I purchased my first smart trainer in November and I am in week five of a six week FTP builder as I have lost my cycle fitness over the last 4 years and wanted something more controlled than doing a 3 hour ride two or three times a week. Yesterday was the hardest hour yet as it put me on my estimated FTP a number of times. I am familiar with exhausting steep and short local hill climbs but it is the high cadence requirements of the indoor workouts that have most surprised me but I hope I'm getting used to peddling at 85-105 rpm. Yesterday on the final 4 minute effort at FTP and 100rpm I was on the brink of my ability and repeated the mantra "I can do it" for the entire 4 minutes. And I did it. I think without the mantra I would have given up and dropped the cadence. I will do a ramp test and The Grade at the end of week 6 to see if I have improved. Six weeks ago the ramp test gave me an FTP of 150 but after just a few workouts I decided to drop my FTP setting to 140. I hope my recalculated FTP will exceed 150. I wonder if I might repeat the six week FTP builder at a higher FTP in Jan/Feb and again in Feb/March in an attempt to have a respectable (for my age and low level of general fitness and moderate health) FTP when I again get outside in the spring to do 3+ hour rides, still hoping to again enjoy bike-packing. Does anyone have any frustrations with their smart trainer setup? One thing I have difficulty doing is switching erg mode off and back on again when the trainer recommends it for a 30sec sprint. By the time I've switched modes and got the requested power and cadence I've used up at least 10sec of the 30sec sprint. I also find stand up peddling very difficult at low power levels and by the time I've fiddled with the erg mode and virtual gears and got into a sustainable rhythm most of the time for the interval is past. Also I have flat bar bike(s) and I find the trainer assumes I have drop bars or aero bars. I wonder if I might purchase very cheap drop bars or aero bars just for using on the smart trainer. Also I had great trouble with hand pain and still have to be very careful and always take my hands off the bars during the rest intervals to rest my hands. After a lot of tweaking of the saddle set up I discovered that a very slightly inclined saddle relieved some of the hand pain. But having never experienced hand pain on the road the experience on the trainer was a surprise that made me think it was going to be a show stopper. Does anyone use adjustable bars on a trainer to further tweak the bike fit for the indoor trainer experience? From my own experience I believe power or energy is very much affected by mental attitude and confidence, so I'm not surprised you increased your FTP because it may have increased your confidence. Also it may be a zero sum game. You increased your FTP at the expense of your 30s and 60s power. I'm guessing that if you focussed on increasing your 30s and 60s power you would be successful at the expense of your FTP. Also if you did The Grade again after 7 days would it show a significant drop in your FTP by the principle of what is quickly gained is quickly lost?
i’m almost 62 so i’m mostly trying not to get worse. structured variable training with coach. last two tests were almost identical - real i’ve been about 270 for the past 5y but in reality that is a win. keeping the sub 5 min numbers up with age is really hard. i need to do more strength work as i age.
@@Mark8v29on the ERG off for the sprints thing. I think that is fairly unique. I have just started the same training programme that you’re on as my FTP seems to have stuck at 212-216w (about 3.4 - 3.5w/kg) for the last 3-4 years. The ‘strength’ workout in the training plan is the first time that I have needed to switch off ERG for an interval - I have done a few training plans from British Cycling on Zwift before (through TrainingPeaks) and none of their workouts required it. On the standing up on low cadence, don’t worry about virtual gears. In ERG mode ,’just’ stand and slow your own cadence and let the trainer adjust resistance itself to enable you to maintain the target power.
Not sure if this is a conscious thing at GCN now you're free from your corporate overlords, but I love the idea of wach presenter having their own long term passion projects, Dan with his longevity journey, Si on commuting, maybe Conor on different types of fitness... Alex on upgrading vintage bikes, Oli on endurance riding... could be an awesome time fo GCN and us viewers!
I think this says more about the psychological aspects of performance than about FTP directly. Obviously day 1 was sandbagged knowing what was coming. Unsurprisingly day 6 was high fatigue and low motivation but the motivation of one last big effort on day 7 overcame the accumulated fatigue.
@ hmmm, a talented rider for sure. And perhaps I should have said relative fatigue, but still 10 min all out efforts everyday for 7 days, even Connor can’t exactly be fresh by the end.
a nice idea! amazing how the hrv changes and the ftp values. it shows me that too much training and the fatigue comes sooner or later. the ftp depends on the daily form in a cycle. data should always be seen in relation to the previous training. thank you for the effort and all the best!
I agree 100% with these comments. My HRV is around 50, same for my resting HR. But I recognise I'm not as fit as it was. Great perspective from Dan as well.
HRVs are very personal, so don't worry on comparing them to others. Everyone has their own baseline, though it's been shown that your baseline can actually increase as you get fitter. But it'll still be wildly different person to person
Very interesting video - well done. It does show how becoming familiar with the effort, the pacing and the expected duration of the pain really helps to squeeze out max effort. Looking forward to your next pass at this. It would be interesting to also try while listening to high intensity music.
There definitely is a big aspect of learning pacing in FTP tests which is why there is so much value in other ways of measuring like ramp tests or best effort power curve (my favorite)
I had an FTP of 250W, did the Grade in 14:06min and it went up to 264W. Workouts are now way harder then before, so I think it overestimated my FTP a bit.
Maybe. Don't forget that FTP is supposed to be an all out test, leaving nothing in the tank. If the other workouts are supposed to be hard, and you can still complete them, perhaps your FTP was too low before. Maybe try a zone 2 long ride and see how that feels as that has a well defined difficulty that it should be.
I’ve not repeatedly tried the Grade but do do regular tests (but with efforts before the 20 minute test within Zwift) but I’d like to know how the different FTP tests actually compare to an all out 1 hour effort that they are aiming to estimate. Hopefully that will be a future video! I definitely think repeated tests means you train yourself for that particular test, and having a previous target to aim for and beat is a big help.
IMHO unless you do it semi regularly I think most people would find it easier to properly pace the shorter tests than the full hour. It's just a long time at high effort to maintain a consistent output.
Boy... Haven't watched through it yet, but the sheer idea of doing sich a brutal test 7d in a row is excruciating. Also big ups for the jungle sounds ❤.
At first, I didn’t understand the point of the exercise but found the video really interesting. It drove home the point that FTP is not static but a general reference point for future training. It was interesting and useful to see evidence that that one can improve in some metrics while getting worse in others. I knew that happens but it really helped to see it demonstrated. I too want to see a comparison to the 60 min test- sorry Conor😂. Last take away- Conor is a beast 💪
I like Zwift’s introduction of The Grade and connecting it to an FTP test. It may be more accurate for us mortals at lower FTP as it takes us twice as long. As per the comment above re: anaerobic factors.
It doesn't really matter if your FTP is 100% accurate or not. You're training in zones anyway so 240W or 250W FTP for example makes mostly no difference in target power for your Z2 rides for example. FTP fluctuates day by day anyway depending on factors like sleep, hydration, food intake, fatigue etc... so yes, for very explosive riders a shorter FTP or ramp test might slightly skew results. Most of the time it will still give a very good ballpark number for most people. The key is testing through the same protocol every time so you can compare results & not do a different test every time.
I can barely stand the grade once every 3 months let alone 7 times in a week. Chapeaux sir! My last grade was about 15W more than my 1hr power - close enough, but I haven't done it in a few months since increasing my 1hr power to where my grade FTP was, so that'll be interesting.
Cool to see, I think the most useful thing to learn is the ability of adaptation to specifics. With these being only calculated FTP, not really the FTP (1hr). Feels like you might’ve got your body to respond well to a 20 min interval… specifically… it’d be interesting to know whether that actually really does translate to a better 1 hour FTP. Doubt it.
You can get movement with almost any smart trainer with a riser front wheel block, and a number of cheap Amazon balance pods/hedgehog pods under the trainer. I have a Kickr Snap v3 an place 2 under the rear, and one under the leg on each side. The pods are about 60% inflated, and I keep my front tire squishy. All of this allows, for about 1cm side to side and a little less fore and aft movement for $40 (user Saris block and $20 balance pods). Super stable and comfortable.
What a crazy HRV you got. I improve my ftp just by start with LSD rides and then some interval trainings thats include vo2max, aerobe,…. From 210w to 265w in 6 weeks
Even ex pro athletes still put out insane numbers! Well done :) Is it me though, or is GCN Megabase now GCN Minibase? It looks like you have decorated a double garage rather than having an office with a presenter area and turbo room.
Absolutely savage effort and congrats to Conor ! FTP nearing 400W is just mind-boggling for us mere mortals. That said I always found that 60min definition a bit of a stretch, I can hold my FTP ok for about 20 min maybe 30 if I'm feeling really good and rested. A whole hour? Oof
Brilliant Connor I was eggng you on. I would love to see another program where a sports psychologist assesses how repetitive is assisted by your mental conditioning to the rest and how you felt having to do the test each day. This really provoked my interest in how our body is affected by our mental stress during testing.
Would love to see how a 1min and 2.5min ramp test conpares to this effort. Which one gives the best result / accuracy. And also the standard 20min test. And after a good rest, put the ftp value you have to the test for an hour !
To prepare for better weather cycling, I've been working out every day for the past 30 days (no cycling yet because the weather's been subzero + windy in NYC) and I'm getting tempted to buy a trainer so I can use my bike indoors! I don't think I'd be as good as Conor, but I wonder how much stronger I could be if I were cycling indoors instead.
I also have a question about the studio setup. This is a fine looking pain cave. It is spacious, well equipped, and has on point decoration. One thing we don’t see though is the ventilation setup. Maybe worth doing a video about this “cave” and others at megabase. It must be difficult balancing ventilation with bright lights for filming as well as booms and rigs for cameras and microphones
Great effort and nice summary Conor! Results make sense and lots of exercise physiology that explains them. I recommend Joe Friel's work for those interested.
It would be interesting to compare to 7 days of ramp testing and/or 7 days of 20 min tests (FTP standard test) or even 8 min tests to see what the differences in FTP are (if any). Yeah, that's a lot of testing. Do you believe your first or last test represents you and which would you use to set your zones for future training?
