I have gone through 10 weeks of this training program and it seemed like things were going well. I have also done a few races on off days and twice Zwift has bumped my FTP by a few watts. I was a little concerned that there must have been a misprint on week 11 day 1 when the cooldown was at 80% of FTP. I did it with a little effort but was surprised. Today (week 11 day 2) the workout looked easy but when I got to the 2 min at 80% FTP with a 3 min REST at 100% FTP I was quite concerned. I made it through the first 2 sets with serious suffering but with 2 minutes to go on the third set my legs failed. Is the rest portion mislabled? You can’t possibly rest at 100% FTP. Maybe I’m just weaker than I think but this stressed me
I took a look at the workout & it’s not so hard that you shouldn’t be able to complete it. It’s easyer then riding at 100% of your’ ftp for an hour, which if set correctly you should be able to do. Neither the 80% or 100% phase of that workout is a rest segment, so I’m assuming they just didn’t label it correctly. My advice is to make sure your’ well rested and have another go at it. Don’t worry everyone fails every now and then, and it’s usually a sign that your’ fatigued.
Thanks for the response. I really only had 2 minutes left at my FTP and then I was going to get a 6 minute real rest at 50% of my FTP. I know I went into the w/o fatigued but I have started other w/os feeling worse, but by the time I finish my warmup, I am usually fine. I’m probably still paying for the Cat and Mouse race I did Sat.
I would still be nice if they get the label corrected
I have noticed that sometimes the “effort” and “rest” are the wrong way around, but the definition of FTP is the maximum average power a cyclist can maintain over a one-hour effort.
The combination of 80% and 100% would mean that your average output will be below you FTP so should be easily achievable (but not necessarily pleasant or pain free).
You guys are both correct. I use a Tacx Votex Smart and thought I might have a calibration issue. I also have a wired powertap which I use to spot check the power levels. When I looked at the powertap file about 12 minutes into the workout it went up by 30 watts consistantly throughout the workout although the Vortex numbers stayed the same. I workout is a cold basement and start my workouts wearing a long sleeve fleece. I pull it off as I warm up. I vaguely remember the sleeve catching on the rear wheel when I pulled it off. When I started my workout yesterday I noticed the same power difference between the powertap and Vortex. My rear brake was dragging on the wheel. It must have been applying almost exactly 30 watts of resistance. When I recentered the brake the power numbers fell back in line. I am repeating the workout tomorrow so I will see how it goes.