The official TrainerRoad thread
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jamienorton wrote:http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/93894 just done the 8min test, tbh im not quite sure i did it right, the 8 min intervals felt comfortable but difficult, until i buried myself in the last 30 secs. Alot of other peoples test seem to be a consistent effort over the 8 mins. Anyone care to shed some light, if it looks right?
If you have anything left to give at the end of these tests then you've done them wrong and it's too late to to anything about it.
Do those intervals at a level that you can only just maintain for the entire interval. Might be marginally better to go off a bit fast, and hang on for grim death at the end.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
OK thanks, ill have another go on Tuesday when i start a plan, Im finding it a challenge to keep power consistent seems to be all over the place atm, guess that will start to level out after abit of practice. Seems good so far though i quite enjoyed it. Also are you guys following one of the plans, or making up one of your own. Is there any active TR forums out there?0
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Does using trainer road go against the idea of base training for a couple of months at high cadence low power? Or is it best to just do a good month of low power workouts before doing some of the crazy ones? Asking because I've just bought all the accessories so will sign up next week when they arrive.
Chheers0 -
kleinstroker wrote:Does using trainer road go against the idea of base training for a couple of months at high cadence low power? Or is it best to just do a good month of low power workouts before doing some of the crazy ones? Asking because I've just bought all the accessories so will sign up next week when they arrive.
Chheers
Long slow miles and turbos not exactly a happy mix.
It would be a largely unchallenging plan if such a thing was written by the TR team.
You can make your own up based on whatever plan your choose, by establishing FTP and reducing the % of FTP to mimic low intensity but a high volume, which can effectively work as a 'base'0 -
Hi all, I'm now also registered on TR, have all my devices paired up and Im ready to go! But before I do the initial FTP test I'll let you all know my kit and a little bit about my cycling history.
I'm 32 and have a max HR of 195bpm. My cycling history is mainly as a commuter riding 70 miles per week for the last two years and trying to fit in training rides where time allows. I'd say I average around 110 miles per week.
I would like to race next season in the local crits league but have never raced before and don't know how I'll fair. I obviously want to be in decent shape! In terms of bike handling, I ride with a local club once a week so I have group and close quarters skills.
My kit;
Elite ChronoFluid ElastoGel
Garmin 800
GSC-10 Speed/cadence
Garmin HRM
Moovestick Ant+ (this little thing is ace! Im just going to leave it in the laptop perma!)
I have a few questions now before I attempt the FTP test.
1. Should I leave it at 200 and just do the test regardless of whether I hit the target or not? If im well over, should I reel myself in or just be going all out when it ramps up and let the software recalculate FTP afterwards?
2. Which test is the best - the short or long or is there no benefit? I want to recalculate every 6 weeks to monitor progress.
3. I want to follow a plan, but I don't know which to choose from? I also don't know how to integrate a plan into my current cycling schedule. (see below)
I commute Mon-Fri 7 miles each way to and from work. (70 miles per week)
I also do a 40 mile club ride on Wednesdays which rotates between flat/hills/chain gang
How would be best to integrate TR into my current cycle life? I want to improve but don't know how to be as efficient as possible and get adequate rest. I think my commutes will now have to be slow pootles at no more than 65% of MaxHR to avoid stressing my leg muscles. I usually hammer on and don't go below that!
Cheers!
Craig (or Franks on TR)Ribble Stealth/SRAM Force
2007 Specialized Allez (Double) FCN - 30 -
Give it the beans during the test. You will get a popup with a suggested change + or -CRAIGO5000 wrote:1. Should I leave it at 200 and just do the test regardless of whether I hit the target or not? If im well over, should I reel myself in or just be going all out when it ramps up and let the software recalculate FTP afterwards?
It's really just the test period. The result is the same.2. Which test is the best - the short or long or is there no benefit? I want to recalculate every 6 weeks to monitor progress.
Intermediates?3. I want to follow a plan, but I don't know which to choose from? I also don't know how to integrate a plan into my current cycling schedule. (see below)
Interesting question. FWIW: I'm still doing the intermediate 1 plan about 3 months after installing TR. I do the rides between road rides/education and other sports rather than Mon Tues Wed or whatever the days are in itI commute Mon-Fri 7 miles each way to and from work. (70 miles per week)
I also do a 40 mile club ride on Wednesdays which rotates between flat/hills/chain gang
How would be best to integrate TR into my current cycle life? I want to improve but don't know how to be as efficient as possible and get adequate rest. I think my commutes will now have to be slow pootles at no more than 65% of MaxHR to avoid stressing my leg muscles. I usually hammer on and don't go below that!
Cheers!
