Author Topic: Base training  (Read 250155 times)

Re: Base training
« Reply #1700 on: 23 September, 2019, 03:17:29 pm »
I've done nothing since TCR.  But I've kept the Trainerroad subscription up and will start some base sessions once I've shaken off my cold. 
Although I might be about to get busy with work, which would postpone things.

rob

Re: Base training
« Reply #1701 on: 23 September, 2019, 03:28:03 pm »
I am free of the need to train.  FREE I tell you.   Looking to put at least a stone on before Christmas.

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Base training
« Reply #1702 on: 23 September, 2019, 05:34:37 pm »
I am free of the need to train.  FREE I tell you.   Looking to put at least a stone on before Christmas.

I'm looking to lose a stone before Xmas, can I pass it on to you directly?  ;D

Chris S

Re: Base training
« Reply #1703 on: 30 September, 2019, 05:21:40 pm »
I am free of the need to train.  FREE I tell you.   Looking to put at least a stone on before Christmas.

I'm looking to lose a stone before Xmas, can I pass it on to you directly?  ;D

Is this the right queue for "Donate your flab to Rob"?

Re: Base training
« Reply #1704 on: 30 September, 2019, 05:54:29 pm »
After Sweet Spot Base 1 plan my FTP is up 9% :)  Am certainly feeling stronger, so it's all good  :thumbsup:

Maybe this is the 'new me' who can stick more closely to these plans...  You never know, the aspirations to ride something like RATN next year could become reality.  Lets see if I can stick to the next 4 weeks of plans, and start building in some longer outdoor rides first  :o


rob

Re: Base training
« Reply #1705 on: 30 September, 2019, 09:39:20 pm »
I am free of the need to train.  FREE I tell you.   Looking to put at least a stone on before Christmas.

I'm looking to lose a stone before Xmas, can I pass it on to you directly?  ;D

Is this the right queue for "Donate your flab to Rob"?

Don’t need it.  My own collection has is coming along quite nicely.   Pass the dairy milk.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Base training
« Reply #1706 on: 01 October, 2019, 11:24:06 pm »
well, the ramp test (in tt position) today suggested ftp of 250w, my aim is to get near 300w in spring. the first 20w should be easy as i've not done any high intensity work since spring, the rest will require hard work as usual.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1707 on: 02 October, 2019, 01:11:27 pm »
well, the ramp test (in tt position) today suggested ftp of 250w, my aim is to get near 300w in spring. the first 20w should be easy as i've not done any high intensity work since spring, the rest will require hard work as usual.

Ohh, that's interesting, how much do you find the ramp test results fluctuate during the season?  Is 250-300 (ie ~20% swing) usual?

Phil W

Re: Base training
« Reply #1708 on: 02 October, 2019, 01:20:13 pm »
That'll depend on what your training / riding looks like throughout the year and whether you take breaks and / or reduce volume / intensity and allow your fitness to drop.  Between Winter and Spring last year my FTP rose 60 watts.  I expect my FTP has dropped back down again and will see a similar increase when I get back into some structured training this coming Winter / Spring. 

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Base training
« Reply #1709 on: 02 October, 2019, 01:29:52 pm »
well, the ramp test (in tt position) today suggested ftp of 250w, my aim is to get near 300w in spring. the first 20w should be easy as i've not done any high intensity work since spring, the rest will require hard work as usual.

Ohh, that's interesting, how much do you find the ramp test results fluctuate during the season?  Is 250-300 (ie ~20% swing) usual?

it all depends on the riding and training schedule/volume/intensity. i wouldn't say it's usual, but it's possible over half a year, depending on a starting point (beginner gains are the easiest). without the intensity (i.e. intervals, chaingangs, racing, hills at max effort) ftp drops quite fast, but it also doesn't take that long (3-4 months?) to get back to previous level after longer lay off.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1710 on: 02 October, 2019, 02:57:00 pm »
Next scheduled test is for early Oct, and if I'm still able to follow the plan until then, doing some HIT type stuff, I could be within reach of 260 which has been my (pointless ;)) "ambition" for this year.

