I just increase/decrease the workout percentage depending on what my body is telling me that day. I always do everything possible before hitting the - button including suffering for a bit first to see if it's just mental. There are however days where your legs are just blitzed from a tough run earlier in the day or from the day before. Similarly I always wait until 1 interval is complete to hit the + button as well.

I don't believe these subtle changes are anything other than a better sleep or meal plan that day. For this reason I'd never forego the FTP testing protocol every 6th week. I ensure it is repeatable and as scientific as possible within reason (I'm not running a test lab) to ensure it's tailored for me. Call me crazy but I really enjoy the buildup to getting on and doing the test and celebrating the results, good or bad afterwards.

I know a lot of people who don't do FTP testing and I usually attribute it to

1. They are not detail oriented people, so creating a repeatable protocol for the 24 hours leading up to the test is a nuisance
2. They are "by feel" riders who don't care about power figures
3. They have some other personal method to get their numbers
4. They dread a really hard session on the bike

---

------
"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

"As long as you have some hard longer and hard shorter efforts it will figure out your FTP close enough. "

hard being defined as, 99%+

It is of course up to the user to understand the context of their training. If you can't do that, probably you don't need to worry about your FTP anyway.

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

This.

5. They can't handle the truth.

---

A false humanity is used to impose its opposite, by people whose cruelty is equalled only by their arrogance

I agree. I can see big flucuations from day to day just based on my lack of sleep (newborn in the house).


I fall in to this camp. I do my tests on the same stretch of road, at the same time of day, with the same amount of prep and try to keep my diet consistent.

But, I admit, I don't do them as often as I should.

Those sufferfest videos are pretty tough so you are probably ok with what you are doing. Like someone else said. Be honest with yourself. Your plan seems pretty solid because you are incorprating some high IF 1 hour workouts to see where you are at. I would caution this plan generically because if someone were just base building they could be just pushing themselves up into a tempo zone and hurting their overall planning.

I don't test real often but I will adjust based on hard efforts. I just did a 60 minute effort with NP 10 watts under FTP and I was able to sprint in the last 30 seconds. Based on this I bumped my FTP up a little. I find if I do allot of high IF workouts it is pretty clear when my FTP has risen.

So it will figure out your FTP provided you do near enough an all out effort. But how does the software know if the data was from a 100% effort, 99% effort or a 90% effort?

For that matter how do you know it was a 99% effort? I suppose when you look at the data you could write down a numner using a biro in a note book.

Well how about using a maximum 1 hr effort to determine FTP? How do you know it was maximum, or was it simply 98% effort? The fact is that all of your concerns are present for any good method to determine FTP.

Well if you don't know if you have just done a 100% effort for a given duration you can never know your FTP by any method available.

The software does not know, you have to do provide it with the data. That data need not come from a formal test. Whether you do a formal test or not, you need to know how to go 100%. such is life.

I have been able to predict 1 hour power to within 3 watts without formally testing it for myself and others. It isn't a big deal. I don't even use the software I just eyeball it.

It doesn't make sense to get hung up over 2-3 watts of accuracy on a thing that will vary 2-3 watts on a given day anyway.

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Fortunately, if you select an estimated FTP value and it's too optimistic, you'll fail a lot of workouts pretty quickly and if you are smart - self correct.

That is precisely my point.

Oh are you the guy who just trolls about using power all the time?

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

I think some of these guys are missing what the 2nd "M" stands for in MMP

Depends on what your training zones are... I would do a 2x20 @ FTP (trainerroad "Gray") once in a while and that will tell you the truth.

Sounds to me that if you do your FTP test at 95% of your max effort, then you're not doing your FTP test correctly. Don't blame the software, blame your weak and feeble constitution. Or turn your music up.

---

Dtyrrell

6. Frequently race TT's so there's no need to test

PPP: "Training is testing and testing is training."