There is a 4-week program on there, and I have been trying one of the more intense workouts on the chart which includes:
15 min warmup @ 65% FTP
3x10 min @ 100% FTP
3x 5 min easy spin @ 65% FTP in-between sprints
60 min total.
While I feel this is a good workout, I dont really get the killer leg pump I get when I get off the bike after an Olympic or Half. I am not sure if that necessarily means the workout is not effective, but I have always been under the understanding that if I dont feel some legit pump, then I probably could have gone harder. Looking at my overall effort during the 60-min run, the IF is typically about 0.80 including the easy spinning and warmup. So is there something more difficult I should be doing, or should I modify this current workout to 105% FTP and 70% to get around 0.85 IF, or should I be trying something else altogether?
2x20min @FTP is the classic, with maybe 5 mins active recovery in between and a nice warmup with some spin-ups. But there are lots of other ways to improve your FTP. If I could be bothered I would add up the TSS in the workout you posted - it is probably about 65 or something - but at a glance it is a little bit less than what I just described, because you are doing 30min total @FTP vs 40min total. That said, if your FTP is set correctly (it might not be, when did you last re-test?) I would expect some leg pump doing either of these workouts. But consider that if you thrash your legs too often you may not be able to repeat these workouts very frequently, and if your recovery is extended then your overall work load for the week could actually come down.
You could do a lot worse than sign up to Trainerroad and get on one of their 40k TT plans. I prefer sweetspot work at the minute because I’m lazy, struggling to fit in 3 sports, and have an 8 week old baby boy.
But also very good advice would be to listent to what jackmott says in a few minutes which will probably be something along the lines of “ride your bike more”.
VO2 intervals also do a lot for FTP. FTP can only be as high as a certain percentage of VO2 max, so at a point you have to include VO2 work to raise your ceiling. 5 x 5’ is a good standby.
I don’t get a “Killer leg pump” out of any bike workout. When you do 3x10 how’s your cardiovascular system? Are you suffering or is just kinda ho hum? I ALWAYS run out of lungs before I run out of legs.
Also, shorter VO2 intevals gave my FTP a nice bump at the beginning of the year. Something like 10x2 or 8x3 @ 120% or more
Change it up some, I’m baffled by folks doing 2x20 all the time. Talk about a snoozefest
I like his “Typical Monthly Program” in the middle of the page, if you did all of those workouts for a few months I would think you would be well prepared for any HIM. Except for the lactate acid explanation, a lot of his comments are good IMO.
3x20 at 90% FTP. A perfect mix of volume and high end work. Easy to do 150 TSS.
6x4 at 110% FTP. As already stated, you need to raise the ceiling. vo2max work is king for this. Also the best way to condition the mind. You need to embrace suffering.
180 min at L2. You need to condition your legs and develop solid aerobic function. Out of these 3 workouts this is the one that is always possible to to no matter how tired you are.
There is a 4-week program on there, and I have been trying one of the more intense workouts on the chart which includes:
15 min warmup @ 65% FTP
3x10 min @ 100% FTP
3x 5 min easy spin @ 65% FTP in-between sprints
60 min total.
While I feel this is a good workout, I dont really get the killer leg pump I get when I get off the bike after an Olympic or Half. I am not sure if that necessarily means the workout is not effective, but I have always been under the understanding that if I dont feel some legit pump, then I probably could have gone harder. Looking at my overall effort during the 60-min run, the IF is typically about 0.80 including the easy spinning and warmup. So is there something more difficult I should be doing, or should I modify this current workout to 105% FTP and 70% to get around 0.85 IF, or should I be trying something else altogether?
I don’t get a “Killer leg pump” out of any bike workout. When you do 3x10 how’s your cardiovascular system? Are you suffering or is just kinda ho hum? I ALWAYS run out of lungs before I run out of legs.
Also, shorter VO2 intevals gave my FTP a nice bump at the beginning of the year. Something like 10x2 or 8x3 @ 120% or more
Change it up some, I’m baffled by folks doing 2x20 all the time. Talk about a snoozefest
I’m the opposite. Because I also run and swim so much I’m out of legs or just general energy, long before my lungs. Unless I’m rested from a recovery week. Then I get 2 or 3 really good workouts before I’m fatigued again until the end of the build. It’s a viscous cycle. However I’m also probably not doing enough polarization and too much time in zone 3 in base periods, where I’d be better off in either 2 or 4-5.
But hey, there’s always next season and winter to experiment.
VO2 intervals also do a lot for FTP. FTP can only be as high as a certain percentage of VO2 max, so at a point you have to include VO2 work to raise your ceiling. 5 x 5’ is a good standby.
