Week 8 FTP - 221 (only thing was I was short on time today so only did a warmup and FTP set, no VO2 set, so not positive if/how that would have impacted the 20' test.
Looks like all the above comments are solid gains as well! keep up the great work EN. Over 1/2 way through the OS.
Test # 1 - Oct 28th - Week 1 5 min VOmax = 282W AP / 279W NP 20 min FTP : 208W AP / 207W NP x 95% => FTP=196W
Test # 2 - Dec 16th - Week 8 5 min VOmax = 283W AP / 279W NP - BASICALLY NO CHANGE 20 min FTP : 245W AP / 244W NP x 95% => FTP=231W ! A 18% INCREASE !!!
Also now VOmax/FTP = 1.22, makes a lot more sense My Week 1 test also had been only a week after Columbus Marathon
In terms of what I did ... no bike workouts missed, only accommodated turkey run, always targeted 1.08/1.1 in FTP workouts as I knew that I had not done my best in the week 1 test...but I did not expect to go up this much
WORK WORKS ! KEEP IT UP EVERYONE !, now scared of the intervals that are coming during the rest of the OS...
Numbers: Wk.1 Vo2 280 today 315. Wk.1 FTP 234 Today 265. The next few weeks are going to hurt.
@Kim. I usually do all of my workouts @ 100% +/- a few watts. Try not to be an overachiever on every workout, that just leads to fatigue & burnout. Way too early in the season for that.
@Ray: Foo Fighters for me. Judas Priest is good choice, I could probably squeeze out a few more watts listening to them.
Wow that was an all out effort, hardest trainer ride I've ever done. Pushed 100%, calves cramping after ride and couldn't get off the trainer for 5+ minutes, so just sat there listening to more music. I made sure trainer was set up the same- same tire, same number of turns on the kurt kinetic, same tire pressure, etc, so results would be comparable.
test is done and steady increase throughout the test which is good. my method is not scientifc, but I try to start somewhere between my workout FTP and the tested ave power for the 20' and then once i hit the 15 minute mark, i start to push with my head down, but a glance at the screen every 30"-1' just to make sure I'm over the top of my last tested 20' power by 5-10 watts. Once the clock hits 10-11 minutes left, then i just put my head down and refuse to look until after the 2nd song is finished on the ipod, which typically leaves me with about 1-2 minutes left....a quick glance and then head down again.
5' power increase was 18 watts 20' power increase was 12 watts
Good work everyone---and by that I mean the actual test, not necessarily an increase or decrease, but just getting through the workout. Half way done with the OS!!
Inspiring gains from everyone. Keep up the hard work. I'll be re-testing after this morning's fail. I pushed hard through the test but forgot to clear out some old data from my harming so the final numbers were a mess. On the bright side, I know I can push a bit harder when I re-test later this week -- lucky me!
@Jan - the speed numbers are unreliable as far as I know, because it depends on tire pressure and wheel mounting tension in the trainer.
I haven't read all the reports yet but I will.
My test was the first one with actual power data so I cannot compare to my Week 1 results using power. One thing is apparent though, I am less leg limited than before. Last test my average HR for the 20' segment was 131bpm. This time it was 143. This is still much lower than my run test of 167bpm, but is going in the right direction.
The results were :
VO2 NP - 236W (I went too hard at the beginning of this one. I used the big chainring with a lower cadence, that may have been a mistake)
Threshold NP - 179W (Paced quite well. Small chainring with higher cadence)
for comparison, here are my 2012 Results: Week 1 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 290W, FTP 20' (AP) = 215W Week 8 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 300W, FTP 20' (AP) = 230W
Testing notes: could have pushed a tad bit harder on the VO2 section, but ended up with a solid ratio of 1.19 (VO2/FTP), so fine with that effort. was able to increase the wattage throughout each section of the test and was completely toast by the end of the 20' FTP interval. really happy to be ahead of my 2012 pace after a poor Wk1 test this year.
