VO2 Easy but FTP Hurts
Hi Team
16 weeks into the OS and am starting to notice a trend in my bike workouts. I find the VO2 sessions to be much easier then the FTP sessions, especially the 2 x 20' days. During my VO2 work I can go up to 130-140% (290-300w) of my FTP (215w) and complete the main sets with a lot less difficulty versus the FTP sets. I started to think this was odd when my Normalized Power 45 minutes into my Saturday VO2 session was higher then my current FTP.
So my question is should I replace my VO2 sessions with FTP sessions to raise my ceiling?
Quick background...I am doing these workouts indoors on a trainer in my Pain Corner (the price per square foot of caves in Manhattan are ridiculous), started biking about 11 months ago, and this will be my second season of tri's. My buddy mentioned that a fan might help. Not sure if this would make a significant difference though.
Comments
1. Everybody has a different power profile. Some of us are better at shorter bursts of intense effort, others excel at longer, "easier" work. I guess it has to do with athletic background as a teen/young adult, genetics, and mental inclination.
2. Fan: YES! THis might be the cause. Over 2.5 minutes, your core temperature may not be building up to a critical level, and the equal length "rest" period allows for temperature recovery. Sustained FTP level effort migth be raising your core temperature enough to degrade your performance,even after as short a time as 10-15 minutes. Also, HYDRATION would help.
3. Mayvbe you need a new FTP? Especially if you are new to bike interval training and/or power metrics, marked increases quickly are possible. And/or a reflectgion of the learning curve in how to test.
As to your question: if a new test and a fan don't help, then maybe a query to the coaches is in line. My uninformed thought is to stick with the OS plan unless otherwise told.
Sounds to me that you're FTP may not be correct and, yes, get a fan. Insane to ride a bike indoors without a fan!