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FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ?
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 I know there are lots of variables to my question but I did an FTP in March which was 237W, at the time I had just started triathlon come from rugby background. I then did a mismatch of training over the summer (maybe3-5 hours a week) did an olympic tri where in bike leg i did 1:12 on a normal road bike no aero bars.

I have just started doing some structure training now and 3 weeks ago my FTP was 269W. I weigh 95-97kg atm will probably aim to drop to low 90s for next year.

With a good structured Winter training what sort of increase you think I could get by next summer so (6-8months) ?

Doing 3-4 sessions a week about 4-6 hours on the bike/indoor bike, following 80/20 olympic tri plan by matt fitzegerald.

What results have people had in the past and bit of info on their training or tips appreciated.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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In 3 months from 275 to 300 watt with 6-10 hours a week with trainerroad

Follow my project on Project 100 miles / 4 hours
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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310 from 2015 to now, hard work but no gains. Any gain is good.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [rbe] [ In reply to ]
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I went from 308 (day 3 on Zwift) to 350 in 8 weeks. I weigh 88.5 kg. Thanks mostly to Tour Du Zwift.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [JYoung] [ In reply to ]
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180w-260w, 1.5 years, 150 workouts(yes, Im lazy).
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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As a bigger guy, you probably have a pretty high ceiling for improvement. The higher the FTP gets the harder it is to go higher. I reached a point many seasons ago where the work wasn’t worth it to get the power any higher. I usually have a slightly higher FTP over the winter months and into the early part of the season. I’ve found when I switch over to long course training my FTP drops a bit, but endurance improves. All the more reason to do some harder intervals now to reap the rewards next racing season.

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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah i find once you get around 4w/kg the gains slow down unless you’re athletically gifted. Ive peaked at 4.5w/kg but the effort to get there was insane compared hovering around 4w/kg, i was doing over 10hr a week on trainer road.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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I went from 290 to 340 @ ~75kg in ~ 5 months. It was heavily cycling focused of 10-12hrs/wk and averaged ~7mi running and ~4k swimming during that 5 months. Did a lot of bike racing for the 12 months around that time as well. That was 7 years ago.

What's my FTP in peak form in 2019, ~345.......What has changed in those 7 years is the ability to hold a higher % of FTP over longer duration's.

Doing a 1:12 @95kg on a road bike, on an FTP of 269W is pretty impressive, assuming you raced around 235W?

If you're trying to get faster, improving your FTP is one way, but equipment and reducing you CdA can pay massive dividends as well, and doesn't take a massive budget to do so.

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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I had cycled on and off and done a few triathlons dating back to 1988, but I had only been racing sorta serious for a couple years when I took my first FTP test in 2003 and was at 240 watts. In 2012 I did 20:00 at 390 so FTP was probably 370-375. This was after a solid decade of mostly 5:00 VO2 intervals, 20:00 threshold intervals, 2.5 hour off the hook group rides, and occasional periods of 20+ hour weeks. I slayed myself consistently, for years. I plateaued at 320 watts on 5-8 weekly hours of triathlon training cycling and broke through big time when I went to bike racing for a couple years and rode big volume. My weight was about 160 or 72ish kilos at the end of this obsessed decade.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [@BW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
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@BW_Tri wrote:
I went from 290 to 340 @ ~75kg in ~ 5 months. It was heavily cycling focused of 10-12hrs/wk and averaged ~7mi running and ~4k swimming during that 5 months. Did a lot of bike racing for the 12 months around that time as well. That was 7 years ago.

What's my FTP in peak form in 2019, ~345.......What has changed in those 7 years is the ability to hold a higher % of FTP over longer duration's.

Doing a 1:12 @95kg on a road bike, on an FTP of 269W is pretty impressive, assuming you raced around 235W?

If you're trying to get faster, improving your FTP is one way, but equipment and reducing you CdA can pay massive dividends as well, and doesn't take a massive budget to do so.

Wow! Impressive

What time does a 345 FTP get you on a flat HIM?
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [MrTri123] [ In reply to ]
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MrTri123 wrote:
Wow! Impressive

What time does a 345 FTP get you on a flat HIM?

2:02 back in October out in Shanghai. Smooth pavement, flat course and good W/CdA makes for a fast time.........

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [MrTri123] [ In reply to ]
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3 watts in the last 2 months. From 290 to 293. My weight has dropped slightly though. Now at 70kgs, whereas before I was more like 72.

The tests I have done in last 6 months have all been fasted pre-breakfast as otherwise I wouldn't get them done unless I did it on the weekend.

Did a ramp test on zwift this morning and was trying to keep going on the 400W interval, but began to get bogged down in the gear then had nothing more to give.

Anyone have any comparison between fasted and non-fasted FTP/Ramp tests?
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [@BW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
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@BW_Tri wrote:
MrTri123 wrote:
Wow! Impressive

What time does a 345 FTP get you on a flat HIM?

2:02 back in October out in Shanghai. Smooth pavement, flat course and good W/CdA makes for a fast time.........

