Ramp ftp test a bit aggressive?

General Discussion
1

my FTP was about 228. workouts were starting to feel kind of easy, and i hadn’t seen an FTP increase in quite a while, so i figured i’d do an FTP test to see if i had gotten stronger.

i did all the right calibration stuff, did spin downs, etc. i ride about an hour 5 nights a week throughout the year.

i’ve done the FTP short test before (more than 1 year ago), and it seemed more or less in line with what i was expecting.

the ramp test bumped my FTP up to 255! that’s a pretty big jump from 228. i did a workout after that and it fried me. i was expecting a jump to 240 or so at most – my threshold is definitely not around 240 – riding at 240 gradually raises my HR to max.

should i do it again? i got as far as i could in the ramp test, and nothing seemed “wrong” during the test. is the ramp test just more aggressive than other FTP tests? maybe i’m just a wimp and need to work at this new FTP for a bit longer before complaining?

2

If your previous FTP test was a different protocol, you’re not testing like for like. You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Different test protocols can favour different types of rider. I’ve heard some say the ramp test favours strength more than the FTP test (e.g. rather than endurance).

Either way, you need to use the same protocol each time I’d say.

Rest for a week or two, then try the FTP test you first did again.

It can also make a difference how you warmed up for the test, how rested you were this time compared to last time, and lots of other factors. The main thing is to minimise the differences from test to test, so you can more reliably attribute any gains to real improvement.

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