Ramp rested at 260w ~3.7 w/kg, so mission accomplished for my "pointless ambition" for the year!  :thumbsup:

Very happy with that, didn't think or expect to manage it. Seems the TR HIT Maintenance plan combined with some longer outdoor rides paid off.

Off to Mallorca now for a spot of cycling / R&R, and on returning will begin the new plan for another year of suffering: 4 weeks Trad Base-ish, then the usual Sweet Spot Base 1 & 2, Sustained Power Build, Speciality (Climbing Road Race). Essentially the same as last year but planning on a bit more volume in the first half compared to last time.

The past 10 or 11 months have gone just about as well as they could: no injuries, major sickness or showstopper life events to disrupt the plan, so very, very lucky. I'll be amazed if the planets align so fortuitously for me over this next year, but you never know...

My goal remains to push towards 280w (~4w/kg) by some undefined future date. This time next year? I think the chances of that are virtually zero, but I'll follow the plan and see where I end up. I'd be quite content to stay around this level, which is fitter than I've ever been before, and really won't be disappointed if progress is very slow, minimal or non-existent from here onwards.

Bernster

  • ACME (Herts Branch)
Re: Base training
« Reply #1711 on: 07 October, 2019, 11:45:22 am »
Did my first Trainer Road sessions on my new Kickr Core on Saturday (including a ramp test), having been using a dumb wheel on trainer over the past 3 years. To say I'm impressed is an understatement - what made me take the plunge into the smart trainer world was a culmination of things. Firstly when I started, I wasn't sure how much use I'd get out of a turbo so didn't want to spend loads, but using Trainer Road and seeing my fitness increase over that time (translated into making Audaxing less painful in the real world) has led to it getting plenty of use. Secondly, I managed to have a series of punctures with the wheel on trainer (suspect it was dodgy rim tape, but never managed to pinpoint the issue), which frustratingly led to sessions being ended early, and a lot of wasted time and effort. Thirdly, I've read lots of positive things about erg mode on here, specifically that you don't have to match power targets yourself, you just pedal and the trainer does it for you. Lastly, being a bit of a stats geek, I like the idea of getting a more accurate idea of my true power output (albeit with some error margin), rather than relying on the Trainer Road power curve for my dumb trainer, which is impacted to at least some extent by a host of outside factors.

What I noticed immediately was how good the trainer felt to use - from the weight of the thing, it's clearly got a substantial flywheel, but it really did feel nice to ride once I'd got it up to speed. The ramp test was a revelation - on the dumb trainer I found these really challenging, as every step up meant I had to find a bit of extra power, and adjust cadence accordingly - it's hard to look at a screen and make minor tweaks at the right times when you're working up to max effort. Every time I did one, I was convinced that I was under-testing, to the point where I reverted to doing FTP tests using the 20 minute steady effort test as it was returning better results. The ramp test on the Core was really just as easy as maintaining my chosen cadence, and not even needing to look at the screen - things get harder, you keep the pedals turning and then you hit a point where you fall off a cliff and you stop. I genuinely don't think I could have gone on for any longer, and am happy that the FTP that Trainer Road spat out was fair.

I did an 30 minute session after I'd recovered a bit (Taku), and again appreciated not having to focus on hitting the target power - I can see that the longer, less intense sessions will now give an opportunity to watch TV, or focus on some other distraction. My winter training begins in earnest this Thursday, with sweetspot base low volume (as usual), so it'll be interesting to compare this with how the efforts felt on the wheel on trainer, and how any fitness improvements compare between the two.