Holy goodness that is so amazing!!!
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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After a few seasons racing IM I got a smart trainer and TrainerRoad. First FTP test had me at 210W. After a year of TR IM plans, I got up to 300W.

That was a year ago and it hasn't change since.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [@BW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you, not sure what watts i raced at as I don't have a power meter, my FTP tests have been done on a watt bike / concept 2 bike.


I want to try to get close to 65 minutes for the bike this summer if I can, I know i need to work on my Cda big time as I am very strong on the hills even for a heavy guy but on the flat I am not as strong as I should be and can only put this down to aerodynamics I think.

Will put some clip on aerobars on the bike from probably Feb/March onwards to nail down my aero position but having wide shoulders being a rugby player certainty doesn't help.

Aim is definitely to get faster more than anything but hoping I can see myself up towards 300 watts for my FTP.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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When I started with a power meter in 2006 I was at 195. I got as high as 220 that year with Mike Plumb from Tripower.org

A few years later I was at 235 (3.7 W/Kg) and that's the highest I've been.

For the last few years I've been 220-225, probably cuz I'm getting older.

For you, simple averages for every day healthy people (according to Coggan) says you'll likely get no higher than 360 watts at 90 Kg or 4 W/Kg
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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229 essentially detrained on bike to begin 2019 to 305 in august 2019. I also retired from rugby a few years ago. I had tested the summer before around 260 just totally unstructured, this was first true structured training, trainerroad, 3.5-5 hours a week.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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Started training on zwift Oct 2016 (got a smart trainer and my first tri bike for my birthday) - first thing I did was take an FTP test.. 160W at 98KG. Woeful.

Fast forward to about 3 months back (been consistent training following zwift plans and then the 80/20 IM program) I was at 279W (which triggers my round number OCD obsession) at 88KG - still nothing special but much much better.

The collective wisdom on here worked for me.. just lots of consistent training, mostly easy sometimes eye-wateringly painfully hard and my W/Kg just kept creeping up.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [TriguyBlue] [ In reply to ]
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Not necessarily, i went from 3.5 to 4 w/kg following tr plans, but switched to less intensity and more volume focus and am back on a fairly linear track.

5w/month is what i can usually expect until the real racing starts. Weight is around 70kg, trying to race at 68 kg or 150 lb.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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Structured training will take you pretty far being a bigger guy coming from a rugby background (I'm a little familiar with that progression). You will also drop a decent amount of weight, especially if you stop lifting like you needed to for rugby. I don't have any idea what my ftp was when I first started. Summer 2017, my first Olympic tri bike was a 1:09 at 91kg on tri bike but definitely not fitted like a tri bike. I didn't have a legit power meter until summer 2018 that first test had me at 320. After a year of structured training with my coach had me at 358 and a 57 min bike split weighing 84kg. So, you can drop weight and add power coming from that kind of background and expect to get a lot faster. I'm a little more limited in my time and thus do little more intensity on the bike compared to some others. I'm closer to the 3-5 hr/week bike time for most of the year and will do some more volume the closer to my peak. Enjoy your training and good luck.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [tome92] [ In reply to ]
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You should be able to improve markedly still since you're fairly new to cycling. I came to cycling from running marathons and didn't have weight to lose. I've pretty much been 77kg or right around low 170 pounds since then (I'm 6"5). I improved from 270 in fall of 2016 to 340 by spring 2018, and I've pretty much been there ever since, though I did way less volume in 2019 and focused on crits and road race power instead of ftp.
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [@BW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the insight.

What is your CdA (if not secret :-) ?
I would say around 0.21 ?

You are right saying the most important for you, racing 70.3 and IM, is to be able to use more % of this FTP for a long duration.
78% for an IM ?
85% for a 70.3 ?
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Re: FTP Increases, how much have you done over what period ? [Pyrenean Wolf] [ In reply to ]
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Pyrenean Wolf wrote:
Thanks for the insight.


What is your CdA (if not secret :-) ?
I would say around 0.21 ?

You are right saying the most important for you, racing 70.3 and IM, is to be able to use more % of this FTP for a long duration.
78% for an IM ?
85% for a 70.3 ?


No problem for the insight, and I'm as transparent as they get, so not *many* secrets with me ;)

What is your CdA (if not secret :-) ?
I would say around 0.21 ? ~0.213 (I say " ~ " as the last trip to the tunnel we made a few changes that netted ~.001 change, but ran out of time to do all of the small changes into the "best" setup. So some math got us to the ~0.213 number @0*. Think at -7.5* I was down in the ~.204 range).

You are right saying the most important for you, racing 70.3 and IM, is to be able to use more % of this FTP for a long duration.
78% for an IM ? 78-80% is the goal
85% for a 70.3 ? 88-90% for 70.3 is the goal.


For the athletes I coach I go very conservative as I feel a LOT of AG athletes overbike and under perform on the run, so giving them lower goals usually means they ride where they should ;) For some of my more experienced athletes I up them to the typical/higher end ranges.
For IM- 68-72%
For 70.3 78-82%

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM
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