spessx

Edited to protect the innocent:

What has been your percentage increase in FTP since you started training with power?

How long have you been training with power?

-s

merlinextraligh

Stating power numbers in public is a fool's errand. Nothing good comes of it. One of the Pro racers who does a column in Velonews had an hillarious flow chart on this.

Basically whatever you claim for your FTP, works out you're either weak, fat, or tactically stupid.

Perhaps you should ask the question as, what percantage improvements did you see in FTP, over what time frame.

Otherwise it will be an e-wang contest.

kensuf

That pro is a friend of mine. Funny story about that guy, two years ago we were doing a bit of the eWang stuff and his threshold power at the time was around what I was targeting for my 3' intervals. Now, his threshold has gone up quite a bit, and mine has too, but his threshold is still around what I target for my 3' intervals. It's just an arms race. (Phil's also about 20# lighter than me)

Here's the diagram:



In answer to the OP's question though, my threshold's gone up about 30% in the past three years of training with power. I've only owned a power meter for about 20 months though, and was using a computrainer before hand.

spessx

Haha - that's hilarious. I'm revising the question to percentage.

echappist

Exactly. Think about it, your power profile tells you your strengths and weaknesses. If you disclose it, your opponent will know it, too. Giving it away is akin to revealing the recipe of Coca Cola.

Another pro rider had a similar response when asked about his FTP, to which he replied: higher than yours.

merlinextraligh

The percentage survey, however, might be helpful to give people and idea of the range of possibilities.


So to anser the percentage question, my FTP has increased about 45% in 6 years of training with power.

Couple of caveots though: 1) I think the original lab test I'm basing that off of was somewhat low ( and therefore exaggerating the improvement), and

2) when I started training with power, was the same time I started actually training again, as oppossed to just riding recreationally.

Grumpy McTrumpy

started in 08. increase has been around 30% since then.

Psimet2001 

I love how ftp becomes a wissing contest. At the training center that I run it is kind of interesting to see how people react...

....ftp is a training tool/concept. You can't win a race with your ftp number - you win it by racing. ftp in a vacuum is a worthless number.

It is when you truly understand this concept that you can actually begin to use power numbers to help you train, and train in the right way in my opinion.

The thing is no matter how much you explain this concept to riders they are still lulled into the e-Wang length contest. This is where I make them hurt:

I set them up on an ftp test first thing. They still believe this is some sort of measure of how good they are as an athlete. They bury themselves. I yell at them and get the most out of every second of the test. They reflect on their numbers afterwards and go off to post it somewhere online I am sure.....

.....then I input that number into the training file that the computrainer uses. Then I make them workout using that number as the baseline. It's then that you see everyone's inner wimp come out. "this is too hard!" - "no it's not. Your load is based on your actual test results just like everyone else and everyone else is doing the workout. You're just mentally weak."

...Then I chuckle inside - knowing that their workout IS hard and that they are getting a good benefit as a result. Making rider's ego's work for them in the long run.

Watching a non-licensed triathlete from my classes destroy cat 2 and 3 animals I have raced or watched race for years is just the icing on the cake.

Psimet2001 

FWIW - I have seen gains in myself along the 15%-20% range from time to time, but like all training it is an induced effect. If you don't maintain you can go backwards. It is therefore mor important for me to use the numbers as a measure of where I am currently along my continuum of ability.

aham23

hey PSIMET, why do you hate me?



doesnt friel or coggan or some other uber famous coach dude state it takes 7 years to realize one's potential as a cyclist? later.

mattm

I'll tell any of my competitors my exact numbers, and in fact I do (post them on the blog).. they can glean my power profile from racing with me anyway.

If someone can beat you just because they know your power numbers, they're stronger than you anyway.

I'm not saying we should all whip out our FTPs, just that it doesn't have to be a big secret either like Co'Cola's recipe.

Psimet2001 

So I was f'd like 13-15 years ago?

Ygduf

saw about 10% jump in the first 6 months. steady-ish since. Only had a powermeter for 9 months.

SalsaPodio

Training with power for 2 months and have seen a 7% increase. Granted my first test was after ~2 months of riding sporadically. I'll probably have a better picture of how it helps later in the season.

That being said, I think that it's one of the best (if not the best) cycling purchase I've made.

calamarichris

13% since January of 2010.
But my enjoyment of the challenge and the process has increased several hundred percent since then.
In fact, I never really thought of it as a process until getting the meter.

Ygduf

qft. For me the feedback alone is enough to push me harder than I would without. That extra top-end effort is where gains are made.

efficiency

Last season was my first full season using a power meter. I had a 10% increase.

I look at power numbers like poker hands. Volunteering the information is like always showing your hole cards even when you don't get called. Somebody could figure out the hands that you play by observation, but you should force them to pay for the information by only showing your cards when you have to.

shovelhd

I have only had it since late December so no percentages yet.

It has made indoor training much more tolerable. Doing intervals using power makes the time go by faster.

saratoga

In the neighborhood of 25% since the end of 2007. But I have since also learned how to take the 20min test so as not to crap out in the first 10min which may have overstated my gains.

It's a tool best used to judge yourself against yourself, not everyone else.

carpediemracing 

There's two reasons FTP goes up or down - testing skills and actual gains/losses.

As an example, my SAT scores went up a LOT after I took a prep course. Did I know more? Maybe. But probably more importantly I learned how to optimize my thinking for that particular test.

My FTP went up 25% or so in testing, then back down about 20%. Have I been better? Probably. But my first tests' comments were strewn with comments like "sat up for 30 seconds" or "gave up at 10 min but then kept going" or whatever. I've learned a bit more about continuing my efforts.

I think my 20% LOSS is very real because I know how to test and all that. I just can't go as hard as I could in the last couple years.

cdr

GirlAnachronism

+ a million. I actually enjoy the trainer these days because I can nail my workouts so precisely. Best bike purchase I've ever made.

gbot

I sucked before, and I suck now. Guess I'll keep training.

caloso

I've had mine for about a month. In a way it's been frustrating because I know that I'm not as fit as I was at the end of last season, but I can guess where I was based on the numbers I'm seeing now. I'm also due for another 20 min. test, and then I'll have some idea what gains I've made.

I'm still not enjoying trainer workouts, though.

shovelhd

Some of them I nail, some of them I fail. And so it goes.

Ygduf

If you have a garmin, add the KJ field to your screen for trainer time. At least you can see the calories tick by.