Which should be the next training program?

General Discussion
#1

Hi,

after all the Christmas and New Years lazy time I am more then motivated to “enjoy” the next training program but I am not sure which one I should choose.

Background:
Beginning of Sept. 2020 I got a brandnew Kickr Bike an I started immedaitely with the 12week Build-me-up training program which I really liked as it fit perfectly in my daily routines.

With the result I am satisfied and happy:
FTP: 227 to 253
Weight: 87 to 82 kg
W/kg: 2,61 to 3,09

Since today I am back to work and daily routine starts again.
I want to start with a “new” training program now but I am not sure which one I should choose.

My first thought was to start the 12week Build-me-up training program again, with the new FTP 253.

Does that make sense? Or should I choose another one?

I really liked the 12week Build-me-up training program because I was flexible in time and the length with 30min to 2h for each workout fit perfectly in my daily routines.

BR, Peter

#2

Hi Peter @Peter_Leyendecker !

I am by no means an expert, but will offer my 2 cents :slightly_smiling_face:

My first training program was the 6 week beginner FTP Builder. I liked it well enough to go through it twice in succession. I was pleased to see gains both times. I then wrestled around with the idea of whether I am still a beginner and whether to go for a more intense program. The things I really liked about the FTP Builder were the time commitment per week of about 4 to 5 hours and the feeling I had that the workouts were hard but doable (with the exception of the last two, which I had to modify). So I made the choice at the end of the first go around to do the program again. That was a good choice for me.

After finishing the second time, I wanted to try a bigger challenge without adding hours to my weekly workouts -so around 5. I have just finished week 1 of the 12 week Build Me Up and we’ll see how it goes…

So to summarize, I’d say that if you liked Build Me Up and found that it worked well in your schedule, you should feel free to do it again. When you go through with your new FTP, it will be a whole new experience, and it seems to me, looking forward through the workouts, that they are quite varied and shouldn’t be boring going through again.

Could you post back when you decide what you are going to do? I am always interested in how people choose their training plans and how they decide what to do next!

Ride On!
Beth

#3

Hi,

I decided to start 12week Build-me-up training program yesterday.
The “Zone Benchmarking” workout gave me the feeling that starting the program with a FTP of 253 is somewhat too low.
So I decided to do a FTP Ramp Test which gave me a result of FTP 263.
I will now go on with the 12week Build-me-up training program with an FTP of 260 and see with the next workouts if this is OK.

Best regards, Peter

#4

Thanks Peter,
Week one is a little easier, isn’t it? I had my FTP reset to higher than the Benchmarking workout indicated after doing a Tour de Zwift ride last week. Now I fear that mine is too high. I had to pause both the Red Unicorn and yesterday’s What Goes Up workouts in order to finish. Does this program get harder and harder as it goes on? One thing I liked about the FTP Builder was that it seemed to have a similar level of difficulty throughout - until the last week, which was much harder. My Garmin Edge told me yesterday that I need 48 hours of rest before the next workout, which I can’t do if I want to get all of the workouts done.
If you don’t mind sharing, can you let me know how you perceive the Red Unicorn with your FTP at its current setting?
Many greetings, Beth

#5

Little Update:

I finished the “Unicorns”; “Purple Unicorn” yesterday evening at an FTP set on 260.
The “Purple Unicorn” is, in my opinion, the first real challanging workout in the BMU training plan.
It was really hard for me to finish. But I made it.
From this experience I can see now the FTP with 260 is exactly right and the 253 I had before was somewhat too low.
Regards, Peter

1 Like
#6

Wow Peter! (@Peter_Leyendecker )

Great job! I am really impressed that you did that workout and am happy for you that you have confirmation that your FTP is set correctly. For me, though, I wish there was an option to make the really difficult workouts not also be the longest ones. I can do longer and I can do harder, but both at the same time overwhelms me.

I wish you continued success with the program and hope to see you out there!

Ride on!
Beth