OS training notes: came into the OS undertrained on bike intensity and it showed in a weak bike test (worse than 2012 OS Wk1 test); only missed 1 bike wko (due to illness); missed a handful of shorter (Tues, Sat) runs and have generally emphasized the bike wkos over runs. Even though I felt like my FTP was higher than the Wk1 test implied, I stuck to the tested numbers and didn't overachieve. I also went with 1.2x FTP for my VO2 intervals (vs. the higher amount implied by the VO2 section of my first test) and started fueling each wko w/ Perform after Coach P's post on nutrition a few weeks back. Going to try out the bike focus for Weeks 9-13.
now, let's hope the Lions can hold on and make the playoffs!
I am pretty happy with my results from testing this week. Despite work and travel I have been able to be pretty consistent with my training and have been getting to do nearly all of the workouts.
So this is about a 5% bump which feels pretty good. I have never really been able to get the VO2 max interval to work out in my favor for testing. I usually just adjust based on 120% of my new FTP and go with it for the next several weeks. I am surprised that my overall HR for the testing session was less, I really felt like I was pushing the watts at the end, but I guess overall I am in better shape from all of the work I have put in training so far.
Here is a screen shot of the FTP interval. I basically started at 103-105% of my previous FTP and then increased by around 5% every 5 minutes based on feel. I was still feeling good towards the end (had reached 120%) so just kept going up until I hit 20 minutes. I'll keep pushing and see where I can get in the next 6 weeks. Now for a day of rest and to see what I can get together for my run test. Keep up the good work everyone!
Great job with the tests and posting the details. Very motivating mojo being shared with everyone!
Now, to keep it real for those not testing this week due to whatever reason, more R cubed (Roy's Road to Recovery): After getting very large eyes from reading everyone's testing posts, I got an inkling to actually try to bit more intensity (defined during warm-up as 2x15 at FTP). Once I started the first interval, my body took over and said, "Wait a second dude, I'm still in recovery mode!" so it turned into 2x10 @ 0.98 and 0.96. Definitely felt hard so I know I need to be patient with the return to full throttle . Steady on!
Whatever you've got going for you this week, good luck and get after it!
I think, after 4 years, I've finally nailed the testing. I entered the OS with FTP 250W on an outdoor test, and committed, once again, that this year was the year of the bike. Except this year I am sticking to it.
The VO2 test was a little tentative - 305W; 20 min test 279w, for lifetime high FTP of 265W. Although the usual sputtering and gagging emerged around the 17 min mark, I can't help to believe that there is way more in there.
Suffice it to say that the next few weeks are going to hurt.
Decided to test...I chose to do my 20min test to Sufferfest Rubber Glove...feel pretty good about the results NP for the20min testwas 225 v 213 in my opening test..so FTP jumps from 203 to 212...thats 1 pt. higher than my seasing ending FTP...and the 225 for the test was as good as any Oly or Sprint race metric I had from last season...(best was 220np for season ending sprint)...so I guess I'm pretty pleased were I'm at so far this season....oh yeah and my HR for the test dropped to 157 v 162 for the first test...another good sign.
Yesterday at 5 AM I started my test, this is the first year that I have access to power, and the first test in this OS was flawed. So this is going to be my base line. Based on some of the things I have read in the WIKI, I need to work on my Vo2 since my Vo2/FTP is only 1.09.
Went into the test week with limited wko's last week, business trip to Las Vegas, too little sleep, too much imbibing. Stayed at the Paris, which has the crappiest work out room.
So here is my new baseline: Vo2: 5 min. NP 290 avg hr. 163 FTP: 20 min. NP 262 avg hr. 161
I was unable to get my hr high enough for the Vo2 test, maybe I need to do a longer warm-up.
I may do this test again tomorrow instead of the run test since I am in run jail caused by a rolled ankle 3 weeks ago.
This OS does work, I am starting to feel stronger and faster.
Neils..Good work!...just IMHO..I would not retest...you've already finevtuned from where you were...your making progress and things are working...testing again this week to fine tune further won't improve that situation greatly...if you're concerned about your VO2 number...make a mental note of what 1.2 of FTP is and over the next couple of VO2 workouts...try to work at a level between your current tested number 1.09 and the 1.2...and see how it feels...
