Frustrated with FTP Progress

bing181

Just a follow up question. I'm down in the 3.3 w/Kg range. Is it theoretically possible (with the right/enough training) that I too could one day crack the magic 4 w/Kg, or is it limited by age, genetics etc. etc.??

I've been doing L4/SST work all this year, and while I've seen and can feel a big improvement, to now increase my FTP by yet another 20% seems like a big ask! Holding (for me) 260 watts for 5 minutes is bordering on the impossible .. to hold it for an hour .. forget it! (I'm 65 kg)

B

sogood

Oops. Posted in error.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

shawndoggy

Need more info... how old are you? how tall? how long training?

My own personal anecdotal view is that most everyone who really sets their mind to it (in training and in nutrition) can achieve 4w/K. Remember, half the battle in the w/K war is the K side of the equation. There gets to be a point where dropping 2 or 3% in weight is more likely than boosting FTP by a similar percentage (IMHO of course).

But loads of people train and train and still don't make it to the 4w/K level (though you wouldn't surmise that from the "what's your FTP thread"!). They won't give up dessert, or their three beers a night or their antiquated training regimens.

daveryanwyoming

Well stated! I agree with this point of view and my own anecdotal experience supports it. I raced and trained for a decade and a half back in the day and was mostly packfill or off the back in road races. I worked with coaches, read everything I could get my hands on and rode several hundred miles every week for years. Sometimes I rode well, mostly I lacked the fitness to be competitive.

A year ago after more than a decade off I started riding again this time with a PM and a different view on training based on Hunter and Coggan's book, SST discussions on this forum and a better understanding of what we're training and why. My FTP was down near 2.8 W/Kg last October with my first test. I worked both ends of the equation by dropping about a pound a week through the winter and building a very solid SST base before moving on to working other systems. I hit my 4 W/Kg target as the first races started, sometimes that's not quite enough and I find myself chasing after a long climb and sometimes I'm right in the thick of things from beginning to end but I'm finishing top 10 to 15 even in the races where I've had to chase for half the course. My FTP and 5 minute power continues to climb so I don't think I've hit any kind of genetic ceiling yet.

Nope, I'm not headed to the world's anytime soon nor ripping the legs of my opponents but I'm definitely competitive and enjoying racing more than I can remember as I have the fitness to stay near the front, launch or cover attacks, influence the race as it develops and basically do a heck of a lot more than just hang on for dear life. A few more watts or a few less Kg (don't have too many more I can afford to lose at this point) and maybe I'll crest those climbs with the first couple of riders.
Hard to say what's going on or why your progress seems slower or stalled. You sound like a very good candidate for a power savvy coach who could take a look at your training, your available hours, the other stresses you deal with and figure out what's working or needs some fine tuning. Personally I believe most healthy adults can break the 4W/Kg threshold with steady work balanced with rest but you really should get an objective set of eyes to look at what you're doing and help you figure out what changes you might make.

Good luck,
Dave

dkrenik

Update:
With the advice of rmur17 & daveryanwyoming I've managed to raise my FTP from 235W to 250W in ~ 1month. While I've certainly a ways to go to reach my goal (280W-300W), I've learned that the path to improvement requires patience and lots of SST.

Many thanks,
Dave

rmur17

Hi dave,
Sounds like you've broken nicely thru the old 240W barrier. Good stuff!!
For those of us not gifted, slow but steady progress can still produce very nice gains over time.

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rmur