There are lies, damned lies, and statistics, but there’s no hiding from the fact that numbers tell important stories. The plot line that was unfolding on the Wattbike’s LCD display, in Performancepro’s Great Titchfield Street facility, was unflinching in its description of my current level of fitness.
Hors Catégorie To High Holborn
I’ve done a lot of performance testing over the years. Pursuing a professional cycling career and, subsequently, a degree in Sports Science means that I’ve shed more than my fair share of sweat on the laboratory floor. At one time I was the proud holder of a 5.7Watt/Kg threshold power to weight ratio and the physique of a prison camp escapee (essential for the elite cyclist), whilst racing and training in the mountains of the Pyrénées for an Espoir development squad of the Brioches La Boulangère pro cycling team.
How things have changed… 8 years on and I’m Business Development Manager at Cyclefit, not developing pro, a father, a few kilo’s heavier with very little time to train. I haven’t raced or trained properly since 2005 but, for some reason, even though my riding is more High Holborn than Hors Catégorie, I thought it would be a good idea to subject myself to an ‘FTP’ test with Anthony Purcell, Partner at Performancepro and Strength & Conditioning Cycle Coach.
Functional Threshold Power
"FTP is the highest power that a rider can maintain in a quasi steady-state for approximately one hour without fatiguing."
‘FTP’ stands for Functional Threshold Power. It’s a pragmatic and useful basis for determining a rider’s fitness and endurance performance ability. Basically, FTP tells you the highest average watts that you can hold for an hour and provides a starting point for determining training zones. Determining your FTP is also the first element in building a ‘Power Profile’ which provides a picture of a rider’s strengths and weaknesses. Power Profiles do not lie, they tell the story of where your performance is today, compared to where it has been and, most frighteningly, where your profile places you relative to other people. A power profile answers the question “am I a good sprinter, or just a rubbish climber?” and helps you to set clear goals, developing a training programme to achieve them.
Back To The Test…
15 minute warm-up done I settled into position on the hoods of the Wattbike. I knew better than to go hard from the start - the secret to a good pacing is starting at an intensity that initially feels a little too easy, ramping it up gradually until you reach steady-state before going eyeballs out and throwing up at the end of the protocol. 20 minutes of controlled suffering lay ahead. A 20 minute protocol is more manageable than a full hour. An FTP test should be repeated at regular intervals throughout the season to gauge progress (or lack thereof). If the testing protocol leaves you too fatigued to train, or is so hard that you put the testing off in fear of the suffering, there’s no point. Multiplying your average power over 20 minutes by 0.95 gives a robust calculation of your 60 minute FTP and it’s a much easier protocol to inflict on a regular basis.
Much easier, relatively… The screen didn’t lie, 8 years ago I would have been belting out around 360 watts and I weighed 6kg less. In 2013 I found myself getting hot under the collar at 300 watts and my jerseys don’t fit as well as they used to. Time ticked on.
5 minutes in…
This isn’t too hard…
9 minutes in…
This is starting to sting…
Half-way…
Change hand-position, keep looking forward, relaxed upper-body, elbows in.
5 minutes to go…
Start ramping it up. I felt the burn creeping up my legs, into my lungs down into my arms and hands: tingling, the limit was approaching. Time the ramp-up wrong and you’ll blow yourself to bits too early. Get it right and you’ll add a few ego boosting watts to your average power for the 20 minutes.
1 minute to go…
Everything you’ve got. Mash down on the pedals, try and hold on to your form.
30 seconds…
Tunnel vision. All I can hear is my breathing. Out of control, beyond the limit.
10 seconds…
Sprint for the imaginary line, squeeze out the last drops of anaerobic work capacity.
Protocol complete…
Collapse on the bike. Try not to puke.
The Results…
302 Watt Average
4.47 Watt/Kg
What Does That Mean?
It means that the 17km commute must be keeping me ticking over. I’m certainly not as good as I used to be (no surprises there), but maybe not as bad as I feared. My current threshold power would place me around the Cat. 2 racer level. 8 years ago, according to Hunter Allen & Andrew Coggan’s excellent Power Profile Chart, I was classed as ‘Exceptional’.
Practically, knowing my FTP is a useful tool. I can set training zones based on this and use the zones in specific training sessions to target the energy systems I need to work on. So, for example, tempo efforts fall between 76-94% of my FTP, anaerobic capacity is over 150%. In the coming weeks, I may also profile my 5 second, 1 minute and 5 minute maximum power outputs, to get a more complete picture of my current state and figure out whether I can dedicate some time to improving some aspects of my condition. I may even choose an objective for next year (suggestions on a postcard please). I just need to recover from the test first…
What Does It Mean For You?
We all want to get the most out of our training and testing is the best place to start. Testing means that you can find out where you’re starting from, where you want to go and if you’re getting there! If you’re interested in establishing heart rate, power based training zones, structured Wattbike performance sessions or analysis of your power/weight ratio, drop Performancepro an e-mail and book in your 20 minutes of suffering.
