How much can I increase my FTP?

acslater

Here is the situation. Currently a cat 2 with about 3-4 years of racing. I have recently learned how to really train. Basically before I was just riding tempo and doing group rides and races to get into shape. Now I am really focusing on FTP. Doing FLT interals 2-3 x 20 min with 10 min rest in between these are really hard. I have been working on it since Nov of 06. Things have progressed. I estimate that my FTP has gone from 345 to 365-370.

I am 31. I am wondering how much FTP can increase given a certain amount of time like 6 months or a year. Is 10% too much to ask. I would love to be riding around 400 at LT next year around this time.

Right now I do my FLT intervals at 365 x 20 min. I am tired and I think these are right at or just below my FTP.

Weight is 84 kg.

What do you guys think. Is 400 watts out of the question?

AC

Bikeridindude

A FTP of 400 watts would give you a power/weight ratio of 4.76, totally doable. As to how long it takes, there's too many factors to get into that. 10% is a big jump that becomes more and more difficult to attain the closer you get to your physiological peak. But it seems that you have been making very good progress so far. Keep on training and let us know!

BullGod

I was in a similar position to you, in the sense that I was frustrated with my FTP. However, i used to do what you are doing now - lots of 20 min intervals, pretty much all year round.

Last autumnI gave up full time work (got an elite license) and set about training totally differently - lots of really long endurance rides all winter, and then some training races. Right now I race 2x a week (classics / crits) and the rest of my training is pretty much all inner ring, recovery or endurance with some sprints (eg. 10 x 10 second with 1 min rest) If racing schedule allows I have done (will do) some 5 / 10 min intervals - but I prefer to save my hardest efforts for racing.

The result is that not only have I put a good 15-20 watts on last autumns testing, but I am also riding reasonably competently at elite level Euro....even crits which I thought I sucked at. The main difference is that I am not tired all the time this year, only after hard races. Last 2 years with all the intervals and intensity training I was always fatigued and sore. The ideal that most elite riders round here strive for is 2 races a week max (often not possible depending on team schedule) and one more intense (intervals) training session per week. Training races are good sweetspot workouts, and can work endurance with some training immediately beforehand. The rest of the time training is light and endurance orientated. The idea is that training prepares the engine - racing is where you apply the gas. Of course you do need a busy racing schedule for this approach to work.

I think FTP can be like an elastic - detrain it over winter, build the engine, then use racing to rebuild it - if you have a big base to work with you'll be surprised at the gains.

Ade Merckx

Remember this list? I ain't trying to catch you out Bulldog

July 2006

BullGod...............365W....70kg......5.21W/Kg

April 2008

BullGod...............340W (KK)69kg......4.9W/Kg (elite, Benelux)

__________________
http://theademerckx2008racingfiles.blogspot.com/

rmur17

have a look at this ..

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t441427.html

__________________
rmur

Urkiola2

AC,

I believe 400Watts is feasible in one year. However I doubt that they could be feasible the way you train. Don´t know your physiological parameters but looking at your w/kg, it seems low to me and that you could increase it much more, but I doubt that doing so many intervals you can achieve it. On the other hand you say you are tired....Look at Bullgod´s post. He figured it out...I have been warning many cyclists about the "danger" of too much FTP and "power" training, but I doubt I will do it any longer...untill the "power training" fashion fades away...too much trouble convincing people!...on top being my personal opinion...

daveryanwyoming

Sure, quit our jobs and train 20 hours a week. The answer is easy, wonder why more of us didn't see it

rmur17

as I posted on another thread here are my own results of training with power and following Dr. Coggan's guidelines from late 2002 onwards. I included a summary of the previous few years riding/training to show that I was *not* in the least untrained when I started:

1998 no PM, rode ~ 8,000 km (no racing mostly commute and weekend riding, age 35)
1999 no PM, rode ~ 7,000 km
2000 no PM, rode ~ 10,000 km
2001 no PM rode ~ 15,000 km or about 500 hrs (no racing but a solid weekly regimen)
2002 no PM rode ~ 18,000 km or about 600 hrs. Got back into local TT's at a good level. training partner did 2X IM that year.

2002 October baseline tests for FTP upon getting Computrainer 325W @85-87kg in quite good (relatively!) e/o season form.

2003 +7.7% (FTP as are all subsequent %'s, CT checked by PT Pro power, rear hub)
2004 +5.7%
2005 +2.7% by May then dropped close to 30% with a bad leg
2006 Recovered to 2003 level (350W)
2007 +14.3% (new training plan )
2008 +4.8% (but it's only April 1st , targetting another 3% or so, age 45)

Percentage FTP change over 5.5 yrs training with power: ~29%

Local TT course: ~31-minutes in 2002, targeting ~26-min this year or about 20% less slow

__________________
rmur

Urkiola2

No kidding!.

acslater

I appreciate your post. I definitley think it is important not to over train. I believe (now) in train hard and rest hard. My rides are either at LT or Sub LT with maybe a week or so of VO2.

I am very wary of overtraining. I have done it in the past and I think I have a good feeling for when I am on the edge. That said my week consists of 2-3 pure rest days. Which includes one day off the bike, and two days of recovery rides. So that leaves 4 days to hammer it and I usually clump them together...block training. So a week looks like this. But it varies.

Mon - Sub LT 3 x 20
Tue - off
Wed - Recovery ride
Thu - LT 2x20
Fri - recovery ride
Sat - criterium - if race was easy then do LT or Sub LT 2x20 min
Sun - criterium or road race

I recover from this well, and play it by ear. If I am tired I rest, if I feel good I go hard. I usually don't know until I am no the bike for 15 min.

The difference between this year and the last is structured intervals. I used to just ride around. Now my rides have a focus and a purpose and I am either trying to recover or I am recovered and trying to rip my legs apart.

So far it has been working.

acoggan

Can you say "sweet spot"? ;-)

Seriously, I tend to agree with you that, on average, a large volume of moderately intense training is likely to lead to greater improvements in performance than a much smaller volume of very intense ("power"?) training.

MIHECH

Why?And what´s moderately intense (over distance training?)?

Ade Merckx

You obviously didn't here how ill he became. Surely over training is over training whether its with threshold efforts or classic base stuff
July 2006

BullGod...............365W....70kg......5.21W/Kg

April 2008

BullGod...............340W (KK)69kg......4.9W/Kg (elite, Benelux)

__________________
http://theademerckx2008racingfiles.blogspot.com/

BullGod

yeah - the 365w was caused by a Taxc related overestimation. The wattage readings on those things are pretty duff.

when you say "ill" do you mean the 3 colds I had in 3 months this year? Seriously that wasn't so bad or abnormal. That amount of training in the winter makes you very vulnerable, and unless you can isolate yourself from the sneezing and sniffing population you're gonna get sick. I read Kloden has had flu 3 times this year, and some guys are hardly ever off antibiotics in the spring. A Rabobank rider told us the only bad thing about hitting top form is that you get sick really easily.

What was concerning was the abnormal liver function I developed when doing L4/5/6 intervals every day on the trainer a couple of years ago ;-)

the guys i know who ride the fastest in races tend to train the longest, but not the fastest - and they ALWAYS do their recovery rides.