Like Tim said, 5x5’ is a solid workout. I do it once every two weeks at 105+%FTP on 5’ super easy recovery. But in general, you should apply the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method to improving your FTP - Ride a lot, sometimes fast, mostly easy. You’ll get huge gains from long endurance paced rides on the weekends, a simple workout in the middle of the week, and some recovery rides mixed in. It’s not complicated, just requires work.
Newsflash: You don’t need to train at FTP to raise FTP!
The guy claims that a Boulder Cat 3 is the equivalent of a Cat 1 anywhere else. Talk about insufferable. Also throws credibility into question, but I guess I’ll keep reading.
I’m the opposite. Because I also run and swim so much I’m out of legs or just general energy, long before my lungs. Unless I’m rested from a recovery week. Then I get 2 or 3 really good workouts before I’m fatigued again until the end of the build. It’s a viscous cycle. However I’m also probably not doing enough polarization and too much time in zone 3 in base periods, where I’d be better off in either 2 or 4-5.
But hey, there’s always next season and winter to experiment.
Oh I run and swim a lot also. Doesn’t matter. Always run out of gas and HR skyrockets before I run out of legs.
It’s easy to see for me on the treadmill. If I start at easy pace, say 9:30/mile (21 min 5k person) my HR will be in the low 120’s. before 45 minutes is up my HR will be in the mid 150’s and climbing. Effort still feels easy but the HR creep is ridiculous.
The other thing for me is once it’s up there, it doesn’t want to come down even when I back off the effort
I’m the opposite. Because I also run and swim so much I’m out of legs or just general energy, long before my lungs. Unless I’m rested from a recovery week. Then I get 2 or 3 really good workouts before I’m fatigued again until the end of the build. It’s a viscous cycle. However I’m also probably not doing enough polarization and too much time in zone 3 in base periods, where I’d be better off in either 2 or 4-5.
But hey, there’s always next season and winter to experiment.
Oh I run and swim a lot also. Doesn’t matter. Always run out of gas and HR skyrockets before I run out of legs.
It’s easy to see for me on the treadmill. If I start at easy pace, say 9:30/mile (21 min 5k person) my HR will be in the low 120’s. before 45 minutes is up my HR will be in the mid 150’s and climbing. Effort still feels easy but the HR creep is ridiculous.
The other thing for me is once it’s up there, it doesn’t want to come down even when I back off the effort
You might need more volume and overall load. Or more low intensity work. Hard to say for sure, everyone responds differently. I did an almost 2 hour treadmill run this winter and only saw about 2% drift in HR over the length of the run. I see a little more HR drift on the bike. Maybe 4-6% over 2 hours. I could benefit from more LSD rides over 5 hours I think to improve that. But that’s in conflict with having a happy family life… so 2-1/2 to 3 hour tempo rides are more practical for my weekly “long ride” most weeks.
It really depends on your limiters and also, recognizing that your FTP drifts up or down a bit based on where you are in your training cycle. I am a big believer in getting in as many miles as you can on the bike at 75-85% of your FTP, and then hitting 4 by 6 min (4k) with 2 min recovery. I do this weekly and I aim for around 1.1 to 1.2 times my FTP numbers. Best of luck
cheers
Michael
I’m the stupidest person Paulo Sousa knows but following this guideline I didn’t fuck up the athlete I was coaching too bad.
It really depends on your limiters and also, recognizing that your FTP drifts up or down a bit based on where you are in your training cycle. I am a big believer in getting in as many miles as you can on the bike at 75-85% of your FTP, and then hitting 4 by 6 min (4k) with 2 min recovery. I do this weekly and I aim for around 1.1 to 1.2 times my FTP numbers. Best of luck
cheers
Michael
There is a 4-week program on there, and I have been trying one of the more intense workouts on the chart which includes:
15 min warmup @ 65% FTP
3x10 min @ 100% FTP
3x 5 min easy spin @ 65% FTP in-between sprints
60 min total.
While I feel this is a good workout, I dont really get the killer leg pump I get when I get off the bike after an Olympic or Half. I am not sure if that necessarily means the workout is not effective, but I have always been under the understanding that if I dont feel some legit pump, then I probably could have gone harder. Looking at my overall effort during the 60-min run, the IF is typically about 0.80 including the easy spinning and warmup. So is there something more difficult I should be doing, or should I modify this current workout to 105% FTP and 70% to get around 0.85 IF, or should I be trying something else altogether?
For hard workouts, train above ftp for short intervals and take roughly equal recovery time between (lessen recovery the fitter you get) and below ftp for longer intervals with shorter relative recoveries. The other 90% of the time ride around 65-70%. Monkey with the intervals but the key thing is that you go hard a couple days a week and get in as much volume as you can manage and be consistent with it. Find a way to track your improvement as that will keep you motivated more than anything. Good luck.