Functional Threshold Power

[iainm]

I'd found this thread pretty useful. Last time round, I'd posted 287 watt av over 20min, but had held back abit. On advice, I learned that it shoudl be a full on effort, ignoring HR.

So, on Tue am, I managed to get 302 av over 20min, so that would give me a theoretical 287 figure for the hour. I'm currently 80kg. It would be great if someone could post that chart again that had some indicators of relative levels.

I quite liked this as a session. Did 10min w/u and 10min w/d, so only took up 40min, but i felt it was a very valuable session, particularly as i'm looking mainly at sprints this year.

[younggun]

Ian,

You mean the W/kg comparison? : www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/images/powerprofile_v4.gif

Or your training levels? :
www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/power411/levels.asp

I think a CP20 is a great session for sprint race training.

Adam

[iainm]

thanks adam, that's very useful.

[belaqua]

This is interesting. I thought you had to measure your FTP over half an hour minimum.

[younggun]

You can do a 20 minute timetrial. I prefer 30 mins as it reduces the influence of anaerobic capacity... I'm mean like that.

Anyway, what are you doing up??!

How was y-swim?

[cobbie]

younggun said:

You can do a 20 minute timetrial. I prefer 30 mins as it reduces the influence of anaerobic capacity... I'm mean like that.

Reading Coggan/Hunter, their 20 min TT comes after a significant amount of effort - 5 min all out, 2 x 1 min all out and 3 x 20s sprints so by the time the 20 min TT comes round the way I read it is that your anaerobic system is likely to be pretty spent and you'll have to work aerobically. I know I don't do sprints so am not used to doing and recovering from them but just doing a rough count, the 20min TT comes about 1hr 15mins into the test ride (see p. 149).
Just doing a straight 20 mins after a warm-up is a bit out of context regarding the actual session that Coggan suggests isn't it??

[younggun]

Cobbie, yes you're right. Personally I think CP5-recover-CP20 is harder than doing a CP30. So perhaps I'm not being so mean to Bel after all.

[joey]

Once we have this info what are we supposed to do with it? I hvae no idea what my FTP is and have never felt the need to know until now (maybe).

[belaqua]

Well your FTP can form the foundations of your training programme if you train with power. Do you have power on your bike joey?

YG - does that mean if it's raining next weekend we can do the cp20 instead. I know it's hard doing all that stuff before it but mentally it's probably easier.

[younggun]

belaqua said:

YG - does that mean if it's raining next weekend we can do the cp20 instead. I know it's hard doing all that stuff before it but mentally it's probably easier.

OK, a CP5 will be good experience for you. 210-220W my dear.

[belaqua]

younggun said:

belaqua said:

YG - does that mean if it's raining next weekend we can do the cp20 instead. I know it's hard doing all that stuff before it but mentally it's probably easier.

OK, a CP5 will be good experience for you. 210-220W my dear.

oooo ooooo

[cobbie]

younggun said:

Cobbie, yes you're right. Personally I think CP5-recover-CP20 is harder than doing a CP30. So perhaps I'm not being so mean to Bel after all.

I bet you're shocked that I made it to p149 ;D

[younggun]

I'm in shock!!

[cm]

I thought cougan recommended 5 mins @ close you your target CP 20 w, not 5 mins balls out (which would hurt quite a bit ;-))

at least thats what I've done the numerous (once !) times I've done that test..

[younggun]

Coggan's exact words:

5 minutes all out. Punch it and hold it! Make sure that you start at a high pace, but not so high that you die at the end. You should have a little in reserve to kick it to the finish line at the last minute. The goal of this first part is twofold: first, to "open" up the legs for the rest of the effort, and second, to capture your ability to produce watts in what is called VO2max power, or level 5. Doing this initial 5 minute effort also helps to dispense with the initial "freshness" that always exists at the beginning of a ride. Then, when you do your next effort, you will be able to produce power that is more likely to be truly representative of your FTP.

[cm]

oops :-(.. although it doesn't sound like all balls out, maybe just one ;-) I was pretty goosed after the 5 mins anyway, thought that my target for the 20 mins was a tall order !

[hoops]

going to test this week at some point down to 70 kg now so shoud be different this time yeah bring it on

[xavier]

Did a 10mile on the local course this afternoon and came out with 399w average. Think there might be some discrepancy there ...

Xav