What I don't get is the assumption it isn't sinking in...

When someone gives actual advice. I. E not just a jab or an an opinion. I write it down in my spreadsheet. This allows me to cross reference all the advice (which does contradict) then I spy on some of u on strava and look to take some things in.

Doing what I was told by the masses has left it quite bad tbh. I understand why they think it works, they probably cycle all the time.

For me. I obvious need more specific stuff since I don't go outside.

I like the solution. "let zwift tell u what to do"

That makes life easier

 
Just a thought, what cadence do you typically pedal at?

I find your numbers a bit odd given the amount of training you do.

On the bike 5-6 hrs a week
Can Squat 120kgs and press 240 kgs
Do additional run and swim trainings to develop your aerobic capacity.
But your FTP is 180W

Just doesn't make sense to me.

Do you have an proper calibrated power meter?
How are you measuring your FTP?
Do you have data from any 40k TT or Olympic Tri (Hr and power)

Your aerobic threshold doesn't really have much to do with muscle size and strength, after all my mum who is 70 can pump out enough force to create 400W getting out her chair to make a cup of tea, she just cant do it 80-100 times a min!!!

Thats what your aerobic fitness of for.

Im a TT'er, my FTP is 310W and 5s power 1650w. Not sure I could squat 120kgs!!!! Back would probably let go!!

With 5-6 hrs a week you should be doing one 3hr ride with your hr less than 70% your max.
One 1 hr ride hr less than 60% your max and 2x1hr interval sessions with hr about 90% max during the intervals.
The 1hr sessions will have 30-40 mins of actual hard work the rest is warm up and cool down in in between. Intervals should be no shorter than 4mins and no longer than 16 mins.

Try and steal and extra hr from your run training to just ride and turn one of the interval sessions into a 2hr 70% max session.

With the remainder of the running keep the sessions shorter but faster pace. (caveat im a cyclist not a triathlete. :) )

p.s. FTP is not the be all and end all of cycling performance. Its just a number.

Yeah nah I'm only a fairly average triathlete, but in my view, the cycling workouts you need are fairly simple.

If you can get some basic sense of what you are trying to acheive (meaning); some sense of confidence that you are getting there (mastery) and many people like to feel that they are not a slave to someone telling them how to do things (autonomy), then it will stop the stress of worrying you are training the wrong way and not getting anywhere. As a consultant I presume these 3 principles are very obvious to you as principles of staff productivity.

3 different workouts all of which have been spelt out to death to you many many times in this thread, and appear in almost every workout - strength work outs (very intense); sweet spot and interval work outs (close to the maximum you can hold during your cycling with short recoveries or recoveries at intensity); recovery rides low intensity.

There is no secret to being good at cycling; you do these 3 and you will get stronger. And that means a lot of sessions and productive time on the bike. Every time you are doing a sauna or a stretch session or strength work in the gym....you are giving up the time that could have been used for a bike session. Learn to love the bike.

Given a 4 week training block from now until you start your taper, just be realistic on your current goals, and know that your training is improving you to get there, forget the idea there is some magic you haven't found in cycling which would suddenly boost your FTP to 300. With 4 weeks use time wisely, every morning even if you only have 20min, jump on the bike, do a 10min warm up, and 5X the 1min all out strength set 1min rest no cooldown; any work is better than none.

Enjoy the riding. Not everyone is a natural. Biking far more than swimming though is just a time on bike sport, but when we say that, it means 3 types of workouts, not just the recovery ride low intensity ones especially if you are just sitting there spinning easy.

Honestly, I think the worst thing you could do is probably try to merge ALL of the different, good advice you've received. Much of what we've said is similar, but not all of it. There are a lot of ways to make gains on the bike (in the context of triathlon)---but, it all comes down to having a coherent plan. That plan has to mesh with both the run and the swim training. If you take one workout (or sport training framework) from each of us (so to speak), and mash it all together you're back to the same nonsense of having trash for a plan.

That's why I tried to give you a complete structure including run and swim. Because its all one big jigsaw puzzle. Sure, I could just give you a set of bike workouts. But, if you don't schedule those appropriately within the week, and around the run training, you'll still not make any gains...AND with the added intensity on the bike may actually get worse.

FWIW, I've looked at a fair number of free internet plans, and a lot of free plans on training peaks. It seems like every membership I sign up for comes with a "free advanced/intermediate sprint/Oly/HIM/IM plan". How many "8 weeks to your best HIM!" plans can there be? I've downloaded them many times to my account, and put them on the calendar sometime way in the future just to see what nuggets might be there. I don't think I recall ever seeing a good one. I mean, most of them will get you across the finish line, but little more than that. Besides, what little good they might do can be completely trashed by moving everything around within the week, such that the relationship between hard and easy workouts is ruined.

If you were sticking to a plan, you wouldn't be able to decide to add in birs and pieces based on suggestions we're giving you. Yet you say you're following a plan and also say you're changing things based on feedback here. Thus there is a contradiction that has everyone confused.

All the suggestions might be useful to assemble a plan, or to identify a flaw in the one you're currently following. But you can't reasonably expect to tweak the existing plan on the fly with bits and pieces from this thread and still have a coherent plan, or think you're really following one.

Thanks for the question. I try to stick to 80rpm. I really struggle higher. Although, I read one study on larger glucose burn at lower rpm that concerned me

Hey Mario!

My power meter is a stages that I zeroed in from their app. I only got it last week.

I had my first 70.3 last year. Doing again this year. Tbh, I don't even know where any other events are. Hmm maybe I should do one. Last year in training I recorded 3 he 11mins I believe. I could possibly find heart rate from strava?

