What's your CTL ceiling?

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What is the highest CTL you can maintain without injury, sickness or turning over-reaching into over-training?

It would also be interesting to know your aqe along with your response, but I don't know if these polls will allow for two questions.

Well, it looks like polls only allow one question. So if you don't mind giving your age, you can post replies to this thread.

I'll start...

CTL: 100 TSS/day
Age: 37

36 y.o.
140 CTL
But that's really an estimate. I maxed out around 130-something at the end of my base period, but didn't feel close to being overtrained and wasn't getting sick. I just run out of time to ride the bike, and trying to hit PB's in CTL isn't one of my goals. :rolleyes:

What is the highest CTL you can maintain without injury, sickness or turning over-reaching into over-training?

It would also be interesting to know your aqe along with your response, but I don't know if these polls will allow for two questions.

i'm getting pretty tired when my CTL starts getting up near 70. don't know what my deal is. I've been racing (track CC or cycling) for about 9-10years now, and i'm 25 y/o.

seems like i can't handle near as high a CTL as almost everyone else I know. Don't know if its holding me back though. I've recently gained the points, so i'll be a cat1 this year...

i was begining to think i may be anemic or somthing like that, had some blood work done last week. all my numbers where great, RBC 5.05, Hemoglobin 15.7 and hematocrit 46.1.

any thoughts?

Hovering around CTL 130 back in December/January

Age 51 :eek:

Topped out at 128ish at the end of the build period, but was then into racing. I could certainly have gone higher, but the training plan changed to racing/peaking.

So, I gave it a 130, age 33

Age: 40
High CTL: 87

I started my PMC beginning of March at an estimated 65 CTL. I hovered around 70 in April and after some rest I started building again in May. After reaching 87 last week I felt very fatigued. I am currently on my rest week, but I may be able to go higher as the season goes on.

Age: 46
CTL highpoint this season 88.9

Season starting October 30, 2006 with a CTL/ATL seed of 35 based on the TSS of 250 I could comfortably hold that first week of training.

I don't think I've topped out yet, but just based on available hours to train and rest I don't think I'll get above 110 or so. 600 TSS/week is pretty standard, 700 isn't unusual, but I don't think I can squeeze enough hours out of the week to sustain 800 for the 6 or more weeks it will take to pull my CTL over 110.

I think the real question is what CTL ramp can you sustain without burnout or illness. I've regressed the steeper sections of my CTL build and building at a rate of 3 TSS/d/week seems very comfortable, 5 seems steep and when I've built faster for more than a week I've had to take a day or two off. I don't have any illnesses to track relative to CTL ramp yet (knock on wood) but I think the ramp rate is more closely tied to burnout and potential for sickness than the absolute number.

-Dave
P.S. Piotr, they postponed the Ketchum Omnium so I'll look for you at High Uintas, good luck.

P.S. Piotr, they postponed the Ketchum Omnium so I'll look for you at High Uintas, good luck.Hopefully, because as of now I still don't have anyone to go with me (wife has to work that weekend). I'm working on it. ;-)

Maybe it would be interesting to also post the FTP in a W/kg manner since TiMan argued some time ago that it is far more difficult to reach a high CTL if you have a a high FTP since systemic stress is higher.

CTL 85
Age 30
FTP 5,1 W/kg

Maybe it would be interesting to also post the FTP in a W/kg manner since TiMan argued some time ago that it is far more difficult to reach a high CTL if you have a a high FTP since systemic stress is higher.

CTL 85
Age 30
FTP 5,1 W/kgAge: 40
High CTL: 89 (updated)
FTP: 4.7 W/kg

Where is TiMan?

Maybe it would be interesting to also post the FTP in a W/kg manner since TiMan argued some time ago that it is far more difficult to reach a high CTL if you have a a high FTP since systemic stress is higher.