Craig (or Franks on TR)
I think in reality, I was due to retest at least a month ago 0 -
kleinstroker wrote:Does using trainer road go against the idea of base training for a couple of months at high cadence low power? Or is it best to just do a good month of low power workouts before doing some of the crazy ones? Asking because I've just bought all the accessories so will sign up next week when they arrive.
Chheers
I've the same dilemma, essentially I want to build base for the next 8 weeks and then focus on lifting thresholds, power, etc. I'm basically doing the occassional interval with free rides on TR and trying to get out at the weekends. I'm going to pay for a fitness test and plan on the next few weeks so will update if that changes.
The free rides are dull though, blackberry and tv time.0 -
Just looking at the two test (double 8 min and 20 min) and only the 20min test says it's there to determine your FTP? The 8 min test says it's to determine threshold power/heartrate?
The 20 min test it is then!Ribble Stealth/SRAM Force
2007 Specialized Allez (Double) FCN - 30 -
Threshold power = FTP or "Functional threshold power"CRAIGO5000 wrote:Just looking at the two test (double 8 min and 20 min) and only the 20min test says it's there to determine your FTP? The 8 min test says it's to determine threshold power/heartrate?
The 20 min test it is then!0 -
Just done the test this morning.
One thing it highlighted;
I NEED a fan! I usually sweat on a turbo without a fan, but this test just highlighted that I've not been pushing myself to my full potential. I was literally wringing wet through and drank around 700ml of water by the end of the test. I've never sat on my turbo for more than 35 mins before so kudos to TrainerRoad.com for making turbos fun!
Here is the test (it suggested an FTP of 218)
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/94308
I gave it my all - there was nothing left in the tank. I know my max HR is 195. I've hit that on the road and then boom!
During the test you can see I was working at ~185BPM, which is basically all I the power I could muster knowing that I had to sustain it for 20 mins.
As the graph suggests, I fell down on power after 5mins and I do naturally feel like a sprinter on the road. In order to train better, would this suggest I train in areas of sustained endurance or something else? I was quite please with my HR recovery which had come down to 135BPM within only 2 mins of the test ending.
Basically, how do I now train efficiently given that test data?Ribble Stealth/SRAM Force
2007 Specialized Allez (Double) FCN - 30 -
More turbo virgin questions. When it comes to upping the power output during workouts, what is the best method to ensure optimum results from the training ?. ie. maintain a constant cadence and change to a higher gear, or stay in the same gear and increase cadence, or is it just a combination of both, whatever is the most achievable ?. Reason I ask is that during my recent SRM power test, cadence had to be held at 90 while the resistance increased in stages to produce 30W inceremental increases per interval. 90rpm felt comfortable throughout the test (well until I pegged out towards the end of the last interval) so should I be aiming to maintain this for the TR workouts ?.
Cheers,
Robin0 -
Going on this Reliability http://app.strava.com/rides/26291879 makes training on a turbo and using TR so much more like common sense.. not that cyclists actually have any of it... hence what we do.
The state of me and my bike (that had mudguards) , the foul weather, the filthy mud coated lanes.
For a quiet ride, it was quite eventful in terms of various people not staying upright.... all good in the end though, I think it is called character building.0 -
For all those with questions about cadence and pacing etc .. just get a few rides under your belt, you'll soon get a feel for what works best for you. Just choose whatever lets you put the most Watts out in the time your interval is.
I vary it so that I'm working on my weak points as well as just doing what comes naturally.
Rode Eichorn again .. 3rd time + my 1hr FTP in the last 11 days .. it's definitely getting a little easier, although as the notes say, I slept 10hrs the last 2 night, so I couldn't be better rested.
Rode it at 101% today. I'm considering just upping the workout percentage for the next 4 weeks before I test and then take a weeks holiday.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
SO the cherry has been popped. I did the 20 minute test tonight. FTP worked out at 253, very close to the threshold value of 255 from the lab test, very happy with the result, now the hard work begins.........0
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Roubaixsl3 wrote:SO the cherry has been popped. I did the 20 minute test tonight. FTP worked out at 253, very close to the threshold value of 255 from the lab test, very happy with the result, now the hard work begins.........
Nice work .. link?All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/94692
Found it difficult at first as the default FTP of 200 was too low. Power was gradually increasing over the 20 minutes so the FTP is maybe a little higher than 253 but I'll use this for the first few workouts then see how it feels. Damn this software is good, can't ever see me looking forward to torturing myself without it.0 -
Just back from 3 weeks on holiday in Australia and Singapore, I did plenty of running for the first 2 weeks (nearly bagged a Strava KoM for a hilly run in Queensland despite not really being a runner) and kept the holiday weight gain to 2Kg.
First TR session in nearly a month and I couldn't maintain my output from halfway through the second interval (or perhaps I just need to HTFU
).