What was the short efforts after that you did .. ie how many 30 second efforts and 60 second efforts did you do and how long was recovery in between each effort and how long was the cool down before these efforts started ?? Many thanks and loved this video 👍your still a legend 👍👍
I know the segment is called The Grade but which ride did Conor choose cos he mentioned a warm up to the segment start - looking on Zwift, there are 4 to choose from
I’m pretty new to cycling and not sure what everything means but my average is 170W how is over 400W possible am I looking at the right data that’s insane
Did two FTP tests on Zwift this Christmas, one ramp test and one Elevation Evaluation... For me, it became very clear that the ramp test overestimates my FTP significantly with about 45W higher FTP estimate compared to the climb... Each test plays to different strengths and apparently I'm more of a sprinter than an endurance rider...
Great effort but although the last one was best, it looked like you only used a fan on the last run. And we know from Ollie that fans improve FTP. Do you need to do it all again with a fan on every ride?
You know I think this is actually one of the better ways to test FTP. Shorter but more frequent “all out” efforts over the week. 5-day 12-minute all out effort I think doing a 20-min ftp is always hard to gauge especially after every 4-weeks per common protocols. From my experience I always finish 20-minute efforts with more power and energy left in the tank. Or at least I always feel like I could have pushed 10-15W more. And so a one and done for the next 4 weeks feels bothersome. I like the idea of doing a baseline on day 1 then “maxing” out over the course of a few days cause for me I need to tune my efforts until I feel like “ok this is my limit here”
A curious question about ftp tests. I find I can achieve a far higher ftp if I do the test (Zwift) on a steep climb as opposed to a flat course, maybe I find it easier to bury myself on the climbs rather than the flat but I find I consistently achieve a higher (perhaps 20-40) improvement on the slopes. Trouble is, I find it hard to live up to this number when on the flat. For a more accurate ftp do you think it's better to undertake the test on a climb, flat or rolling course, or should it make no difference at all? Might be an interesting vid experiment!
How does FTP go up with back-to-back FTP tests? The more tired one is the lower the test result should be, shouldn't it? Does Zwift try to compensate by taking past rides into account as part of the FTP estimation each time?
How do we find this FTP test on Zwift? ‘The Grade’ does not show up in Workouts or Routes. I thought I could do this weekly and see if there is improvement. Thanks for the video.
The Grade on Routes is either 'Oh Hill No' or 'Elevation Evaluation' in Watopia. The former is just straight into it, no warm up; the latter has the opportunity to warm-up for the first 3km and once the Grade is over it continues with a descent and a a loop round for another 17km (where you have the choice of doing it all over again).
Great to see the suffering; beast of an effort day 7 Connor! Would really be interested to see if the 1hr holds true at 400W+. I know my FTP measured/calculated from shorter efforts like that seems inflated by higher Vo2 compared to lactate threshold.
Not that i am a sadist but it would be interesting if someone did the longer tests over longer period of time. Do the 20 minute version every other day for 2 weeks or do the 60 every six days for 7 reps. Easy for me to say but it would be interesting 🤔😊
Seeing these FTP tests on a short 12 minute effort I've lost some faith in Zwifts FTP calculation method. They use a formula based on a "best fit" power curve but extrapolating from such a short duration would inevitably contain a lot of error. Connor's FTP went from 350 to 400W. I'd love to see him now attempt a 400W sustained effort for 40 minutes or do one of the harder workouts at 400W. I think they inadvertently cheated the system a bit choosing such a short FTP effort and practising / racing against the ghost.
It would be interesting to see the same exact test sequence except allowing a rest day in between. Then compare the two. I would suspect that the FTP would improve more, and the short term would not plumet. But the real truth is in the testing and the data!
This has been said in other comments. But I would really like to see you hold your FTP for the full hour. Perhaps to put a competitive edge on this, it would be a perfect presenter challenge. I can see the video now Can you have an "FTP OFF" GCN Megabase with all the presenters on their bikes with turbo of choice facing off, holding the FTP for an hour. Who would crack 1st. P.S. Dan doesn't get out if it, it would be good for his Epic Ride training 😁
This is pretty much why I laugh every time people say ramp tests are bad FTP tests... if anything this video shows self-paced test are potentially even worse. Most people are awfull at self-pacing for these kinds of tests, especially if they have no clue of where they're at to begin win and even then it's easy to over-/underpace the first half of your test. The only way to do this test accuratly is by already knowing your FTP more or less and having done a recent previous attempt and knowing you can go even harder (or a little bit slower). So: "What Happens If You Do A Fitness Test Every Day For 7 Days?": you learn to pace yourself better. 🙂
Thanks for the comment. it’s always interesting to see how it would vary over a different format though, plus, there’s nothing like watching Conor suffer!!!
So I've had a similar journey (just with much lower numbers) and I couldn't help but to wonder if I was cheating myself. Much like Conor I could hold a much higher FTP number for a shorter course like "Oh hill no" or The grade but I'm 100% sure I could not hold it for an hour or longer, which is as I understand what FTP should represent? Am I cheating myself or have I misunderstood something? Looking forward to the next, video where it sounds like i might get some answers!
#isFTPrelevant Yes, whether it’s accurate or not it’s a gauge to measure and compare. If we didn’t have cm or inches for example, we could make up our own incremental length, it’s still a valid, repeatable and a comparable value of measurement. So yes, FTP is a valid point of reference of fitness. Connors changing values probably exposed natural deviation due to normal variables like how rested you are, nutrition, mental approach, consistency of effort amongst many others, and of course how hard he actually tried. I guess he tried harder each time having a goal to beat and being more familiar with the route meant or more consistent efforts. His final effort was probably what he was capable of day one, he just didn’t try as hard on the first outing.
Slightly different but Ive always thought doing FTP tests back to back with a recovery in between in one day could be a good way of measuring rider endurance. Sure pro teams do this already.
Have you been trying to improve your FTP? 🚴♂️📈 What have you done to try and achieve that? Let us know in the comments!
I just do a ramp test on rouvy.Riding long climbs seems to improve my ftp. But my age 60 and my alcohol intake seems to degrade it😂
I purchased my first smart trainer in November and I am in week five of a six week FTP builder as I have lost my cycle fitness over the last 4 years and wanted something more controlled than doing a 3 hour ride two or three times a week. Yesterday was the hardest hour yet as it put me on my estimated FTP a number of times. I am familiar with exhausting steep and short local hill climbs but it is the high cadence requirements of the indoor workouts that have most surprised me but I hope I'm getting used to peddling at 85-105 rpm. Yesterday on the final 4 minute effort at FTP and 100rpm I was on the brink of my ability and repeated the mantra "I can do it" for the entire 4 minutes. And I did it. I think without the mantra I would have given up and dropped the cadence. I will do a ramp test and The Grade at the end of week 6 to see if I have improved. Six weeks ago the ramp test gave me an FTP of 150 but after just a few workouts I decided to drop my FTP setting to 140. I hope my recalculated FTP will exceed 150. I wonder if I might repeat the six week FTP builder at a higher FTP in Jan/Feb and again in Feb/March in an attempt to have a respectable (for my age and low level of general fitness and moderate health) FTP when I again get outside in the spring to do 3+ hour rides, still hoping to again enjoy bike-packing.
Does anyone have any frustrations with their smart trainer setup? One thing I have difficulty doing is switching erg mode off and back on again when the trainer recommends it for a 30sec sprint. By the time I've switched modes and got the requested power and cadence I've used up at least 10sec of the 30sec sprint. I also find stand up peddling very difficult at low power levels and by the time I've fiddled with the erg mode and virtual gears and got into a sustainable rhythm most of the time for the interval is past. Also I have flat bar bike(s) and I find the trainer assumes I have drop bars or aero bars. I wonder if I might purchase very cheap drop bars or aero bars just for using on the smart trainer. Also I had great trouble with hand pain and still have to be very careful and always take my hands off the bars during the rest intervals to rest my hands. After a lot of tweaking of the saddle set up I discovered that a very slightly inclined saddle relieved some of the hand pain. But having never experienced hand pain on the road the experience on the trainer was a surprise that made me think it was going to be a show stopper. Does anyone use adjustable bars on a trainer to further tweak the bike fit for the indoor trainer experience?
From my own experience I believe power or energy is very much affected by mental attitude and confidence, so I'm not surprised you increased your FTP because it may have increased your confidence. Also it may be a zero sum game. You increased your FTP at the expense of your 30s and 60s power. I'm guessing that if you focussed on increasing your 30s and 60s power you would be successful at the expense of your FTP.
Also if you did The Grade again after 7 days would it show a significant drop in your FTP by the principle of what is quickly gained is quickly lost?
i’m almost 62 so i’m mostly trying not to get worse. structured variable training with coach. last two tests were almost identical - real i’ve been about 270 for the past 5y but in reality that is a win. keeping the sub 5 min numbers up with age is really hard. i need to do more strength work as i age.
i would give my right arm for 403. actually that would help w/kg and i’m a leftie…. good man Connor!
@@Mark8v29on the ERG off for the sprints thing. I think that is fairly unique.
I have just started the same training programme that you’re on as my FTP seems to have stuck at 212-216w (about 3.4 - 3.5w/kg) for the last 3-4 years. The ‘strength’ workout in the training plan is the first time that I have needed to switch off ERG for an interval - I have done a few training plans from British Cycling on Zwift before (through TrainingPeaks) and none of their workouts required it.
On the standing up on low cadence, don’t worry about virtual gears. In ERG mode ,’just’ stand and slow your own cadence and let the trainer adjust resistance itself to enable you to maintain the target power.
Not sure if this is a conscious thing at GCN now you're free from your corporate overlords, but I love the idea of wach presenter having their own long term passion projects, Dan with his longevity journey, Si on commuting, maybe Conor on different types of fitness... Alex on upgrading vintage bikes, Oli on endurance riding... could be an awesome time fo GCN and us viewers!
Hank for stunts !!!! Don’t forget the Hank !!!!
@@Gixer750pilot Yes! 100% right. How could I forget?! 🤦♂️
i was going to say hank being lord of the manor lol
how about the brick gurning? bring back Lastie!
@@neilmdon he’s too busy teaching Andrew Feather how to be a RUclips personality 😂
I think this says more about the psychological aspects of performance than about FTP directly. Obviously day 1 was sandbagged knowing what was coming. Unsurprisingly day 6 was high fatigue and low motivation but the motivation of one last big effort on day 7 overcame the accumulated fatigue.
@nickc4716 There was no fatigue . This is a 10-minute effort , Connor can handle 10 of those every day before getting fatigued.
@ hmmm, a talented rider for sure. And perhaps I should have said relative fatigue, but still 10 min all out efforts everyday for 7 days, even Connor can’t exactly be fresh by the end.
@nickc4716 10 minutes, it hurt like he'll, but it is easy to recover from.
@@nickc4716 I agree.
Don‘t show this to the world tour, they might want Conor back.
Or the Americas Cup 😂 🤠
It may not be the whole picture of your overall fitness, but that was absolutely mental and superbly impressive, Conor! Kudos mate.
I'd love to see a follow-up of you attempting to actually ride 403 watts for one hour
It would be very interesting to see how many people can actually hold their FTP wattage for an hour.
That's the plan!!
@@conordunne219 bring snacks!
@@rlm4471 they did exactly this at GTN a while ago
@@rlm4471it's similar to people who estimate their 1RM lift from their 5RM. People forget that grit is a skill.
Great video. Looking forward to the one where you hold 400w for an hour! 🥵
Challenge accepted (on behalf of Conor)
GCN that’s fantastic! But make sure to cover the topic of time to exhaustion at threshold as well 😅
Awesome effort and I would love to see you having a blast at the 1 hour fitness test at 403 watts, glad it is you that is giving it a go.
I use FTP to transfer files from one computer to another.
😅
Me too, but it was super boring, so I stopped doing that.Enjoying my pension now while cycling 😉
nerd alert 🚨 😂
Ha!
Me too (in lieu of a power meter)😂
Such a great effort! Never thought of such hard efforts everyday for so many days. Thanks Conner for being such a great presenter!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good gods. Even after years off and not a lot of riding, Conor is a brute and way outlier. Unreal.
a nice idea! amazing how the hrv changes and the ftp values. it shows me that too much training and the fatigue comes sooner or later. the ftp depends on the daily form in a cycle. data should always be seen in relation to the previous training. thank you for the effort and all the best!
Holy hell, what kind of HRV is this? 😮 I am feeling great when it is above 60. Yikes, the gap between GCN former pros and normal people is huge.
I've never seen over 45, so don't worry too much. Dan
I thought hrv is like hr so it's different for each person and not really comparable, maybe im wrong though
I agree 100% with these comments. My HRV is around 50, same for my resting HR. But I recognise I'm not as fit as it was.
Great perspective from Dan as well.
HRVs are very personal, so don't worry on comparing them to others. Everyone has their own baseline, though it's been shown that your baseline can actually increase as you get fitter. But it'll still be wildly different person to person
My average hrv is only 15. Of course I am nearly 70 too....
Conor you always give it your best that is just one of the things we LOVE about YOU…… GREAT JOB ……. So courageous!!!
Very interesting video - well done. It does show how becoming familiar with the effort, the pacing and the expected duration of the pain really helps to squeeze out max effort. Looking forward to your next pass at this. It would be interesting to also try while listening to high intensity music.
Nice sensible and interesting video. Also noted rare correct use of word procrastination (not prevarication😖) for dither and delay. Amazing! 👍
Pendant
@ Maybe, but it is simply confusing to use a word that means something completely different. 🤷♂️
There definitely is a big aspect of learning pacing in FTP tests which is why there is so much value in other ways of measuring like ramp tests or best effort power curve (my favorite)
I’m more impressed by Conor’s ability to stretch out his lengthy arm and increase the output of his fan having already clipped into the bike.
go go gadget arm!
@@gcn Inspector Conor Gadget has a ring to it.
I had an FTP of 250W, did the Grade in 14:06min and it went up to 264W. Workouts are now way harder then before, so I think it overestimated my FTP a bit.
Maybe. Don't forget that FTP is supposed to be an all out test, leaving nothing in the tank.
If the other workouts are supposed to be hard, and you can still complete them, perhaps your FTP was too low before.
Maybe try a zone 2 long ride and see how that feels as that has a well defined difficulty that it should be.
I’ve not repeatedly tried the Grade but do do regular tests (but with efforts before the 20 minute test within Zwift) but I’d like to know how the different FTP tests actually compare to an all out 1 hour effort that they are aiming to estimate. Hopefully that will be a future video! I definitely think repeated tests means you train yourself for that particular test, and having a previous target to aim for and beat is a big help.
IMHO unless you do it semi regularly I think most people would find it easier to properly pace the shorter tests than the full hour. It's just a long time at high effort to maintain a consistent output.
Boy... Haven't watched through it yet, but the sheer idea of doing sich a brutal test 7d in a row is excruciating. Also big ups for the jungle sounds ❤.
Great job Conor! Loved how you went for it on the last one!
Glad you enjoyed it
I've got a miserable ftp of 238w, I'm so impressed by your performance !
As a recreational cyclist, I'm waiting for March and it's perfect 15-17 °C weather! I DO NOT SWEAT after a 1.5 hour, 26km ride!
At first, I didn’t understand the point of the exercise but found the video really interesting. It drove home the point that FTP is not static but a general reference point for future training. It was interesting and useful to see evidence that that one can improve in some metrics while getting worse in others. I knew that happens but it really helped to see it demonstrated. I too want to see a comparison to the 60 min test- sorry Conor😂. Last take away- Conor is a beast 💪
I like Zwift’s introduction of The Grade and connecting it to an FTP test. It may be more accurate for us mortals at lower FTP as it takes us twice as long. As per the comment above re: anaerobic factors.
It doesn't really matter if your FTP is 100% accurate or not. You're training in zones anyway so 240W or 250W FTP for example makes mostly no difference in target power for your Z2 rides for example. FTP fluctuates day by day anyway depending on factors like sleep, hydration, food intake, fatigue etc... so yes, for very explosive riders a shorter FTP or ramp test might slightly skew results. Most of the time it will still give a very good ballpark number for most people. The key is testing through the same protocol every time so you can compare results & not do a different test every time.
I can barely stand the grade once every 3 months let alone 7 times in a week. Chapeaux sir! My last grade was about 15W more than my 1hr power - close enough, but I haven't done it in a few months since increasing my 1hr power to where my grade FTP was, so that'll be interesting.
Brilliant video. And agree with your comments - it will be great to watch the hour effort…..plenty of carbs inbound for that prep. Good work. M
we will try and make it happen!
What I learned from this: an ex-pro still has the "pro" in that designation, a different kind of human; and amazing video of effort given to a cause.
Connors accent gets ridiculous directly after his efforts. It’s amazing.
Cool to see, I think the most useful thing to learn is the ability of adaptation to specifics. With these being only calculated FTP, not really the FTP (1hr). Feels like you might’ve got your body to respond well to a 20 min interval… specifically… it’d be interesting to know whether that actually really does translate to a better 1 hour FTP. Doubt it.
Thanks Conor and crew , uhhh, you manimal you !! Be well , and thanks again !
You can get movement with almost any smart trainer with a riser front wheel block, and a number of cheap Amazon balance pods/hedgehog pods under the trainer. I have a Kickr Snap v3 an place 2 under the rear, and one under the leg on each side. The pods are about 60% inflated, and I keep my front tire squishy. All of this allows, for about 1cm side to side and a little less fore and aft movement for $40 (user Saris block and $20 balance pods). Super stable and comfortable.
excellent video. Well done Conor, well done team.
Thank you! 😊
Glad I’m not the only one to make weird noises on a tough ride! Well done Conor!
Great efforts. Interesting results.
Next time try the 4DP Test of wahoo - this could be more precise, but also there pacing is crucial.
🤯 great stuff Connor. That FTP blows my chops! 😂
it's made the rest of the presenters nervous!
Good effort, I agree with you that none of these numbers are absolute measures, you need to put them into context.
What a crazy HRV you got. I improve my ftp just by start with LSD rides and then some interval trainings thats include vo2max, aerobe,…. From 210w to 265w in 6 weeks
Even ex pro athletes still put out insane numbers! Well done :) Is it me though, or is GCN Megabase now GCN Minibase? It looks like you have decorated a double garage rather than having an office with a presenter area and turbo room.
It looks mini, but it's mega!
Absolutely savage effort and congrats to Conor ! FTP nearing 400W is just mind-boggling for us mere mortals. That said I always found that 60min definition a bit of a stretch, I can hold my FTP ok for about 20 min maybe 30 if I'm feeling really good and rested. A whole hour? Oof
Mind and body just got used to being understrain and learning the shortish test.
We best see a full 1hr time trial now 🎉
Learning how to do the test is the difference!
Brilliant Connor I was eggng you on. I would love to see another program where a sports psychologist assesses how repetitive is assisted by your mental conditioning to the rest and how you felt having to do the test each day. This really provoked my interest in how our body is affected by our mental stress during testing.
FTP is insane! Surprised by how low the shorter duration efforts were though (relatively speaking), fatigue after the test impacting them perhaps!
What is the trainer difficulty setting for these? Are these dual recorded or is it best to dual record these? Great effort big man. 🇮🇪☘️
Would love to see how a 1min and 2.5min ramp test conpares to this effort. Which one gives the best result / accuracy. And also the standard 20min test. And after a good rest, put the ftp value you have to the test for an hour !
@@richardjt8708 ramp test is more accurate, but I think only young people can keep up that number for 1 hour.
And again, so many get this wrong. The Grade doesn‘t work that way. It takes the 10 strongest minutes to calculate the ftp. Not the entire ascent.
To prepare for better weather cycling, I've been working out every day for the past 30 days (no cycling yet because the weather's been subzero + windy in NYC) and I'm getting tempted to buy a trainer so I can use my bike indoors! I don't think I'd be as good as Conor, but I wonder how much stronger I could be if I were cycling indoors instead.
Loved it ❤
thanks!
I also have a question about the studio setup. This is a fine looking pain cave. It is spacious, well equipped, and has on point decoration. One thing we don’t see though is the ventilation setup. Maybe worth doing a video about this “cave” and others at megabase. It must be difficult balancing ventilation with bright lights for filming as well as booms and rigs for cameras and microphones
a magician never reveals their secret! In seriousness, we have a mixture, some fans, some discreet air-con and a mop for the sweat!
Very informative and entertaining
Congratulations, great effort
thanks, Conor needs to keep up the gains, he is doing great!
Ok, please do it. 1 hour, outside, all out. 400 is the goal. Good luck
No pressure for Conor 😂
Great effort and nice summary Conor! Results make sense and lots of exercise physiology that explains them. I recommend Joe Friel's work for those interested.
Excelling FTP results! HRV of 135 is excellent!! What device do you use for measuring HRV??
It would be interesting to compare to 7 days of ramp testing and/or 7 days of 20 min tests (FTP standard test) or even 8 min tests to see what the differences in FTP are (if any). Yeah, that's a lot of testing. Do you believe your first or last test represents you and which would you use to set your zones for future training?
What was the short efforts after that you did .. ie how many 30 second efforts and 60 second efforts did you do and how long was recovery in between each effort and how long was the cool down before these efforts started ?? Many thanks and loved this video 👍your still a legend 👍👍
I know the segment is called The Grade but which ride did Conor choose cos he mentioned a warm up to the segment start - looking on Zwift, there are 4 to choose from
I’m pretty new to cycling and not sure what everything means but my average is 170W how is over 400W possible am I looking at the right data that’s insane
Strong mind to repeat this effort.
Personally, once is enough for me :D
Do you think the Kickr moves is better than the climb, can you use both together?
Thanks for any info.
Great job Conner!!
A big part of fitness is between the ears! 🧠> 💪
Rather, a small part🎉😂
Well done 👍👍👍
Nice Wahoo AD 🎉
Did two FTP tests on Zwift this Christmas, one ramp test and one Elevation Evaluation... For me, it became very clear that the ramp test overestimates my FTP significantly with about 45W higher FTP estimate compared to the climb... Each test plays to different strengths and apparently I'm more of a sprinter than an endurance rider...
I think this needs to be done for 30 days straight Connor. Start again !
Curious: were the temps the same at GCN HQ and in your shed? Coz that would make a difference.
Can you access the route used on Zwift? Or do you need to be at a particular level??
I have a current Kickr Move and, while I overall like it, I’m still frustrated it doesn’t offer HRM bridging like trainers less than half its price.
Great effort but although the last one was best, it looked like you only used a fan on the last run. And we know from Ollie that fans improve FTP. Do you need to do it all again with a fan on every ride?
You know I think this is actually one of the better ways to test FTP. Shorter but more frequent “all out” efforts over the week.
5-day 12-minute all out effort
I think doing a 20-min ftp is always hard to gauge especially after every 4-weeks per common protocols. From my experience I always finish 20-minute efforts with more power and energy left in the tank. Or at least I always feel like I could have pushed 10-15W more. And so a one and done for the next 4 weeks feels bothersome.
I like the idea of doing a baseline on day 1 then “maxing” out over the course of a few days cause for me I need to tune my efforts until I feel like “ok this is my limit here”
@ralzalychhoeng7893 The only way to really prove it is by pushing this number for 1 full hour !!!😉
YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!!!
You are incredible, too 😊
A curious question about ftp tests. I find I can achieve a far higher ftp if I do the test (Zwift) on a steep climb as opposed to a flat course, maybe I find it easier to bury myself on the climbs rather than the flat but I find I consistently achieve a higher (perhaps 20-40) improvement on the slopes. Trouble is, I find it hard to live up to this number when on the flat. For a more accurate ftp do you think it's better to undertake the test on a climb, flat or rolling course, or should it make no difference at all? Might be an interesting vid experiment!
Great comment, let’s see if we can do a video on why climbs raise your FTP!
What is the warm up that you use?
What length cranks do you have on that Canyon Connor?
Conner is an absolute beast!
💪
How does FTP go up with back-to-back FTP tests? The more tired one is the lower the test result should be, shouldn't it? Does Zwift try to compensate by taking past rides into account as part of the FTP estimation each time?
How do we find this FTP test on Zwift? ‘The Grade’ does not show up in Workouts or Routes. I thought I could do this weekly and see if there is improvement. Thanks for the video.
The Grade on Routes is either 'Oh Hill No' or 'Elevation Evaluation' in Watopia. The former is just straight into it, no warm up; the latter has the opportunity to warm-up for the first 3km and once the Grade is over it continues with a descent and a a loop round for another 17km (where you have the choice of doing it all over again).
Great to see the suffering; beast of an effort day 7 Connor! Would really be interested to see if the 1hr holds true at 400W+. I know my FTP measured/calculated from shorter efforts like that seems inflated by higher Vo2 compared to lactate threshold.
Maybe we should make him do an hour test for good measure?
Not that i am a sadist but it would be interesting if someone did the longer tests over longer period of time. Do the 20 minute version every other day for 2 weeks or do the 60 every six days for 7 reps. Easy for me to say but it would be interesting 🤔😊
Seeing these FTP tests on a short 12 minute effort I've lost some faith in Zwifts FTP calculation method. They use a formula based on a "best fit" power curve but extrapolating from such a short duration would inevitably contain a lot of error. Connor's FTP went from 350 to 400W. I'd love to see him now attempt a 400W sustained effort for 40 minutes or do one of the harder workouts at 400W. I think they inadvertently cheated the system a bit choosing such a short FTP effort and practising / racing against the ghost.
Wonder what you could do a week later with the overcompensation factor
How are you measuring your HRV on daily basis? Thanks.
Quite some mental fortitude to stick that out for a week. Well done Conor.
Old school test for me. 7 mile, 4.5% climb. Do it 3-4 times a year for the last 15 years or so. Lets me know just how fit I am.
@@jonathanbenn2241 together with the wind direction 😂
It would be interesting to see the same exact test sequence except allowing a rest day in between. Then compare the two. I would suspect that the FTP would improve more, and the short term would not plumet. But the real truth is in the testing and the data!
Did you remain seated throughout each effort? (Zwift’s ftp test guideline.) In some cutaways you are out of the saddle. Not judging, just wondering.
@jamesporter5630 Next week, he can stand on the padles for one full hour , I don't mind 🤣
This has been said in other comments. But I would really like to see you hold your FTP for the full hour.
Perhaps to put a competitive edge on this, it would be a perfect presenter challenge.
I can see the video now
Can you have an
"FTP OFF"
GCN Megabase with all the presenters on their bikes with turbo of choice facing off, holding the FTP for an hour.
Who would crack 1st.
P.S. Dan doesn't get out if it, it would be good for his Epic Ride training 😁
Now this is an idea we can get behind. Not sure the presenters will!
Didn’t Jeremy Powers already do this on GCN a few years ago?
Hank definitely did
This is pretty much why I laugh every time people say ramp tests are bad FTP tests... if anything this video shows self-paced test are potentially even worse. Most people are awfull at self-pacing for these kinds of tests, especially if they have no clue of where they're at to begin win and even then it's easy to over-/underpace the first half of your test. The only way to do this test accuratly is by already knowing your FTP more or less and having done a recent previous attempt and knowing you can go even harder (or a little bit slower). So: "What Happens If You Do A Fitness Test Every Day For 7 Days?": you learn to pace yourself better. 🙂
At about 1:08....Did Conor pay extra to paint match the color of his legs? If it was a crayon color, what would that tint be called? "English Winter"?
Like this route for FTP test but Didn’t Hank did this already in a different format?
Thanks for the comment. it’s always interesting to see how it would vary over a different format though, plus, there’s nothing like watching Conor suffer!!!
@ true for watching Conor suffer! But his number also upsets me…
How come my HRV is low as 39 and his 94?? What the 🤬
My little 135 ftp motor is smoked just seeing the 352 ftp 🤷🏼♂️😂 timing chain broke and bent a valve lol
my ftp is 133w 👍
@graeme8884 then you know very well my feeling here 🤗😂😂 i about lost my breath and started sweating uncontrollably 🤷🏼♂️😂😂
I think I'm at about 160 , I don't think I could even turn the wahoo at 400 watts!
@@petersylvester2905 lol I can spin it like twice then I need a nap. 🤷🏼♂️😂
So I've had a similar journey (just with much lower numbers) and I couldn't help but to wonder if I was cheating myself. Much like Conor I could hold a much higher FTP number for a shorter course like "Oh hill no" or The grade but I'm 100% sure I could not hold it for an hour or longer, which is as I understand what FTP should represent?
Am I cheating myself or have I misunderstood something?
Looking forward to the next, video where it sounds like i might get some answers!
You’re right, we should certainly get Conor to do an hour long test
#isFTPrelevant Yes, whether it’s accurate or not it’s a gauge to measure and compare. If we didn’t have cm or inches for example, we could make up our own incremental length, it’s still a valid, repeatable and a comparable value of measurement. So yes, FTP is a valid point of reference of fitness. Connors changing values probably exposed natural deviation due to normal variables like how rested you are, nutrition, mental approach, consistency of effort amongst many others, and of course how hard he actually tried. I guess he tried harder each time having a goal to beat and being more familiar with the route meant or more consistent efforts. His final effort was probably what he was capable of day one, he just didn’t try as hard on the first outing.
Slightly different but Ive always thought doing FTP tests back to back with a recovery in between in one day could be a good way of measuring rider endurance. Sure pro teams do this already.
@goodgegoodge101 a 7 hour ride in the French alps, is a much better test of endurance! 😂
In the big ring up the grade, wow