How can you effectively increase your FTP? And ride 70% of that in the half ironman and full ironman?
I am currently at 235w right now and would like to get to 300w next summer and be able ride in the 200w.
Which training program do you guys recommend to help with my FTP while i continue to also improve my running?
Trainerroad?
Zwift?
Trainingpeaks plan?
Thank you
Not really your question but 70% of FTP would be a very low target for a 70.3
.
Based on similar questions in the past I think the consensus answer would be to pick a realistic plan and stick with it. If you’re not getting a coach most will likely suggest either an appropriate volume Trainerroad plan or get the 80/20 Triathlon book/plan.
Zwift is fun for a lot of people but its plans not widely relied on, so it’s not that helpful for you unless you have the experience/skills to upload or execute a plan from elsewhere through it.
Training Peaks is just a platform where you can load or buy any number of different plans, some good some bad.
Incidentally your question is really just “how do I become a much stronger cyclist in a year?” as you want to get a lot more powerful and able to execute for a long time.
A 25% increase in one year would generally be considered pretty ambitious, so good luck!!
You have that same chart for an IM?
You have that same chart for an IM?
This is the one for a full distance:
.
.
There’s a lot missing here. Is 235 after 5yr of training or the first day on zwift? How many hrs are you doing/wk? If your end goal is to do IM/70.3 then FTP isn’t really the best thing to target.
The answers are largely the same. Ride more. Ride harder. Eat better and track cals if you need to. Limit alcohol. Setting an FTP target and deadline is a surefire way to burn yourself out. Train based on where you are now, not where you want to be and the fitness will come. Keep adding hours until you either run out of time or energy. Likewise for intensity.
Thanks to you and Callin’
.
There’s a lot missing here. Is 235 after 5yr of training or the first day on zwift? How many hrs are you doing/wk? If your end goal is to do IM/70.3 then FTP isn’t really the best thing to target.
The answers are largely the same. Ride more. Ride harder. Eat better and track cals if you need to. Limit alcohol. Setting an FTP target and deadline is a surefire way to burn yourself out. Train based on where you are now, not where you want to be and the fitness will come. Keep adding hours until you either run out of time or energy. Likewise for intensity.
Gold right here
Pure gold!!
I’ll share my experience although it’s not as dramatic as some examples you’ll find out there of people going from 250 to 300W in a season (which is extremely rare)
My untrained FTP is usually around 240W (when I test after a long layoff)
As I become fit again and get used to the training load (8-10 hours of Ironman training) I see my FTP go up to 255W
After a dedicated offseason last year and a focus on low cadence / high strength reps I achieved an FTP of 275W, however over the course of the season, this reduced to 265W as I focused more on endurance and lost some of the raw power
From my experience, following a structured plan (pick your poison of Trainer Road, Zwift or other) with 2-3 interval workouts and 2-3 endurance workouts, will yield a 10-25W FTP boost.
From what the others posted, the bigger thing is making sure the training is sustainable and that you’re consistent.
Back to your original intent if your goal is to ride at 200W, you can ride at 65%IF and have an FTP of 300, or ride at 80%IF and have an FTP of 250. The latter may be more genetically achievable, but requires a higher volume of training and efforts at Sweet Spot (85-90%) of FTP. I’ve done both approaches and had better results and better runs with the latter for Ironman (more volume / higher IF)
Happy Training!
Tldr: It doesn’t really matter which platform as long as what you choose works for you and helps you stay consistent.
Longer answer:
You’re looking for a simple answer and this may signal that you’re looking at this the wrong way. The way you’ll improve is through consistency and as much training and intensity as your lifestyle and body can sustain.
I’ve had an improvement comparable to what you’re indicating but over multiple years. I don’t track FTP more than once a year, usually in the off season when I’m at my lowest level of fitness. I didn’t have a power meter when I started out so the improvement I can measure in watts doesn’t include the period when I probably had the most improvement.
I’ll share my current thinking based on all the mistakes ive made.
Firstly, FTP is a metric that can easily fool you. If you’re thinking about racing, race performance is the indicator. Thinking that improving 95% of 20min power is what helps you race your best in a multi sport race that lasts 4 to 17h sounds a bit unrealistic when you think about it. Besides, FTP is always estimated and can show false improvements if you apply different pacing, don’t follow the correct protocol or your equipment isn’t correctly set up (say your power meter is accidentally set to the wrong crank length. been there done that).
I would say the one thing to focus on is consistency.
You’re looking at a big improvement very quickly. That may be possible if you’re just starting out or getting back to training after a long hiatus.
If you’re starting out whatever you do will make you improve and improve fairly quickly. After that there’s decreasing returns and it’s all about consistency.
Because it may or may not be achievable, it would be better for you to set input goals that are based on your effort rather than output goals that you can’t control.
This could be as simple as defining a training plan (though a coach, a book, an online platform) or joining a club and committing to a certain number of sessions a week.
Do whatever helps you stay consistent day in and day out, week in/out, season in/out, years, etc. That means staying motivated but most of all staying healthy and not getting injured. Any injury will set you back more than having aimed too low. Over time your body can sustain more but couch to 25h a week is a sure way to get injured or sick.
You need to find what works for you for getting consistent. If accountability is what you need, find a coach or a training partner. If social interactions drive you, find a club. If you like DIY, get a plan from a book or online platform.
If I had to suggest a plan I’d say go with one from the 80/20 book.
If you need a club for the social interactions you’ll need to find one in your area. Check the website of the triathlon federation in your country for a list.
If you want a coach you’ll need to find one you click with and trust. What I look for in a coach may be different from you.
After that a good way to think about it is the following hierarchy of endurance training (adapted from Stephen Seiler):
There’s no point going to the next step if it impacts the step before. Also, each following step brings less fruits than the one before.
Some examples:
Training a little every day beats one or two monster sessions a week.
Training 10h every week is better than 20h one week and nothing the week after.
There’s no point planning too many sessions if your life commitments don’t allow that. You’ll feel bad about it and lose motivation. You might as well plan less and add extra easy sessions when/if you have the time.
There’s no point getting more intensity if it’s going to get you injured. If you smash yourself with too much intensity (whether that’s because you go too hard on zwift, group rides or else) you will get injured and that will set you back. This can happen as an actual injury/sickness (breaking something, stress fracture, a cold/flu, etc) or slowly creep onto you in the form of overreaching/overtraining.
There’s no point training a lot/hard if you don’t give your body time to recover, including getting enough sleep.
There’s no point signing up for a lot of back to back races because you won’t have the time to recover and train and improve. You won’t be training consistently. Racing is fun (and you can race yourself to fitness to an extent) but at some point you need to decide if you’d rather race a lot or race your best.
If you’re having an excessively long off season, it would help you find ways to stay more active instead.
About the last part of your question, “how to perform well in a race”. I’ll keep this answer shorter: