Functional Threshold Power Test #2

My Endurance Nation OS plan called for a 40 minute FTP test to track progress and reset training zones. Instead of going all out for 20 minutes and taking 95% of the NP which is what I normally do and I know it is one of the 7 deadly sins of determining FTP, Endurance Nation prefers that you do a 2x20' with a 2' rest between and use the NP (normalized power) for the entire 42 minutes as your FTP.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I switched to my Tri bike last week so I really didn't know what to expect with this test. I managed to do the first 20' interval at 274W and the second 20' interval at 270W. It appears that I pretty much coasted or soft pedaled during the 2 minutes which didn't help my overall numbers. Next time I'll pedal at a wattage of at least 150W.

I didn't expect more than a 10W increase to be honest with you and especially doing it on the Tri bike. My weight has dropped about 2.5lbs to 155.5lbs since my last test so with the 10W increase and the lower weight, by new w/kg # comes out to 3.8W/kg which is 0.2W/kg below the magic 4W/kg #.

I'm close to reaching 2 of my season goals only 2 months into my season so I guess I'll be raising the bar again. Goal #1 is an FTP of 280W and Goal # 2 is reaching 4 w/kg. I ended the 2008 season with an FTP of 280W-285W but the difference is that I spent 99% of my training time on the bike whereas this year, I'm training for 3 different disciplines and therefore, time is limited and the reason why the goal is the same as I achieved last year.

I was supposed to do a brick after the test but I need to catch up on work, eat lunch, and pick up my cleaning as I'm heading to Puerto Rico tomorrow to visit with a customer and sample the local fare. I guess my 2 x 20' workout for Thursday will be done on the hotel bike.