Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Functional Threshold Power Test @ Home

So I was keen to see how my own performed Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test (based on the Training and Racing with a Power Meter book) would stack up against the one done at Peak Performance. Granted, the conditions are not even remotely the same with just being in the middle of the holidays, only two weeks sine the Peak test, having done my strength training in the morning, and coming from a long swim and strong run the day prior -- and the results show it. But nonetheless, interesting to see the results. 

This is the protocol: 
20 min warm-up
3 x 1 min at 100+ rpm with 1 min recovery
5 min recovery
5 min go-like-stink-balls-to-the-wall-all-out-effort
10 min recovery 
20 min strong TT pace
10 min recovery / cool-down

Taking the average power from the 20 min (250W) and subtracting 5% = 237.5W 
Let's be nice and call it 240W is my FTP based on this test. 

And yes, I *think* I could have gone a little harder in the TT part but one gear harder (where I started the segment) and I would have really ground it and was not sure I could have kept it for the duration. So I geared down and upped the cadence (avg 93 rpm). Wish I had a gear in between... 

Here now are the actual results: 


Level

% of FTP

Power (W)

Peak Result
Typical 
Interval Dur.
1 – Active Recovery
< 55
1 - 132
1 - 180
N/A
2 – Endurance
56 – 75
133 - 180
181 - 230
N/A
3 – Tempo
76 – 90
181 - 216
231 - 260
N/A
4 – Lactate Threshold
91 - 105
217 - 252
261 - 280
8 – 30 min
5 – VO2 Max
106 - 120
253 - 288
281 - 305
3 – 8 min
6 – Anaerobic Capacity
121 - 150
289 - 360
306 - 320
30 sec – 3 min
7 – Neuromuscular Pwr
N/A
N/A
N/A
< 30 sec


Peak is much higher in the FTP: 270 vs 240 watts. But interestingly, the 5 min all-out effort generated 337W average which is inline with the level 6 of this test but way higher than Peak's. 

I guess I'll really have to perform the "Fatigue Profile Test" to make sense of this kind of distribution :-)

(still don't know how to share the TrainingPeaks data - or whether this is possible)

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