I finished the intervals at a steady 250-270, I think I'll revisit some of my previous sessions for the next couple of weeks then re-test and focus from there.
Tallac
Good to see all the TR newbies on the thread.
DW, I was really impressed with your 1 hour FTP session :shock:Nil Points0 -
just signed up for TR, ordered an ANT+ usb stick so will see how it goes, should be pretty awesome for the winter cant wait to try it
sufferfest integration sold it for me!0 -
anyone suggest a good plan to maintain or slightly build fitness over the winter?0
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Im going to start working my way through the intermediate Base plan and then move onto one of the build phases i think. New to it myself though.0
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Roubaixsl3 wrote:http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/94692
Found it difficult at first as the default FTP of 200 was too low. Power was gradually increasing over the 20 minutes so the FTP is maybe a little higher than 253 but I'll use this for the first few workouts then see how it feels. Damn this software is good, can't ever see me looking forward to torturing myself without it.
Yeh, you probably have a bit more in the tank, but it'll make the transition into more consistant indoor training easier it it's slightly low for a couple of workouts. I agree that there's no no way I'd train at this intensity indoors if it wasn't for that little green line.bigdaveskinnytyre wrote:Just back from 3 weeks on holiday in Australia and Singapore, I did plenty of running for the first 2 weeks (nearly bagged a Strava KoM for a hilly run in Queensland despite not really being a runner) and kept the holiday weight gain to 2Kg.
First TR session in nearly a month and I couldn't maintain my output from halfway through the second interval (or perhaps I just need to HTFU ).
I finished the intervals at a steady 250-270, I think I'll revisit some of my previous sessions for the next couple of weeks then re-test and focus from there.
Tallac
Good to see all the TR newbies on the thread.
DW, I was really impressed with your 1 hour FTP session :shock:
Welcome back bigdave, hope the holiday was refreshing! Good idea to revisit the same workouts, so you know exactly where you stand as far as getting back up to speed. And Re: the 1hr FTP .. the trauma is still to fresh in my mind to even contemplate trying again anytime soon!All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
badly_dubbed wrote:anyone suggest a good plan to maintain or slightly build fitness over the winter?
I'm not ignoring posts about plans .. but since I don't follow one it's probably best I don't guess. I'll just be doing Eichorn or similar 2-3 times a week. I'm sure you'll get some good feedback though.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
Signed up to TR yesterday and did the 20min test tonight.
I can see im going to be in a lot of pain over the coming weeks lol.
FTP 332, thought i was going to pass out :-/
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/950510 -
I will be trying it tomorrow when my USB stick arrives, how easy is it to stay within the powerzone?
some graphs i see are very erratic but yours looks to follow the plan fairly smoothly....0 -
I didn't find it to bad i think trying to be smooth is the key, just don't jump on the pedals when the intervals pop up or it sends your watts into orbit.
But i'm new to this so i'm probably talking rubbish.0 -
ExigeR wrote:Signed up to TR yesterday and did the 20min test tonight.
I can see im going to be in a lot of pain over the coming weeks lol.
FTP 332, thought i was going to pass out :-/
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/95051
Good grief man, if those figures are genuine what are you wasting time on a forum for?0 -
JGSI wrote:ExigeR wrote:Signed up to TR yesterday and did the 20min test tonight.
I can see im going to be in a lot of pain over the coming weeks lol.
FTP 332, thought i was going to pass out :-/
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/95051
Good grief man, if those figures are genuine what are you wasting time on a forum for?
At 140lbs! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ..All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
I guess they are genuine, well i didn't fiddle the numbers ;-)
Yes i'm a 40 year old light weight lol0 -
Evening all. Just caught up with all of this thread(quite a few pages to read). I've ordered my ant+ stick today.
What has convinced me is the ability to create my own workouts, I've just had a weeks holiday and spent quite a bit of time trying to understand the more complicated parts of the coggan and allen book(not long bought a powertap).
Anyhoo i guess i've convinced myself i'm capable of writing my own training plan now(it'll end in tears) and not wanting too much intensity at this time, this new development has clinched it for me.
Unfortunately i've done ftp tests on the road and my power is feeble. Will post when the goodies arrive.Well done to everyone for all the hard work. DW + TMHNET - Nate should be paying you 2 some commission. 8)Death or Glory- Just another Story0 -
just seen this..dw300 wrote:JGSI wrote:ExigeR wrote:Signed up to TR yesterday and did the 20min test tonight.
I can see im going to be in a lot of pain over the coming weeks lol.
FTP 332, thought i was going to pass out :-/
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/95051
Good grief man, if those figures are genuine what are you wasting time on a forum for?
At 140lbs! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ..
I was soooo hoping you weighed at least 140 KG. Damn.Death or Glory- Just another Story0