So far a very happy user - I know I don't post often on this thread, but have appreciated the thoughts and input of various contributors over the years, so thought I'd share my experiences too.  :thumbsup:

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Base training
« Reply #1712 on: 07 October, 2019, 11:48:32 am »
I really couldn't believe how good the wahoo was either - I can't afford one for myself but my club has a preferential deal with a studio that does group sessions using the trainers every week. My ramp test lasted 31 minutes, I wouldn't have been able to do anything like that on the bike or with a 'dumb trainer'.
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Base training
« Reply #1713 on: 07 October, 2019, 02:42:16 pm »
a decent smart trainer makes a huge difference to the quality of training sessions. it removes most of excuses not to train. i've restarted sweet spot base two weeks ago, now looking to get a pair of bluetooth sports headphones. it would be cool if there was automatic volume adjustment linked to current heart rate.

LMT

Re: Base training
« Reply #1714 on: 08 October, 2019, 12:52:21 pm »
It's not the cost of something it's the value it brings. Happy NEO user.

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1715 on: 08 October, 2019, 01:06:07 pm »
Just done ramp test. +4W from a month ago, and +19W from 12 months ago.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1716 on: 12 October, 2019, 12:11:11 pm »
So far a very happy user -   :thumbsup:

Good to hear. A high quality (smart) trainer made a lot of difference for me and is some of the best bike-related money I've ever spent.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1717 on: 12 October, 2019, 12:12:10 pm »
Just done ramp test. +4W from a month ago, and +19W from 12 months ago.

Well done, that's a decent increase.  :thumbsup:

rob

Re: Base training
« Reply #1718 on: 04 November, 2019, 09:46:40 pm »
I am free of the need to train.  FREE I tell you.   Looking to put at least a stone on before Christmas.

This is going great.   I was planning to get back training in January but I fear things may be buggered up by a house move.   Might pack things up a bit earlier if I can regain my mojo.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1719 on: 07 November, 2019, 08:20:45 am »
I was planning to get back in October, but I thought I'd wait until November.  But now the election has got called so that won't happen.  I doubt I'll start two weeks before Christmas, so probably January as well for me.

Good luck with house move, Rob!

dat

Re: Base training
« Reply #1720 on: 07 November, 2019, 08:43:08 am »
I've started doing some sweet spot training once a week for the past month. My FTP has gone from 249w to 260w @ 68kg this puts me just over 3.8w/kg.

The thing is I don't know if the gain is due to turbo work, something I have never done before or I have just got better at the ramp test.

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1721 on: 21 November, 2019, 11:28:44 pm »
I think the ramp test is less prone to test familiarisation effect than 2x8 or the 20m test. YMMV.

I am on SSB MV 2 at present. I’m signed up for Disaster Day on 14th Dec which coincides with the end of the recovery week. FTP dropped after a two week break and I’m not retesting until after Disaster.  :hand:

Tonight’s plan was Jepson. But I fancied more of a challenge so did Prater and added 30m on with some endurance. Passed the test. If my FTP is set too high Prater will let me know.  :thumbsup:

Re: Base training
« Reply #1722 on: 22 November, 2019, 09:59:57 am »
I'm just doing Traditional Base 1, because I'm getting abdominal pain when doing high intensity efforts (and I'm waiting for a scan on a suspected hernia). I'm enjoying the ability to watch Youtube while riding,  and I'm going to add some extra volume because I'm feeling pretty recovered by the next day. I'm going to struggle to do the 1hr 45 minute workouts before work though! Even though I get to watch it, I'm missing riding CX. :(

I really wanted to do Disaster day, but I wouldn't have been able to even if I was fit - it's my wife's birthday, and there's a CX race the next day!
And yeah, I don't think you get better at the Ramp Test.  I think I might be getting worse if anything - you need to be in a particular mindset to really push those few extra seconds.

rob

Re: Base training
« Reply #1723 on: 22 November, 2019, 10:32:48 am »
I went on the turbo last night - first time since mid Sep.   Wasn't fun.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Base training
« Reply #1724 on: 22 November, 2019, 11:02:38 am »
i've done the disaster workout once and decided against doing it again. comparing the numbers, an intense club ride outside makes much more sense and provides similar training effect.