That's interesting re squat. I thought cyclists could squat and press a lot? Hmm

I had a lot of issues until 2 weeks ago. No matter what I did, my heart rate wouldn't go above 134 on the bike. Around 70% max

When I realized its in my head. Ive finally got my heart rate up.

Just to clarify it's
1 x 3 hour @ 70% - Sunday
1 x 1 hour @ 60% - Friday?
2 x 1 hour @ 90% (intervalsl) - Tuesday and Thursday

OK.

A few people have recommended lowering the runs. Fingers crossed!

Haha loving the Dan pink opener

Yes, I think it's become obvious that my long wasn't long enough and I didn't do any hard core intervals.

So how are you getting your max HR?

Yep, I have your plan now and only tweaked a little to match where I'll be and when

I admit, I dont know what good looks like. I've read a heap of studies. But these are all people that are good.

Where are the fat guys given three years to train for kona and there progress. There is a couple of individuals like triathlon taren but where is his fat man videos

220 minus 32 *looks sheepish*

How else?

Before 130 is zone 2. So I was under the impression, until 8 weeks to go, it's not a major to have a low heart rate

I would actually not use maxHR to figure out zones. test for your LTHR instead and base your zones off that. Max HR is very difficult to get an accurate number for.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Is this done at gym?

What was your heart rate for the last minute or two of the fastest run you've ever done? Where it felt like you were going to pass out or throw up? That is your maximum heart rate. [220 - your age] is a rule of thumb that doesn't actually apply to any one individual.

It will probably take you some time and determination to get to that point on the bike. On Zwift there is a workout called "the Wringer" that can get you there. On The Sufferfest (if you're shopping around) try either Revolver, Half is Easy, or the Downward Spiral.

These tests are not (probably should not be) part of your leadup to your race. But once you're through that and start preparing for the next one, you need to figure out your baseline capability on the bike and then you can work from there.

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Less is more.

it's a simple field test - can do it indoors or out. all you need is a HR monitor that will record your session.

(courtesy of the 80/20 triathlon book that's sitting on my desk)
find a course that you can go without stopping on for a 30 minute TT

warmup for 10 minutes or more.
hit the lap button and accelerate to the fastest pace / highest effort you can hold for 30 minutes
hit the lap button after 10 minutes
keep going another 20 minutes
hit the lap button again at the end of the 30 minutes

Your average HR during the 20 minute interval is your LTHR.

It's the same test for cycling and running, but your LTHR will most likely be different for cycling and running, so you need to test for those separately.

It's better because (a) LT is more relevant for long events like triathlon than maxHR anyway. and it's very very difficult to actually get to your max HR.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

You just did an FTP test, correct (hence the topic of this thread)? Can you describe the details of that test? Was it a ramp test, or an all-out steady state effort of 8, 20, 30, or 2x20 duration?

Regardless, in essence you can use your HR data from your FTP test to estimate your LTHR.

220-age is garbage...mine is 20+ bpm higher that that estimate, and I have another friend whose MaxHR is 15 bpm less than that estimate. Besides, I do not enjoy efforts that actually get close to my MaxHR...they are exceedingly tough when you are fit. And further, as Jason said...its not really the best way to go about setting zones (even if you KNOW your Max).

Ftp on bike was lower than run

I cannot tell from these HR graphs what protocol you followed. Can you describe the procedure that you followed step by step? EG:

1. 10min Warmup
2. 5 min all-out
3. 5 min recovery
4. 30min all-out

Just from looking at the graph it looks like maybe:

1. 20min progressive warmup in 5 minute blocks
2. 15 minute recovery?
3. 10 minutes all out?
4. 5 min cool-down?

I don't really want to comment much more until I know the protocol.

ETA: I'm assuming the second graph is the Bike test (since the Avg HR is lower).

It looks like you and I, my friend, are middle of the pack for the foreseeable future. Not that we cant or shouldn't work to be better, just that realistically it's going to take a lot of consistent training to get there.

In 2018 I found myself in a similar situation; I felt under prepared for my upcoming race, burnt out, & injured. Taking a hard look back at my training, I realized I hadn't been as consistent as I thought I was.

I decided to just have fun with my race; I cheered on everyone who passed me, I cheered every volunteer like they were the ones about to cross the finish line, & gave all the spectators big thumbs up & my best grin. I had a blast!

I'm fairly new to Triathlon, I do sprints and Olympic so I don't really have any specific advice. I had really good results this past year by finding a training plan and sticking to it. The trick is to be honest with yourself about your available time & ability, then choose one that looks like it is doable, but will challenge you 2, maybe 3 workouts a week.

I'd also take a hard look at your overall nutrition. Even though some of the workouts you describe sound pretty hard, I suspect that poor nutrition could be holding you back from really pushing hard, and/or compounding it by not allowing you to recover. Look into some good whole grains and plenty of veg to go with all that protein.

Finally, here's some podcasts to listen to on your commute, both for info & inspiration.
Tower 26
Trainer Road Podcast
That Triathlon Podcast
Simon Ward The Triathlon Coach

Best of luck.

Um, you are the one who said you took 4 and 6 weeks off. Is this you? https://www.strava.com/athletes/13836140 From what you're logging on Strava your training seems anything but consistent.

-Eric

He said Half IM, not Full... 5-6 per week doesnt like much but it could be high quality, dunno. Trainer Intervals will CERTAINLY ADD the most to FTP within 6 weeks, but have to be willing to SUFFFER/ Recover Suffer/ Recover etc., like 3 minutes All Out Drills @ 140% Tabata Style...

That comment was made before he edited his comments to include specifying it was a 70.3 not an IM. Doing a half w/ 5-6 hours isn't much. That's 1 long ride and then only 2 90 min sessions. So I'd still say set your expectations accordingly.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Wil gt back to you properly. I think the bike was the 45min ftp test and the run was 1km sprints at a high level