Riding at 95% for 60 min is probably the least likely way to increase your ftp (or 60 min peak power). I’d never do that workout. The longest interval that I ever do at full power is 20 min, but that’s after a lot of work mixing below for longer durations and above for shorter.
why?
2 x 20 @ 95-105% (2.5-5 minutes rest)
OR
1 x 60 @ 90-95% (if you must, break this into 2 or 3 chunks on short rest)
As a roadie, I like to throw in 10 second long spikes to 120% every 2 or 3 minutes.
i am pretty sure it was hot and humid for us all this year. 
now if you had wanted some extra adversity, i would have been happy to have given you my back pain from my completely seized SI joint, but that wouldn’t have cost you the minute i needed to make up anyway
That’s a trip I won’t forget soon enough. In fact, I’d be happy to forget the entire 2010 season!
Really, never. As I just posted, I’ll do multiple longer sets at closer to 90% to nudge it from the bottom as you say, but the only time I get close to a 60 min at full gas is our district 40k TT championship.
The 105%+ efforts hurt and can lead to burnout but cycling isn’t an easy sport. Even worse are 4-5 min vo2 max sets, which my body hates and it takes me a long time to recover. So much so that I’ll finish my last set at the top of a climb about 8 miles from my house and then pedal downhill almost the entire way home. Those are one of the tools to get the job done.
Well, you can count me as unconvinced that an hour at 95% of FTP will NOT raise FTP.
Everything that I’ve seen (in my own data) and read (in explanations of exercise physiology) points to any work within a range of %'s of FTP will induce specific physiological adaptations that enhance performance (or raise FTP).
Perhaps you have extraneous reasons to exclude that particular workout?
Well, you can count me as unconvinced that an hour at 95% of FTP will NOT raise FTP.
No problem, then have at it. I already explained at length why I don’t think that’s a very effective workout.
Well, you can count me as unconvinced that an hour at 95% of FTP will NOT raise FTP.
No problem, then have at it. I already explained at length why I don’t think that’s a very effective workout.
Sorry, I must have missed that post, which one was it?
Perhaps one of the reasons Mr. “Spackler” (and myself) do not do 60 min FTP type workouts is that neither of our cycling coaches (I am likely speaking for him, but also for any others that I know) prescribe this type of workout. How is that for a reason?
Perhaps one of the reasons Mr. “Spackler” (and myself) do not do 60 min FTP type workouts is that neither of our cycling coaches (I am likely speaking for him, but also for any others that I know) prescribe this type of workout. How is that for a reason?
It seems like a reasonable reason. I was hoping there was a more detailed explanation. Like something based on evidence, or physiology.
Perhaps there is something to learn here, no?
Please, call me Carl.
I didn’t say that riding for 60 min @ 95% won’t lift ftp; in fact, it seems reasonable that it will to some degree. What I said is that it’s a workout I’d never do.
However, the question I’d ask is: how much can you lift your already established ftp by riding a for a long duration below it, instead of a smattering of intervals above? I’d also question how often someone can actually pull off a ‘quality’ set at that power and duration. Perhaps you can but I know for a fact that I couldn’t.
me neither! the trip down was bad enough with the back pain. thought it might subside in time, but flared back up instead. it took me 15min to get into my car after awards to head home. hard to walk and nearly impossible to lift my left leg into the car due to the pain.
i like 5x3min(@130%) with 7min recovery, probably bad, or rather not so good, but the pain and lightheadness at the 3 min mark helps bike handling skills, ie don’t fall over. missed those this year, will get back to them next
At 49 years of age…the only way that I have been able to hold 430 watt FTP is at least once weekly 5 x 5 min at 110%. 1 hour at at 95% is frankly easy as is 3x 20 mins. at 100%. Unfortunately as an athlete over the hill I have found that you have to go extremely deep just to stay above water. That’s my two cents.
I’d also question how often someone can actually pull off a ‘quality’ set at that power and duration. Perhaps you can but I know for a fact that I couldn’t.
That’s a hard set for sure … I prefer 1x60@ ~92% 60MP + some extra stuff tacked on to the tail.
I’ve experimented with everything and I have found that when you’re an old fart that you have to really bury yourself if you want to compete with the young studs.
really bury yourself
Other than the 5x5s@110%, what are your other two “key” weekly staple workouts?
I would think that wouldn’t give you the opportunity to ride harder than what your current FTP is already.
Wouldn’t riding slightly harder for shorter periods with a little bit of rest be better for increasing FTP?
jaretj
probably depends like the other poster said. but I think in general, the best workout for 1 hour is to go as hard as you can for 1 hour.
Disagree. 1 hr hard as I can go, for me at least, takes too much recovery and reduces my ability to train well on subsequent days. Workouts similiar to the 3x10m TT, 3 x15m TT, 2x20m TT on a trainer every week are effective at raising FTP for me (in combination with lower intenstity workouts in the week too).
The book Training and Racing with Power V2 has some other good ideas for short workouts for raising FTP.
I did my first ever set of VO2 intervals earlier this week (on the turbo, without a fan)… no need to ask how that went! Question for you guys, for the VO2 repeats are we looking for around 20 minutes of ‘work’? Such as 6 x 3 mins/5 x 4 mins/4 x 5 mins with the same amount of recovery time?
The workouts I’ve been doing for the past 8 weeks or so are:
Two weekly sessions of 2 x 20 mins 95-100% FTP on 5 mins recovery; and
Two weekly sessions of 2 x 10 mins 105% FTP on 5 mins recovery.
Only around 9 weeks left until I start my race specific preparation, so I want to get the most out of my FTP building phase as possible. Thanks.
These work for me (taken from Training and Racing with Power V2). The %s are % of FTP
Start with this one once/week for 3 weeks:
15 easy
6x (3m >115%, 5m easy)
At least 10minutes of tempo i.e. 80-85% FTP
15 easy cool down
After 3 weeks try this, which is really hard have plenty of towels and drinks ready!
15 easy
5m 105-115%
6x (3m at 120%, 3m easy)
10m cruise at 56-75%
4x(2m 135% VO2, 4m very easy)
15m cool down very easy
I included these workouts in my training for a 6 week period during which I raised my FTP by 17%. But I couldn’t handle those workouts for a much longer period than that.
I do recommend you get that book.
How about 6 minutes full to the rivet…but I only do that in the season.