Thanks, plenty more flab to come off yet before hitting the training hard.

Yah admittedly 5 is probably never going to happen, 4.5 may have been a more realistic long term target.

Focusing on getting down to 70-72kg at the minute, that will see me at 4 before the real graft has to happen!

Off to buy some smaller jeans this afternoon

Great work- well done you!

Well done on your progress. i am still following this thread with interest, and seeing what i can achieve myself. If i was your coach though i would be suggesting you focus on speed, and power. endurance next, then weight loss. some weight loss should come along the way as a function of the plan. keep up the good work. i have gone from thinking it impossible , to thinking maybe!

Just had a weigh in, 81.6, lowest for a long while. Strava FTP says 308 but haven't done a test for months...!
Still, progress, hopefully.

Be careful what you wish for

May 2017 - 345W and 76kg - 4.54w/kg
August 2017 - 325W and 69kg - 4.71w/kg

I'm slower - a lot slower.

adsh interesting that. Is the weight and power loss not related to injury/sickness? Which would probably mean you're less well trained now than you were back in May. Which, while not impacting FTP that much, probably means your ability to make and recover from repeated efforts is well down. Which probably makes you a lot slower.

That's interesting adsh. You're lighter and can produce more power so on the face of it you should be faster?

That being said, you've said you're slower but haven't said at doing what exactly. Unfortuantely FTP doesn't gauge fitness which is about repeatable efforts rather than outright power.

Lighter, more power / increased FTP, but less fit? That would equal slower in your average XC race. You've lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Burned out? Over trained?

How / what events are you using to quantify being a lot slower adsh?

Ill and cutting every scrap of rubbish out of my diet so yes I'm not as 'fit' but I can produce the same percentage of my reduced FTP over my intervals.

There maybe a caveat - I've not done any hill repeats and my last session at Aston was damp and on HT which seriously impacts climbing grip.

And here we all are hoping that lower Watt/KG will make us faster!

r8jimbob88 - Member
That's interesting adsh. You're lighter and can produce more power so on the face of it you should be faster?

Check your maths, he's lost a lot of weight, and some power.

Which will make you slower on the flat at least. W/kg is really a measure of climbing speed, the assumption being you'd sit in a group on the flat bits and gain more aerodynamically than the heavy/powerfull guys will gain trying to slipstream you up a climb. Then descending is more down to skill than (minor) differences in weight.

And here we all are hoping that lower Watt/KG will make us faster!

🙂

To be faster it really is a case of thinking about the specific demands of the racing you want to be faster at and training that. Weight and 60MP watts (FTP) are usually just pieces of the puzzle.

W/kg is really a measure of climbing speed

@ FTP it's really only a measure of climbing speed up long steady climbs. For most climbs down South it's much more about shorter duration power efforts.

That's interesting adsh. You're lighter and can produce more power so on the face of it you should be faster?

[i]Edit: Beaten to it, thats what I get for opening a bunch of threads in new tabs![/i]

I suppose it would have been more accurate to say that increasing W/kg through losing quite a lot of weight and only some power has made me feel proportionately less powerful than a faster climber.

Edit - and this neatly proves the point above^. Where's the Nutella!

May 2017 - 345W and 76kg - 4.54w/kg
August 2017 - 325W and 69kg - 4.71w/kg

Hutch used to try and race at sub 70 kg, spent a lot of time on diet, but ultimately found that, besides looking and feeling ill, his performance dropped off. His optimal race weight was about 72 kg if I recall. I think "too light" is a real thing. I'm 68 kg, and race weight could be as low as 64, but at that weight I'd be in the same place as adsh. And ill.

And well done OP. Steady gains. Mine is about 4.5 w/kg, and to be honest, I'm pretty happy with that. What I need is 5 min and 1 min improvements. My next race has nothing to do with FTP though 😉 . Keep it up, do some longer rides, enjoy the gains, go racing! 😈

I can echo the above....

I've gone from 70kg/ 316w /4.5wkg in week 0 to 68kg/ 339w/ 5wkg (allow me this rounding 😆 ) at the end of week 8.

In week 9-11(current week) I've had a constant barrage of colds, sniffles, sore throats etc with recovery taking a lot longer...

I'm going back up to 70!!

That's a heck of a jump in a short time... this is turning in to the powerPROfiles thread 😉

Probably something more to do with the lead up to the test to be honest.
Week 0 - 14 hours no structure- 316w
Week 4 - 7 hours structured - 332w
Week 8 - 6 hours structured - 339w

That's a heck of a jump in a short time...

Some of it likely due to getting stronger, but I'd also guess at one of two things...

a) having a very specific wattage target to aim for in a test is resulting in him pushing himself harder

b) he's got better at doing FTP tests (maybe the 8 weeks have been focused on stuff that would improve testing ability)

I had specific aims for the FTPs, but they were pie in the air - my last test I was aiming to hold 370w for the 20mins - came no where near that. I didn't get any better, they got harder lol.

Here was my plan the bit on the far right, Codes/hour(s):
[img] [/img]

My plan was aimed at 1 hour crits.

But I don't want to pull attention away from the OP, I've got my own racing thread for that 😆