So, I think my test would fall into the "Mediocre" category, possible even the "Bad" one. My biggest problem came from failing to follow this wise advice:
"Set a realistic goal, start at a manageable effort and build into it. Don't be a hero for the first 5 minutes of your test and then slowly watch your power/heart rate/RPE die off."
After reading everyone's results I was so motivated/inspired/maybe even a little jealous.. that I went all out in the first half (i.e. first 2.5 minutes) of the VO2 max test and burned out my legs for the rest of the rest. Overall result: increased my VO2max by a measly 1 watt, and decreased my FTP by 2 watts. I'm disappointed but not discouraged. Chalking it up to a lesson learned, and hoping for better results next time!
I had every intention of doing my test after work yesterday but throughout the afternoon I started feeling sick. I got home and even got changed into bike clothes but quickly realized there was no way I'd be on my game so I called it. Fortunately I'm feeling better today and was able to knock out a pretty good test this morning. Here's my results compared with the Week 1 results (for the 20' set only):
After my Half-Marathon on Saturday (Set a PR!!!) and skiing in the powder on Sunday I took Monday off. I did my test today. Before I did it I read everyones posts and I was inspired. Great to see so many people improve. Thank you for posting. Here are my results.
VO2 Week 1: 261 Week 8: 269
FTP Week 1: 206 Week 8: 217
Weight Week 1: 162
Weight Week 8: 158
I just noticed, I broke the 3.0 barrier! FTP/KG of 3.01!
How did I get here? Through week 6 I have not missed any workouts. I have not missed any intervals. When an interval calls for 1.0 I use that as the minimum. My FTP was 206 so I would try to be slightly above it, 210. If I slipped down to 206 I pushed a little harder. All of my runs I did the same thing. If I was supposed to be at 8:02/mile pace I would be between 7:50 and 8:00. I pushed harder on each run. I also made sure that all of my runs had some hills in them. For week 7 I modified my training since I had a Half-Marathon. I followed the schedule Coach P suggested in the Micro Forum and the pacing from the Half Marathon execution. Resulting in a new PR by 4 minutes.
Now the hard part, working with these new numbers.
It's a late posting from Monday's test due to early Christmas celebrations, but it's a good one. I did the test ready to suffer and it worked. I suffered, even to the point of the "where did that drool come from" moment. I was stronger in this test. The training definitely worked, but learning how to pace better for the test could be a factor too. My 20 minute power increased by 29 watts and my five minute test was up by 39 watts. This being my first power training, I am really enjoying being able to measure progress in a more meaningful way. I am more motivated for Part II of the OS!
*No numbers as I am convinced my trainer wattage is probably high and I can see progress over time.
Bike test restart tonite, did not go well Monday. Was able to complete it this evening with a small manageable bump by 5 pts. I see tougher workouts in the near future !
I did my first OS test outside so it is hard to compare with the trainer test that I did yesterday.
I took a while to get set up with Trainer Road but I have been training on there for about 6 weeks now. I don't have power yet so I have been using the "virtual power" of trainer road to have numbers to follow. For the first two weeks of the OS, I used the Trainer Road default FTP of 200. Near the end of November, I figured out that I should have done the trainer road test to set the FTP. I did that and it bumped my virtual FTP to 213. When I did the OS 20 minute test on yesterday, I got
VO2 Normalized Power of 261 with Av. Heart Rate of 125 and a Watt/Kg of 2.76
Threshold Normalized power 217 with Av Ht Rate of 127 and a Watt/Kg of 2.29
The test feel good although I went out a little hard on the 5 min test and had to back off a bit, I still finished above my goal and I increased over the 20 min test and finished strong.
I have no idea if these numbers bear any relation to real power numbers but they appear to be reproducible and so I am using them till I get a power meter. Overall, good information and steady progress. Now I get to recalculate my bike HR zones for use when I am on the real road .
I came into the OS after essentially taking a year + off and I was untrained on the bike. The initial test killed me! I started using TrainerRoad along with my CompuTrainer two weeks ago and the sessions have become even more productive.
