How do I manage indoor AND outdoor FTP/zones in TP?

vickaiser

I have tested indoor, on the Kickr trainer and outdoor and have two very different FTP #'s, therefore 2 very different training zones.  Does anyone know how to manage those two in Training Peaks so that i can track Time in Zones and other stuff?

stephanb

I looking forward to how people respond to this. I certainly am not any kind of expert and shouldn't even offer my thoughts.  I basically saw a bump in my outside FTP of 10 watts, but I feel like I would have seen that on the trainer too.  I guess technically watts are watts and there shouldn't be much of a change, but I've  read that many people tend to have slightly higher numbers outside.  For me, I just use whatever test I did last and plug that into Training peaks, Strava  and my Garmin and use it indoors or outdoors.

Al Truscott

Yeah, same problem ...on Kickr, 237, 20 lower outdoors on TT. I just reset the FTP whenever I switch venues or bikes, or change my FTP for any other reason. A PITA this time of year, but it only takes 30s, and should only affect that day's and any future rides, not past ones. Sometimes I change the recording head unit (Garmin or joule), but that's not necessary, as TP reads from the actual power level, not from the head unit's FTP.

Dino Sarti

What Al said. You can only have 1 FTP in TP.

Coach Rich

Posted By Victor Kaiser on 20 Apr 2015 10:25 AM

I have tested indoor, on the Kickr trainer and outdoor and have two very different FTP #'s, therefore 2 very different training zones.  Does anyone know how to manage those two in Training Peaks so that i can track Time in Zones and other stuff?

Do you plan on doing most of your training indoors or outdoors? Is this a temporary thing, ie, by the end of April you'll be outside all of the time? 

The only solution I know of is like what Al said, changing your FTP from ride to ride. Al, can you confirm that when you make a change TP only applies that change the ride you do that day and to all future rides, until you change your FTP again? Intuitively it makes sense that TP would do it this way, otherwise alllllll of your historical data would be changed every time you bumped your FTP but...just checking I guess. 

Al Truscott

I use the PC version of WKO+. No experience with online TP, so can't speak to that. On WKO+, in the upper right of Athlete view there is a box with a date ticker. Whatever date is set there, the FTP will apply on and after that day, until it is changed. Setting the date is necessary, but not sufficient; you have to then "Set Power Zones" or something like that in a drop down in that box. You can even go back in time and change FTPs in the past, and the program will recalculate PMC metrics. I once spent a rainy afternoon doing just that, trying to fine tune my FTP for altitude, and can indeed confirm how it works.

I assume online TP, at least premium version, has the same feature?

vickaiser

Posted By Coach Rich on 20 Apr 2015 06:23 PM 

Do you plan on doing most of your training indoors or outdoors? Is this a temporary thing, ie, by the end of April you'll be outside all of the time? 

The only solution I know of is like what Al said, changing your FTP from ride to ride. Al, can you confirm that when you make a change TP only applies that change the ride you do that day and to all future rides, until you change your FTP again? Intuitively it makes sense that TP would do it this way, otherwise alllllll of your historical data would be changed every time you bumped your FTP but...just checking I guess. 

Most of my riding is outside so I'll set TP up with that FTP.  I guess for trainer rides, I'll change my FTP to indoor before the ride, let all that automagical upload to Garmin connect -> TP -> Strava all update.  Then just remember to switch back to outdoor before next ride.  I'll likely only adjust TP and not Strava or Garmin Connect as TP is my main tool (for now) for analysis.  Guess that will screw with my suffer score and stuff in Strava.  I won't be getting credit I deserve.   I'm steady approaching that point where some if this is not worth the effort.  Fortunately, it's still fun and I have time to mess with this.  I can forsee though in my future wanting to take a more minimalist approach.  Maybe WKO4 will be my answer in the future.