Subject pretty much sums it up.
Just thought I’d put it out there because heaven knows there are enough posts that read “my FTP is 4,230,230 watts… i’m so out of shape!”
Plenty of room for improvement. Now the fun part, putting the time in 
If you weigh 80lbs / 36kg, that is a pretty decent FTP.
Mine don’t make 150 either, but I have loads of excuses…
Mine too.
I weigh a little more than 80 lbs. But I have been told weight is a big part of the equation.
If you are small enough, that is ok
Subject pretty much sums it up.
Just thought I’d put it out there because heaven knows there are enough posts that read “my FTP is 4,230,230 watts… i’m so out of shape!”
It all depends on your weight. I assume as a woman you are on the lighter side (as opposed to a load like me), so 150W doesn’t sound bad at all. Keep up the good work!
We have an athlete who was on deaths door last year waiting on a transplant list (bad luck not lifestyle) plus a dozen other serious issues associated with that (diabetes, arthritis, cardiac issues which need to be monitored) He was a petty good MOP athlete a few years ago with really no bad habits.
This year when he was cleared for training his 20 min power in January was 140 watts (barely) and he couldn’t hold 8 min per km for 3 km.
8 weeks later he is holding 160 for 20min and hit 21:36 for 3 km.
He is our best athlete (and we have a few fast people) and a true inspiration to others….Perfect diet, no drinking, relentless commitment and a high end job where he fly’s all over the place, and still gets the work done.
Training is a bit complex though because every time you assign load it needs to be checked by a team of people who are much smarter than me. Suffice to say we can’t assign much intensity right now. Just consistency and intensity at sweet spot.
It gets better….
BTW my FTP sucks right now. (edit 250 on a good day)
Maurice
I wonder if I’m the only one who finds people’s reported ftp numbers a bit uninteresting when there’s no weight given. I like to have watts/kg for some context.
Agree, My FTP is down right paltry when compared to some of the studs around here, but I still manage to do OK at races. Weight and CdA are pretty significant context when discussing FTP.
Hello Emilyk318 and All,
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/thin-man
Excerpts:
"After absorbing these lessons, Riebl put himself on a restricted diet, lost weight and found that being lighter made him considerably faster up the hills. “As the mantra goes,” he says, “you train like a horse and eat like a rabbit.” The equation clicked: Less weight equals more speed. But this bit of math led not to Grand Tour glory, but to full-blown anorexia.
According to the paper he published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 20 percent of the cyclists studied showed signs of abnormal eating behaviors. But fewer than half of those men grasped that the way they ate—or didn’t—could be called a disorder. Now a renal dietitian who does sports-nutrition consulting on the side, Riebl is increasingly concerned for clients who believe that the desire to win, at any level, justifies unrealistic and unsustainable thinness.
The possibility that a man could be anorexic or bulimic—two syndromes long seen as endemic to females—entered the mainstream only about five years ago. Researchers say the number of men seeking treatment has suddenly exploded, though their actual figures vary. “In the past five years, we’ve seen more than twice as many men,” reports Theodore Weltzin, MD, who directs the country’s only residential treatment program for men, at Rogers Memorial Hospital, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. He attributes some of the upswing to the proliferation of idealized male images—an abdominal six-pack on every half-naked spokesmodel. Pro athletes may succumb to the additional pressure involved with making their livings with their bodies, Weltzin says. “Cyclists are right up there with gymnasts,” he says. “Always looking at how they perform based on the power-to-weight ratio.”
But it looks like a fine line to get that power to weight ratio right … although some of Rasmussen’s success might be chemical …
Wiki:
"On 31 January 2013, he admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs from 1998 to 2010 during a press conference. He stated that he used EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, DHEA, insulin, IGF-1, cortisone and did blood transfusions. He also stated that his cycling career was over and that he wanted to cooperate fully with the Danish anti-doping institutions. The Danish Authorities stated that they would be looking to enforce a two-year ban, reduced from the normal eight-year ban in exchange for revealing what he knew about other illegal doping actities.
In September 2013 it was confirmed by Danmarks Idræts-Forbund (DIF) that he would receive a 2 year ban from 8 February 2013 to 7 February 2015 and would be stripped of results from January 2005 to March 2010. This decision has yet to be ratified by Danish Anti Doping (ADD) or the UCI."
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I like cheese cake and that’s ok too
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"On 31 January 2013, he admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs from 1998 to 2010 during a press conference. He stated that he used EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, DHEA, insulin, IGF-1, cortisone and did blood transfusions. He also stated that his cycling career was over and that he wanted to cooperate fully with the Danish anti-doping institutions. The Danish Authorities stated that they would be looking to enforce a two-year ban, reduced from the normal eight-year ban in exchange for revealing what he knew about other illegal doping actities.
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He was lying. We all know that only Lance took PEDs.
Subject pretty much sums it up.
Just thought I’d put it out there because heaven knows there are enough posts that read “my FTP is 4,230,230 watts… i’m so out of shape!”
The good news is that if you’d like it to improve you get to ride your bike more.