My 8-week FTP 90 Endurance Cycling schedule is off the original timeline due to a short (and MUCH NEEDED) winter getaway to Florida with my wife last week. I left the day of session #4 and had another instructor cover for me. This week, I’m back at it and there are only 4 more 90-minute sessions to go. The playlist and format are much different than any session yet…see all the details below and let me know what you think.
First…the format is really quite simple. We’ll be doing two of the LifeFitness / ICG® on-board Ramp Tests (not the 5-minute test, done in earlier classes). I could explain, but better yet, here’s an excerpt of a post I found from Doyle Armstrong, ICG® Master Trainer (Germany):
At ICG® we have 2 tests built into the console of every bike with Coach By Color®. The 5-minute FTP test (a 5-minute all-out effort and it means that every person in a large group can start and finish the test together). The second test that we use (and my personal favourite) is the FTP ramp test.
The FTP ramp test is a progressive test and I love it because it allows people to learn about Power values as they test. The test structure begins by requesting just 75 Watts. The rider matches that with a combination of leg speed and resistance to suit them. The rider must then maintain that output for 4-minutes at which point the target wattage increases by 25 Watts. The target wattage will increase by a further 25 Watts every 4-minutes thereafter until the rider can longer maintain the target at which point the rider ends the test and gets their result. Everybody starts together but everybody finishes at different times. The test is easy to begin with but tough on the last 1 or 2 ramps for every rider as they’re likely above their Functional Threshold.
The RAMP test can be as short as 4 minutes…or over 36 minutes long (more often somewhere in the middle), depending on your individual Functional Threshold Power level:
STAGE 1: 00:01 – 04:00 minutes at 75 watts
STAGE 2: 04:01 – 08:00 minutes at 100 watts
STAGE 3: 08:01 – 12:00 minutes at 125 watts
STAGE 4: 12:01 – 16:00 minutes at 150 watts
STAGE 5: 16:01 – 20:00 minutes at 175 watts
STAGE 6: 20:01 – 24:00 minutes at 200 watts
STAGE 7: 24:01 – 28:00 minutes at 225 watts
STAGE 8: 28:01 – 32:00 minutes at 250 watts
STAGE 9: 32:01 – 36:00 minutes at 275 watts
…and so on, followed by a 5-10 minute cool-down.
Each 4 minute stage / “ramp” must be completed to be included in the calculated FTP. Cadence should be in the 80-90 RPM range. The monitor guides the user through the test…including RED and GREEN lights to indicate performance within (GREEN) or outside (RED) of the desired range. The monitor will display your FTP, based on the RAMP test at the end.
Read Doyle’s complete post is HERE.
LifeFitness / TEAM ICG® promotional video:
AND NEXT…on to the Playlist!
Obviously this one runs for 90 minutes…including a short intro / warm-up, a final 10-minute cool-down & stretch, and several EDM / trance-based tracks for the two ramp tests. Because each rider’s ramp test will potentially be different than the others in class, the middle portion of the ride is FREESTYLE…with emphasis on a 5 minute half-way recovery / cool-down in Zone 1 & 2. The balance of the first and second 45-minute sections should be Zone 3 “tempo” ride along with several (4-6) short (10-20 second) Zone 4 & 5 intervals (sprints, spin-ups). Other than this brief summary, I don’t have the profile or playlist recap this time, just the SPOTIFY link below.
Again…the goal here, with this mix as the audio backdrop, is to complete these 6-8 steps: Settle into the ride within the first 3-5 minutes…Complete 1st FTP ramp test…Recover…Ride freestyle (as time permits)…Complete 2nd FTP ramp test…Recover…Ride freestyle (as time permits)…Finish with an extended cool down & stretch.
On Spotify:
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