great, but one thing. Testing as often as you suggest really takes a lot of your body. Most experts would suggest to only do a test after a consistent training block of 8-12 weeks. It's possible to see improvements in your intervals so you can adjust the numbers and time of your intervals during a training block of a couple a weeks
Thanks for the tip!! Maybe I am testing too often... 🤦♂️ I’ve had a few people recommend testing every ~10 weeks or so but in my personal training (maybe it’s the curiosity?) I can’t seem to wait that long before I want to keep an eye on it... thanks for letting me know, I hope people check out your comment too so they can get that info! I appreciate you putting me on the right track! ;)
Nice ocerview, well done! Two things I'd like to point out: A proper FTP test begins with warm-up, of course) 5 minutes all-out, ten mins. recovery and the actual 20 min. all-out. Only then you get a number of which 95% will be close to yout real FTP. Second, in hard work weeks etc. keep going, but don't push yourself too much and bury yourself. That may end in overtraining or at least bad fatigue. Otherwise you pointed out all the important facts.
Thank you for this awesome video! I'm on a plateau for almost a year and made my training plan this year other and I learned from it. Thank you for the workouts and the tips!
Thank you for saying so! I’m so glad it was helpful. Any questions along the way I’d be more than happy to help with if I can! Best of luck with the training!
I’m really glad you got value from it!! I’m trying to bring as much quality content as I can. It would be a huge help to my channel if you want to share it! Thanks again for the comment
Hey Matt, yeah I'm definitely getting that feedback ;) you're right that it does really affect your training schedule to test weekly, and monthly is more than enough to understand where your fitness is progressing! Thank you for subscribing to the channel too! 😀
Love this video. Super solid advice! I have used this kind of training and have personally experienced the benefits as well! Keep the great content coming!
Great informative video. This has given me drive to try and boost my FTP, as i am on zwift, im thinking maybe intervals between Monday- Friday and longer endurance rides at weekends. What would you suggest as a good warm up before the sessions? Im 47 by the way, and as you mentioned, recovery is definitely longer these days. Thanks again for the info 👍
Good luck to you! It’s a fun challenge for sure! Warm up will vary person to person, but I usually try to work in at least 10 mins of slowly increasing endurance once (50-60% of your current FTP, increasing to 70-80% by the end of the warm up)
"Zone 2" has many definitions anywhere from 60-85% max heart rate depending on who you ask. However 60% is radically different training from 85%. You can also reach any heart rate with endless ratios of cadence, resistance, and distance. I run out of breath far sooner than I ever experience leg fatigue so it seems my primary limitation is my heart and circulation not delivering enough oxygen. I can push 400 watts for 2 minutes because of leg strength, but barely average 200 watts for a 20 minute test. What cadence and heart rate percentages do you think most increases actual heart chamber size and central adaptations? Did you find increasing cadence, resistance, or distance most improve FTP?
In my personal experience, the body is great at adapting to what you throw at it. So when I do slow long distance rides or runs a lot, my cardio fitness will continue to improve, but if I’m looking to increase FTP, I need to spend time running high intervals, over/unders, and just spending time at higher wattages!
I like the video, except I'm not sure that bringing intensity down to 80% on the over/unders is how that workout is normally structured unless you're doing really long intervals. What I've seen is the over being around 105% and the under being 95% for about a 5 to 10 minute intervals. Bringing the under down to 80% brings the intensity down to endurance pace instead of keeping the pace just under threshold where you would be working on improving FTP.
Thanks Barry! I appreciate the input! I usually bring it down to 80% on the unders because the variance at my low FTP makes the 105%/110% unachievable if I stay too high in the unders... if you can do 95/105 you’re already way ahead of me! 😉 I hope people who already have solid FTP numbers see your comment so they can alter the workouts for even more benefit! Thanks for sharing!! 🏆
@@JadenFeddock Thanks Jaden, yes they're not easy, so you have to start with shorter intervals if someone isn't used to working at that intensity. I think the idea is that you want as much time close to threshold to get the benefit of FTP improvement.