Test 1: Vo2 = 300 FTP = 250 Test 2: Vo2 = 373 FTP = 290
Post test: lying on the floor, room spinning, feel like I'm goona puke... Pretty much like college! Hardest bike WO I've ever done - pushed through and added 6W to FTP and a new all-time high. I'm psyched. The OS really does help you re-define "hard." We'll be the most mentally tough bunch out there on race day.
Comments
Had a great bike test today!
Week 1 FTP - 201
Week 8 FTP - 221 (only thing was I was short on time today so only did a warmup and FTP set, no VO2 set, so not positive if/how that would have impacted the 20' test.
Looks like all the above comments are solid gains as well! keep up the great work EN. Over 1/2 way through the OS.
Test # 1 - Oct 28th - Week 1
5 min VOmax = 282W AP / 279W NP
20 min FTP : 208W AP / 207W NP x 95% => FTP=196W
Test # 2 - Dec 16th - Week 8
5 min VOmax = 283W AP / 279W NP - BASICALLY NO CHANGE
20 min FTP : 245W AP / 244W NP x 95% => FTP=231W ! A 18% INCREASE !!!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/416600094
Also now VOmax/FTP = 1.22, makes a lot more sense
My Week 1 test also had been only a week after Columbus Marathon
In terms of what I did ... no bike workouts missed, only accommodated turkey run, always targeted 1.08/1.1 in FTP workouts as I knew that I had not done my best in the week 1 test...but I did not expect to go up this much
WORK WORKS ! KEEP IT UP EVERYONE !, now scared of the intervals that are coming during the rest of the OS...
Test 2: 40 min, HR 137 bpm, 18.01 mi (27.0 mph)
I felt much stronger this time. Had some left in the tank when I finished up. However, that did not transfer to the afternoon run!
Looking forward to the Run Test!
Good test for me today.
Numbers: Wk.1 Vo2 280 today 315. Wk.1 FTP 234 Today 265.
The next few weeks are going to hurt.
@Kim. I usually do all of my workouts @ 100% +/- a few watts. Try not to be an overachiever on every workout, that just leads to fatigue & burnout. Way too early in the season for that.
@Ray: Foo Fighters for me. Judas Priest is good choice, I could probably squeeze out a few more watts listening to them.
Results:
Week 1 OS test: VO2max 5' (NP): 269W, FTP 20' (NP): 231Wx0.95 = 219W
Week 8 OS test: VO2max 5' (NP): 318W, FTP 20' (NP): 259Wx0.95 = 246W
VO2max increase: 18% FTP increase: 12%
Very happy!
5' power increase was 18 watts
20' power increase was 12 watts
Good work everyone---and by that I mean the actual test, not necessarily an increase or decrease, but just getting through the workout. Half way done with the OS!!
@Jan - the speed numbers are unreliable as far as I know, because it depends on tire pressure and wheel mounting tension in the trainer.
I haven't read all the reports yet but I will.
My test was the first one with actual power data so I cannot compare to my Week 1 results using power. One thing is apparent though, I am less leg limited than before. Last test my average HR for the 20' segment was 131bpm. This time it was 143. This is still much lower than my run test of 167bpm, but is going in the right direction.
The results were :
VO2 NP - 236W (I went too hard at the beginning of this one. I used the big chainring with a lower cadence, that may have been a mistake)
Threshold NP - 179W (Paced quite well. Small chainring with higher cadence)
New FTP = 170W
Going to borrow John's format for reporting my test results (thx John, and great test):
2013 Results:
Week 1 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 262W, FTP 20' (AP): 213Wx0.95 = 202W
Week 8 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 288W, FTP 20' (AP): 255Wx0.95 = 242W
VO2max increase: 10%; FTP increase: 20%
for comparison, here are my 2012 Results:
Week 1 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 290W, FTP 20' (AP) = 215W
Week 8 OS test: VO2max 5' (AP): 300W, FTP 20' (AP) = 230W
Testing notes: could have pushed a tad bit harder on the VO2 section, but ended up with a solid ratio of 1.19 (VO2/FTP), so fine with that effort. was able to increase the wattage throughout each section of the test and was completely toast by the end of the 20' FTP interval. really happy to be ahead of my 2012 pace after a poor Wk1 test this year.
