Too soon to be true?

giannip · #1 02-07.-2007

So. I started using PT on the 11th of Jan 07

On the 23 I did a a workout (WK1) which included 2 x 15in intervals at ftp

The workouts felt very hard to me and in fact I only managed 11min of the second interval.

Yesterday (2 weeks later) I did the same workout (WK2) and both intervals felt hard but nowhere near as hard as the first time. I completed both intervals and felt like I could have started another after the recommended recovery length. On comparing the two workouts, there seems to be about a 10w rise in NP.

The second interval of WK2 was also done at a (slightly) higher NP than the first.

Now, while going by feel I definitely feel I have improved or at least feel "stronger" on the bike, is this too soon to see results?

The one difference I have noticed is that on the previous day of WK1, I did an L6 workout so that could have lead to WK1 feeling so hard.

TamMan · #2 02-07.-2007

I had the same experience as you. When I started training with Power I had issues completing L4 & L5 intervals. When looking at the files of the first few workouts I found that I went out too hard in the beginning and also had a number of big accelerations of out corners etc. Proper pacing is definitely something I personnally had to improve on and the acquisition of this skill has helped me finish intervalls successfully. But....despite all that I felt stronger within a short period of time as well. It might have been a combination between the two factors.

peterpen · #3 02-07.-2007

While I think it's possible to see an increase in fitness in a few weeks, I would caution against reading too much into the comparison of only two workouts. The more 'samples' you can compare, the less likely outside factors (the previous days' workouts, rest, hydration, etc) will be influencing any trends you see.

I'd also caution against paying attention to NP for intervals. When setting targets and looking for improvements in intervals, I follow average power.

giannip · #4 02-08.-2007

I was doing the workouts on the indoor rainer so NP and AP are exactly the same.

I'm not getting too excited just found it interesting mostly on the way that I felt while doing the intervals.

fastcat · #5 02-08.-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by giannip

So. I started using PT on the 11th of Jan 07

On the 23 I did a a workout (WK1) which included 2 x 15in intervals at ftp

The workouts felt very hard to me and in fact I only managed 11min of the second interval.

Yesterday (2 weeks later) I did the same workout (WK2) and both intervals felt hard but nowhere near as hard as the first time. I completed both intervals and felt like I could have started another after the recommended recovery length. On comparing the two workouts, there seems to be about a 10w rise in NP.

The second interval of WK2 was also done at a (slightly) higher NP than the first.

Now, while going by feel I definitely feel I have improved or at least feel "stronger" on the bike, is this too soon to see results?

The one difference I have noticed is that on the previous day of WK1, I did an L6 workout so that could have lead to WK1 feeling so hard.

How have you arrived at your FTP estimate ? From the difficulty on your first workout (accepting you had done some L6 day before), I wonder if you've set it too high ?

giannip · #6 02-08.-2007

Lab test. Workouts are based 7watts higher than the figure I got after doing the test. Reason for this was that this coincided with the workout FTP in Coggans book. I figured 7w wouldn't be a huge leap.
I've been off the bike for 8+years and I wanted to

a) get used to this new way of training

b) have a structured plan

c) not have to also worry about working out a training plan (and maybe overdoing it) based on all the new info I was learning.

The workout seemed (and still seems) a good way of learning while doing.

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