Barry Sternberg Law Office Agreed. Thank you!! What would be your recommendation to those who want a similar workout but don’t have a power meter out on the road? My typical non-power-meter version is Perceived Effort of 8 for the ‘Under’ and 9 for the ‘Over’, but do you have any thoughts?
@@JadenFeddock Perceived effort is one way, but would be hard unless you've trained for a long time and you really know your limitations. My view is that these type of intervals don't really lend themselves very well to HR training. They're too specific in the way they try to work that energy system, and you really need a power meter or smart trainer to know your FTP and dial in the correct intensity to get maximum benefit. In the old days threshold intervals meant doing 20 x 2 as hard as you could, and pacing became a matter of trial and error. Power meters are what allow for more specific and targeted workouts.
Thanks for the video man. What you think about squats (without weights). I make this exercise 2-3 times per week. 6 x 50 reps. And please make video about supplements.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching! Strength training like you mention can be great for building your power on the bike. I would probably recommend less than 3 leg days a week during the intense training weeks, just to avoid overtraining the same muscles, but if you’re doing sets of 50 reps I’m assuming the weight isn’t too much for you. It’s a great idea to vary the training with! Just be sure to listen to your body to see if the load is too much. Pay attention to how you feel during the cycling workouts and if you’re able to keep up the training levels on the bike even with the addition of the lifting!
Also love the idea about the supplements / nutrition video! There will definitely be content coming about that ;) don’t forget to subscribe so you see when those types of videos come out!
Thanks for the great explanation Jaden. I'm relatively new to cycling and am looking at all ways to improve my fitness. Lots of similarities to running myths to improve endurance. What do you use to do the presentation with text appearing on screen?
Thank you for the support! I really appreciate it! 💪🏼 For the on-screen text I just use motion graphics, and I edit using Premiere Pro which makes them super easy to use!
That’s one of the reasons I made the switch 😉 but I’m sure there’s a creative way, I just couldn’t find it... thank you! If you have any types of content / videos that you would like to see more of, let me know!
@@JadenFeddock will do Jaden. As you may of seen from my channel, i'm just a novice cyclist and recently bought an indoor trainer during Lockdown, which has a power meter :-)
Welcome to the club!! Do you use any of the popular indoor cycling apps (TrainerRoad, Sufferfest, Rouvy, Zwift, etc)? It gets addicting fast, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the new world of cycling!
Thanks for checking out the channel! I’m glad you like it! Don’t forget to subscribe for even better content to come ;) I just got a new bike, so I’m currently power-meterless... I’m just using estimated power on an indoor trainer for now! Looking for a new crank-based meter...
@@JadenFeddock I have subscribed... I am also looking into power meters... power2max looks good ... I am running Shimano Ultegra. I am looking at options... there is also the option of left hand power meters Would awesome to get you thoughts also
I will definitely be doing that! One of the coolest tech items in cycling are power meters ;) There are quite a few these days, as you mentioned! I’ll do my best to review what I know!
Hi Simon, glad you enjoyed the video!! I rest for 5 mins between those intervals, but you can do anywhere from 3-6 mins of rest between the efforts, depending on your fatigue levels from previous training, or current state of your training! Best of luck!
Jaden Feddock - Sports & Fitness Tech really good thanks! Going to give the 80% /125% session a go. Just wondering how many reps of the 3 mins do you do? How many sets? Was thinking of trying possibly 3/4 reps over 3 sets with a maybe 5 min rest between sets?
I think they work great! It’s a good estimation, but every so often I would recommend using their ‘full FTP test’ with the 20min all-out just to ensure a little more accuracy. But I think the ramp tests do well at estimating
ON the 2X20, I thought that when you do your FTP, it's supposed to be so hard that you cant do it again, or even cycle in any regular way even the next day, so how can you do 2X20?
