Four 8-Minute Effort Blocks — DOMESTIQUE
WOnderful losers
1) So, what happens after the FTP test? The smart cyclist uses watts while training to understand what dictates a hard effort. Armed with your FTP, you can map out your power training zones (see below). Consider tracking your FTP over time as you build up to a significant goal — half-marathon, big hike, 50-mile bike ride (see Lydiard’s Pyramid as one example on building up to a peak/goal).
Zone 1 – Active Recovery – Less than 55% of FTP
Zone 2 – Endurance – 55% to 74% of FTP
Zone 3 – Tempo – 75% to 89% of FTP
Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold – 90% to 104% of FTP
Zone 5 – VO2 Max – 105% to 120% of FTP
Zone 6 – Anaerobic Capacity – 120% - 150% of FTP
Zone 7 – Neuromuscular Power -- More than 150% of FTP
The definition of each Power Zone has been defined above courtesy of Dr Andrew Coggan PhD
2) Another benefit of knowing your FTP is the ability to do over/under thresholds. These are efforts where you work slightly above and below your functional threshold. The ability to throttle down your effort, while still generating watts, introduces your body to the notion of limited recovery. Learning to recover gracefully from difficult efforts will make you a better rider — you’ll (eventually) build fatigue resistance.
3) This week’s profile consists of four 8-minute efforts — including over/unders! The confidence gained from pedaling for 8 minutes sets the tone for our winter base training. We will begin our pure endurance work in mid-January. Here’s the playlist . . . also below.
4) We’ve teased the idea of the sweet spot (about 80% - 95% of your FTP) for a while. This is the space where you are maximizing
intensity and volume. Armed with FTP, you can effectively pinpoint that effort. Sweet spot training is essential as it provides a balance of intensity and duration (time) which maximizes improvement in your functional threshold power (FTP).
5). Speaking of endurance. I recently rewatched a documentary called Fair Chase. The premise, inspired by the movie/book Born to Run, challenges the notion that humans can outrun almost any animal. So these endurance runners look to chase down an antelope. Here's the trailer:
[Our mural is a take on Edvard Munch’s Scream by Hannah Warren. Guh, all the creatives are ditching Twitter . . . here’s Hannah’s webpage]