OS training notes:
came into the OS undertrained on bike intensity and it showed in a weak bike test (worse than 2012 OS Wk1 test); only missed 1 bike wko (due to illness); missed a handful of shorter (Tues, Sat) runs and have generally emphasized the bike wkos over runs. Even though I felt like my FTP was higher than the Wk1 test implied, I stuck to the tested numbers and didn't overachieve. I also went with 1.2x FTP for my VO2 intervals (vs. the higher amount implied by the VO2 section of my first test) and started fueling each wko w/ Perform after Coach P's post on nutrition a few weeks back. Going to try out the bike focus for Weeks 9-13.
now, let's hope the Lions can hold on and make the playoffs!
I am pretty happy with my results from testing this week. Despite work and travel I have been able to be pretty consistent with my training and have been getting to do nearly all of the workouts.
Here are the numbers:
Wk 1 : VO2 257 20 Min NP 227 HR 158 FTP 216 wt 65kg Wt/Kg = 3.32
Wk 8 : VO2 257 20 Min NP 240 HR 155 FTP 228 wt 65kg Wt/Kg = 3.5
So this is about a 5% bump which feels pretty good. I have never really been able to get the VO2 max interval to work out in my favor for testing. I usually just adjust based on 120% of my new FTP and go with it for the next several weeks. I am surprised that my overall HR for the testing session was less, I really felt like I was pushing the watts at the end, but I guess overall I am in better shape from all of the work I have put in training so far.
Here is a screen shot of the FTP interval. I basically started at 103-105% of my previous FTP and then increased by around 5% every 5 minutes based on feel. I was still feeling good towards the end (had reached 120%) so just kept going up until I hit 20 minutes. I'll keep pushing and see where I can get in the next 6 weeks. Now for a day of rest and to see what I can get together for my run test. Keep up the good work everyone!
Now, to keep it real for those not testing this week due to whatever reason, more R cubed (Roy's Road to Recovery): After getting very large eyes from reading everyone's testing posts, I got an inkling to actually try to bit more intensity (defined during warm-up as 2x15 at FTP). Once I started the first interval, my body took over and said, "Wait a second dude, I'm still in recovery mode!" so it turned into 2x10 @ 0.98 and 0.96. Definitely felt hard so I know I need to be patient with the return to full throttle . Steady on!
Whatever you've got going for you this week, good luck and get after it!
Nice work everybody!
I think, after 4 years, I've finally nailed the testing. I entered the OS with FTP 250W on an outdoor test, and committed, once again, that this year was the year of the bike. Except this year I am sticking to it.
The VO2 test was a little tentative - 305W; 20 min test 279w, for lifetime high FTP of 265W. Although the usual sputtering and gagging emerged around the 17 min mark, I can't help to believe that there is way more in there.
Suffice it to say that the next few weeks are going to hurt.
Decided to test...I chose to do my 20min test to Sufferfest Rubber Glove...feel pretty good about the results NP for the20min testwas 225 v 213 in my opening test..so FTP jumps from 203 to 212...thats 1 pt. higher than my seasing ending FTP...and the 225 for the test was as good as any Oly or Sprint race metric I had from last season...(best was 220np for season ending sprint)...so I guess I'm pretty pleased were I'm at so far this season....oh yeah and my HR for the test dropped to 157 v 162 for the first test...another good sign.
Went into the test week with limited wko's last week, business trip to Las Vegas, too little sleep, too much imbibing. Stayed at the Paris, which has the crappiest work out room.
So here is my new baseline:
Vo2: 5 min. NP 290 avg hr. 163
FTP: 20 min. NP 262 avg hr. 161
I was unable to get my hr high enough for the Vo2 test, maybe I need to do a longer warm-up.
I may do this test again tomorrow instead of the run test since I am in run jail caused by a rolled ankle 3 weeks ago.
This OS does work, I am starting to feel stronger and faster.
Neils..Good work!...just IMHO..I would not retest...you've already finevtuned from where you were...your making progress and things are working...testing again this week to fine tune further won't improve that situation greatly...if you're concerned about your VO2 number...make a mental note of what 1.2 of FTP is and over the next couple of VO2 workouts...try to work at a level between your current tested number 1.09 and the 1.2...and see how it feels...