If you are doing 2x20' you should be riding below your threshold power, at an intensity around 88%-92% of your FTP (ie. if your FTP is 300w, you should be riding from 264 up to 276 watts). You could do this workout at a higher intensity, but it would be too taxing for your body, so it wouldn't let you train consistently over time. The shorter your intervals are, the higher the intensity must be. If you want to work at or near your threshold power, think about doing 3x10', 4x8' or something similar.
Great question Cliff! (And thanks for the quick response Alberto)! If you are doing an FTP Test, then you want to go hard to try and boost your recorded values, like you mentioned... the 2x20’ is a workout, and you want to ride hard, but not as hard as the test will be. The workout that I usually recommend it 95-100% of FTP (when you’re doing the test you’re closer to 110% of FTP, crazy hard) ride based on feel, and you will know after you do the workout once what your body is able to handle and adjust from there! Best of luck and keep us posted as you improve!
Alberto Gil Perez thanks for the response! I appreciate you helping out! :) Just to add to what you’re saying, you’re absolutely right with the intensity making it harder to consistently train over time. When you do these intensity workouts, keep them spread out in your workout plan so that your body can recover and rebuild for next time!
There is a mistake in this video and this has caused the misunderstanding here. Your 20minute power is NOT your FTP. Your 60minute power is your FTP. The 20minute testing protocol is one way of testing FTP since it’s mentally easier to do a 20minute test. However if you do a 20minute test then you take 95% of the value as your FTP (not 100%) as stated in this video. Additionally the 20minute testing protocol is supposed to include a high effort 5 minute vo2max interval preceding it in order to deplete anaerobic contribution to the 20minute effort. Additionally the 20 minute test should be performed seated and at a steady state output (constant power). It’s a shame this point is not made in the video since the guidance given is otherwise solid.
X X My apologies for any misunderstanding! Thanks for the additional clarity on testing procedures ;) I definitely glazed over that part to spend more time talking about workouts, but probably should have spent more time in the video talking about the specific testing method! I hope people can see your comment if they have questions! :)
😳😳 Nice work! Sounds like a pretty killer workout! It looks like you’ve got it all under control then ;) I usually try to keep closer to my FTP number so I’m not going too low on the under as well. If you are able to do 10-12 reps of 50% over, I’d recommend staying closer to FTP than going down 50% below if possible... but again you’ve got your plan and I don’t want to mess with that! Keep it up ;)
I have been beaten in many a crit by people with lower ftp and w/kg because I need to work on my bike handling and sprint ability. ftp and especially w/kg really seems to come into play when the road tilts upward and that is where having a higher w/kg in particular is beneficial
That’s a great point! Thanks! In real-world cycling it’s not just about power numbers... even race awareness and positioning are huge factors that can determine a race ending more than FTP! I’ve always felt like building up my W/kg and FTP serve to give me a better chance, but how I react to situations, handle the bike (especially around corners) will make more of a difference in a short crit race! Thanks for the reminder 😉
I think the Zwift ramo test works fairly well, but it would be best to vary the test between other types of tests, like the full 20 min version, to ensure the most accurate results! :)
Great question! 2x20 refers to two sets of 20min efforts, where you are working at 95-100% of your FTP (if you don't currently have an FTP to base it off of, go based on feel, so you want to be going the 'hardest' you can go for 20 mins without fading at the end). If you are just starting the workouts, I would start with a shorter one that will give you a better feel for the effort / power you should be using! Thanks for watching the video!
Perfect! Yes, you have it right! If you know your FTP, during the 20 mins try to keep it between 95%-100% of that number. You can play with the rest depending on how you feel that day, but plan to rest of 6-8 mins between sets! Good luck!
Great question! Running is a great cross-training method, and as such can definitely help you. If you are working in a heavy FTP training set over a few months, you will want to take some time off on intense training and running : other sports are perfect for that time! Thanks for watching the video! 💪🏼
