Power quest
- Thread starter serpico7
- Start date
Since you're able to do the intervals everyday while making steady smalls gains in power, have to wonder how hard you're working relative to your real FTP. Do you monitor HR and RPE? What about leg pain during the intervals or the next day?serpico7 said:
Guess my question is why are you doing FTP-type intervals every day of the week.....wouldn't once or twice a week at higher loads be better, with recovery spins and/or rest days in between?
I'm doing intervals two or three days a week (never more than three days, and more often than not, two days), plus a group ride on the weekend.dhk2 said:
Not sure what my real FTP is. I've been using peak 60m NP from fast group rides, but that's obviously a very conservative effort. Anyway, based on RPE, I think I'm at the point now that the intervals are probably 90-95% of my true FTP. Then again, I thought that a couple of weeks ago, but have been able to move up from there. Part of the process has simply been getting used to doing hard efforts indoors.
I think your FTP is higher still. Don't be afraid to think that your 1 x 40 min might actually be only 95% of FTP. That makes for a hell of a workout indoors regardless. Remember FTP is your best 1 hr effort when fresh and very motivated. It's pretty much impossible to duplicate best conditions indoors. I never duplicate my bests indoors.
You are rocking along. At the suggestion of other posters, I am going to start hitting some longer intervals of 30-45 minute duration as well this month. It will be interesting to see where they fall in relation to my shorter 20 minute ones. Like the other commenters, I think that your estimates are too low and that you are probably well into the 200s if you did a 1 hour tt outdoors under optimum conditions. Grinding indoors is tough. Keep the room cold, use a fan, and find a good distractor. I have been watching the HBO "Wire" series on Comcast on-demand over the past few months and the minutes fly by. It is amazing how much better my sessions are if I can really distract myself with a good program. I will be bumming when there are no more episodes left. I have requested a bunch of those box sets of good series I never had time to watch for X Mas to get me through the winter. Others like ipods or those tour videos. Whatever your gig, the longer you can stay in that mental zone where you mind is right above the pain, the easier it is. When I am watching those seconds tick down in the middle of a hard interval, minutes seem very long.serpico7 said:
Yeah, I suspect you all are right, but I can't motivate to do a 60m TT, so I use my best performance from the weekend group rides or indoor sessions as my FTP estimate. In any case, I think I'm getting good workouts now.kopride said:
I ran out of Tour DVDs.
I think I'll get a few TV/cable series.
If you must, listen to some non-distracting music like a trance mix (www.di.fm) and start using your imagination more (visualizations). That's all you'll have in a time-trial. I get so into my fantasies that sometimes I'll even do a winning salute at the end of a particularly challenging blockserpico7 said:Yeah, I suspect you all are right, but I can't motivate to do a 60m TT, so I use my best performance from the weekend group rides or indoor sessions as my FTP estimate. In any case, I think I'm getting good workouts now.
I ran out of Tour DVDs.
(if I feel I deserve it). Don't beat yourself up for not wanting to do a 60 minute TT indoors either. The result may not be very accurate or motivating. At least that's the reason I never did one.Similar threads