CTL 85
Age 30
FTP 5,1 W/kg


Perhaps he was referring to his self? There is no proof to your 5,1w/kg so you prove nothing anyway. Well maybe arrogance :rolleyes:

Don't know what my ceiling could be so I put down my last season max of:

100 CTL
Age: 42
FTP: 310W (at the time)

Perhaps he was referring to his self? There is no proof to your 5,1w/kg so you prove nothing anyway. Well maybe arrogance :rolleyes:
Sorry, i don´t get your point - maybe due to the language barrier.

Why should I lie about my FTP? I also didn´t link my FTP to my CTL but only was referring to TiMan.

BTW: Why so aggressive?

Sorry, i don´t get your point - maybe due to the language barrier.




If you dont get it, I cant help you. I wrote in English, just like your response.

With a 40 hours full time job in the video gaming retail industry, 65 top. Mostly due to my inability to recover as fast as I want to after a 200tss session. Sure, if I can knock off 3 consecutive days of 200tss each, I can probably have a higher CTL. Age 33.


What is the highest CTL you can maintain without injury, sickness or turning over-reaching into over-training?

It would also be interesting to know your aqe along with your response, but I don't know if these polls will allow for two questions.

With a 40 hours full time job in the video gaming retail industry, 65 top. Mostly due to my inability to recover as fast as I want to after a 200tss session. Sure, if I can knock off 3 consecutive days of 200tss each, I can probably have a higher CTL. Age 33.

Perhaps you need to look at your recovery routines and rest day/week schedules? Or perhaps it's a matter of a 200TSS ride being triple your CTL - I've never done a ride that was 3x my CTL.

In any case, my CTL has been double yours and I have only done 3 consecutive 200TSS days one time this season. Typical pattern is:
M- off
T- 100-150tss
W- 200-250tss
Th- off
Fri- 100-150tss
Sa- 200-250tss
Su- 175-225tss
Rest week every fourth week (represented by the low end of the above numbers.)

As a 36 yr old with two jobs and two small children (but working with a coach who emphasizes proper recovery techniques) I find that my major constraint on building a high CTL is time, not recovery.

Yeah, really don't have much time to train. Doing a 3 day block targeting specific race fitness system since Feb. 1 race day. Maybe 1 medium intensity ride during the middle of the week About 600+TSS. I stopped commuting so that I can make my training ride matters and have more time to recover. I only have 2 days off from work. I leave one of my day off for complete rest. That leaves me to train on my block training in the morning before work. Those are tough days. They aren't so bad early in the season. When I began to block train on my 1 minute power intervals, or 5 minutes power workouts, I have to struggle to get stay awake or focus at work.

Perhaps you need to look at your recovery routines and rest day/week schedules? Or perhaps it's a matter of a 200TSS ride being triple your CTL - I've never done a ride that was 3x my CTL.

In any case, my CTL has been double yours and I have only done 3 consecutive 200TSS days one time this season. Typical pattern is:
M- off
T- 100-150tss
W- 200-250tss
Th- off
Fri- 100-150tss
Sa- 200-250tss
Su- 175-225tss
Rest week every fourth week (represented by the low end of the above numbers.)

As a 36 yr old with two jobs and two small children (but working with a coach who emphasizes proper recovery techniques) I find that my major constraint on building a high CTL is time, not recovery.

Thanks for everyone's participation in this poll. It's comforting to know that I'm not abnormal in having a CTL limit of only 100 TSS/day.

After leveling off at 100 last year, I was shooting for 110 this season, but that didn't work out too well. I started breaking down in May after hitting a high of 100 the end of April. A too short of a break between seasons and higher intensity training this winter/early spring probably didn't help matters.

So after weeks of reduced volume and a full week off the bike last week, I feel much better now and have been easing back into things. I think a CTL of 80-90 will be much more sustainable for me.

In case you're interested, I've attached my training load chart as of June 20 (from my homegrown Excel training diary). The light gray line is last season's CTL.

Looks like the second half of 2007 will see me go a bit higher than my 130 CTL ceiling I voted on. Broke through 130 today, and will probably be in mid 130's by the end of August? End of September is when fall racing starts for me though, so 135ish will probably be my top end.

This was a 160 TSS/day week for me, and no sickness! Phew!