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How and when to increase FTP
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Hi all,

I'm just wrapping up my second season of triathlon. This year, I followed the training peaks virtual coach fairly closely and I saw huge improvements in all disciplines. Throughout the year, I saw my performance on graded exercise tests improve, and my race times are in another realm than they were last year. The only thing that I haven't been able to do this season was improve my FTP. When I tested back in December, it was 210W, and, every time I've tested since, it's been 210W (fwiw, I'm 5'5" and average 57kg). I've tried searching, but I haven't found any advice that I can figure out how to apply, so, I wanted to ask this question: at what point of the season should I be looking to improve my FTP, and does anyone have any good workouts/strategies for doing so? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew
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Re: How and when to increase FTP [andrewk1138] [ In reply to ]
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I think its best to do early season timed with reduced run volume. My FTP has stayed flat since April. I think im just running too much to get the quality I need to move it up. I can do plenty of tempo, but more than 1 harder ride a week just crushes me. Some of it too is adapting to more trainijng volume.


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Re: How and when to increase FTP [motoguy128] [ In reply to ]
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Andrew,

Can you lay down your normal "bike" week and what your run volume is for a given week? Just sort of a day in a life...

motoguy - be careful with statements like that. (That's where 'slowtwitchers' start to believe increases aren't possible) If your FTP hasn't increased over 4 months you might want to reevaluate your training. Have you been tracking CTL? Are you doing targeted bike workouts, for time, in certain zones?
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Re: How and when to increase FTP [motoguy128] [ In reply to ]
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motoguy128 wrote:
I think its best to do early season timed with reduced run volume.

ditto for me, really hard to hit threshold bike work while pushing IM build run volume.

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Re: How and when to increase FTP [andrewk1138] [ In reply to ]
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Run way easier or less, and dose yourself with harder bike efforts a few minutes at a pop. Make it burn a few times, then do it again a couple of days later. Keep repeating. If you give yourself enough recovery, your power will go up.

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Re: How and when to increase FTP [McBoyler] [ In reply to ]
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McBoyler wrote:
Can you lay down your normal "bike" week and what your run volume is for a given week? Just sort of a day in a life...

Until you asked that question, I never even considered it. Looks like over the past 8 months, I've averaged just 3 hours a week biking divided between 3-4 workouts/week. I was surprised when I saw how low that number was. More recently I've been closer to 6 hours a week with less time spent running as I've dealt with some minor injuries. Since February, the workouts have pretty much been one zone 4 hill workout, one zone 3 tempo workout, a short recovery and an endurance brick. Running has averaged 2 hours/week, and I was likely doing more running earlier in the year when I couldn't bike outdoors and didn't have aches and pains.

After writing that, I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is spend more time on the bike targeting zone 4. And if that's the answer, that was already pretty much in the plan. Like I said, this was only year 2, so I was being conservative with the hours I put in.

Again, any feedback would be happily accepted.
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Re: How and when to increase FTP [andrewk1138] [ In reply to ]
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Hi,

I managed to raise my CP20 last winter over 50W´s. At March it was around 340W (FTP 315ísh W). The previous summer it had been around 260-270W. I concentrated november and december in biking and did sweetspot sets on rollers at least 3-4 times a week and ditched all the z1-z2 work.

January to march my focus was in swimming, but I still kept on doing those sweetspot sets 2-3 times a week. Then I managed to record that 340W.

I had been running all the time, but nothing hard. In april took more running in to the program and after that the bike power has decreased some (to CP20 310-320W), but still it has been way better than before.

Next winter the goal is to get closer to 400W...
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Re: How and when to increase FTP [Finn73] [ In reply to ]
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Finn73 wrote:
Hi,

I managed to raise my CP20 last winter over 50W´s. At March it was around 340W (FTP 315ísh W). The previous summer it had been around 260-270W. I concentrated november and december in biking and did sweetspot sets on rollers at least 3-4 times a week and ditched all the z1-z2 work.

January to march my focus was in swimming, but I still kept on doing those sweetspot sets 2-3 times a week. Then I managed to record that 340W.

I had been running all the time, but nothing hard. In april took more running in to the program and after that the bike power has decreased some (to CP20 310-320W), but still it has been way better than before.

Next winter the goal is to get closer to 400W...


Nice. You must be delighted with that!
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