So, I think my test would fall into the "Mediocre" category, possible even the "Bad" one. My biggest problem came from failing to follow this wise advice:
"Set a realistic goal, start at a manageable effort and build into it. Don't be a hero for the first 5 minutes of your test and then slowly watch your power/heart rate/RPE die off."
After reading everyone's results I was so motivated/inspired/maybe even a little jealous.. that I went all out in the first half (i.e. first 2.5 minutes) of the VO2 max test and burned out my legs for the rest of the rest. Overall result: increased my VO2max by a measly 1 watt, and decreased my FTP by 2 watts. I'm disappointed but not discouraged. Chalking it up to a lesson learned, and hoping for better results next time!
I had every intention of doing my test after work yesterday but throughout the afternoon I started feeling sick. I got home and even got changed into bike clothes but quickly realized there was no way I'd be on my game so I called it. Fortunately I'm feeling better today and was able to knock out a pretty good test this morning. Here's my results compared with the Week 1 results (for the 20' set only):
Week 1 Week 8
Distance 8.44 mi 8.66 mi
Avg MPH 25.3 26.0
Avg HR 164 162
20' NP 319 334 (+ 5%)
FTP 303 317 (+ 5%)
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/...min-20-min
After my Half-Marathon on Saturday (Set a PR!!!) and skiing in the powder on Sunday I took Monday off. I did my test today. Before I did it I read everyones posts and I was inspired. Great to see so many people improve. Thank you for posting. Here are my results.
VO2 Week 1: 261 Week 8: 269
FTP Week 1: 206 Week 8: 217
Weight Week 1: 162
Weight Week 8: 158
I just noticed, I broke the 3.0 barrier! FTP/KG of 3.01!
How did I get here? Through week 6 I have not missed any workouts. I have not missed any intervals. When an interval calls for 1.0 I use that as the minimum. My FTP was 206 so I would try to be slightly above it, 210. If I slipped down to 206 I pushed a little harder. All of my runs I did the same thing. If I was supposed to be at 8:02/mile pace I would be between 7:50 and 8:00. I pushed harder on each run. I also made sure that all of my runs had some hills in them. For week 7 I modified my training since I had a Half-Marathon. I followed the schedule Coach P suggested in the Micro Forum and the pacing from the Half Marathon execution. Resulting in a new PR by 4 minutes.
Now the hard part, working with these new numbers.
*No numbers as I am convinced my trainer wattage is probably high and I can see progress over time.
Bike test restart tonite, did not go well Monday. Was able to complete it this evening with a small manageable bump by 5 pts. I see tougher workouts in the near future !
I did my first OS test outside so it is hard to compare with the trainer test that I did yesterday.
I took a while to get set up with Trainer Road but I have been training on there for about 6 weeks now. I don't have power yet so I have been using the "virtual power" of trainer road to have numbers to follow. For the first two weeks of the OS, I used the Trainer Road default FTP of 200. Near the end of November, I figured out that I should have done the trainer road test to set the FTP. I did that and it bumped my virtual FTP to 213. When I did the OS 20 minute test on yesterday, I got
VO2 Normalized Power of 261 with Av. Heart Rate of 125 and a Watt/Kg of 2.76
Threshold Normalized power 217 with Av Ht Rate of 127 and a Watt/Kg of 2.29
The test feel good although I went out a little hard on the 5 min test and had to back off a bit, I still finished above my goal and I increased over the 20 min test and finished strong.
I have no idea if these numbers bear any relation to real power numbers but they appear to be reproducible and so I am using them till I get a power meter. Overall, good information and steady progress. Now I get to recalculate my bike HR zones for use when I am on the real road
Going to the store to get my team kit. Woo Hoo!
Test 1: Vo2 = 300 FTP = 250
Test 2: Vo2 = 373 FTP = 290
Time to rejoin the 300 club!
Complete Suck-O-Rama. Set up target FTP too high, couldn't hit it, no matter how I mashed the gears.
<--- Loser Horn <img alt="" src="http://members.endurancenation.us/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/cry.gif" />