How The Alpe Ape Gained 100W on FTP in 14 Weeks - Training Analysis

[@APEcycling]

Previous 14 week progress video (more training footage): kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4PJeJuCiKudY8U Alpe du Zwift attempt after 1 year training: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXXKZY2Doqisgs0

[@OneDougUnderPar]

Closest I can think of is EJ, his couch to crit gain was defying.

[@mrfdtt2675]

He had the perfect background for scoring quick gains on the bike: a) Cardiovascular System: Wasn't well trained at the beginning of the training block, but had been trained very well previously from swimming. Hence the starting level was low, while the potential was high. You'll generally reach a certain level much quicker if you've been there before (body memory). b) Muscular system: The level of lean leg muscle mass was already excellent. c) Mindset: The required ability to suffer and push himself was already present from swimming and weight lifting.

[@anaerobicalien]

This is golden content chaps and some insane progress. Looking forward to the the Alp's trip video.

[@robertskochinstitut6653]

The ape is a gifted individual to get to those numbers within this short timeframe. The weight reduction seems to be at the limit. At 22BMI with those quads he should already be at a very competitive bodyfat percentage where less weight could have a negative impact. 5,5 w/kg or FTP between 355-360W should be achievable. It would be nice to see the difference in shorter efforts and sprints. I tend to lose a bit of peak to 30s Sprint power when i neglect lifting. Overall performance is so much better when you don't have to worry about recovering from heavy leg workouts. Still trying to find the sweetspot here. Even though he stopped sports at age 12. Being active in several sports as a child is super important. Not only physiologically. You learn to strain and push yourself and there is a much higher level of proprioception gained compared to adults that start without a history in sports and exercise.

[@tristanm8250]

Finding the right amount of lifting is super hard. It's almost impossible to build strength in the gym without losing quality in some of your bike workouts. I've found high-volume sets of single-leg squats and leg presses to be great for maintenance though.

[@APEcycling]

I don't think the weight reduction is at a limit, over time more of the upper body muscle should slowly come off but it will be very slow. He did get to 60kg for hill climbs but this was by manipulating food weight mostly, so he is back at 63-65 now. Most good climbers his height weigh 57-60kg, i think if he'd never done weightlifting he would be this weight and his W/kg would almost 100% be better as he wouldn't have muscle in the upper body that basically adds zero benefit to FTP. Yeah finding the right balance with the strength work and cycling is important. Maybe we'll do some videos on his short duration power too. 100% agree that doing sports as a child has improved his exercise pain tolerance. The mind is a HUGE part of performance which is often overlooked.

[@fLowKnows]

The upper body mass may not contribute to FTP but it does assist with bike comfort, imo. Also helps in case of crashes and feeling warmer in winter. If not competing seriously, I'd say keep the weight on and get the power up:) @@APEcycling

[@theademerckxfiles9967]

Nice work!🔥🔥 How did the Road Racing Go? 😂

[@Daroo425]

Insane progress and so happy to be featured!

[@steffondavis1102]

Once I quit smoking, i'll show you progress😎

[@ketle369]

I quit snus (nicotine pouches) and gained 100 💯 watts in a week.

[@aristsopanelis3694]

@@ketle369does snus really affect cycling performance?

[@coolkid8608]

@@aristsopanelis3694I mean nicotine can’t be good for your health or performance

[@ramsden35]

Love seeing this progress with a structured plan. I started cycling Oct 23 after 7 years of CrossFit. Start weight 14st 7lbs. I don’t have Zwift, I haven’t got a clue what my FTP or watts per kilo are? I use a spin bike to do a variety of HR based training. The only way I know I’ve improved is my Sunday (never missed even in light snow) ride is upwards of 70 miles 112 being the longest. My speed has increased, my climbing has improved after 1 day a week doing hill reps on a .5 mile 7% hill. My weight dropped to 13st 4lbs. I wonder how well I’d do with this approach, oh I’m 53 so need more rest. Thanks for the training plans.

[@drucejnr]

Thank you for this video, you’re a smart coach and have a great athlete in your hands. Keen to see what else comes. It also confirms my own training plan from when I use to compete at junior level (Im 30 now) albeit Im not trying to go as intense. 180cm, 69kg and want to get to 4.0w/kg, currently at 3.6 (I’m at about week 7/8 according to your plan).

[@APEcycling]

Thank you! Good luck!

[@heikkisanelma6625]

hahaha, love the ape memes here :D need to keep an eye on this channel

[@user-fy7ri8gu8l]

The guy was already in great shape and already an elite athlete with plenty of leg muscle. This is neuromuscular adaption more than anything. No other system optimizes that fast even in outliers.

[@APEcycling]

He was in very poor cardiovascular shape to begin with not great shape (hence the huge gain). Lots of leg muscle is a detriment not a benefit, look at GC Tour de France rider's legs. Components of the cardiovascular system adapt faster than neuromuscular adaptations (increased plasma volume within 48hr-1week of training). Majority of the gains are from cardiovascular system + metabolic adaptations, 14 weeks is plenty of time to improve the cardiovascular system in a beginner.

[@specialblorb]

Thanks for making the vid, been waiting for it :) Props to AA for all this. The lifts aren't lost on me even though I got nowhere near his level (best is probably 175kg deadlift. I guess he was a little sad losing the upper body muscle mass so even more kudos for making that sacrifice to get better on the bike. I will race XC (mtb) this year so still throwing in some rows, latt pull down etc. What electrolyte tabs are you guys using? I previously just went for high 5/SiS combined energy/electro but riding indoors (=sweatier sessions with proper food at hand) realise it's not ideal. 16:07 - argh yes.. illness, lack of motivation at plateaus, ... it's reassuring that even strong riders experience it! Anyway it was a good sales pitch for your coaching services.. where do we sign up? :D

[@APEcycling]

Strong deadlift. The Alpe Ape is actually sad that he is maintaining so much muscle mass, he wants to be smaller. We use the SIS hydro tabs (sometimes i'll only use half a tab or none if its a short session/not hot) then just add however much sugar is needed for the session, super cheap. If you wanted to go even cheaper you could use a squirt of lemon and a pinch of salt depending on how hot it is/how long the session is. We don't have solid food on the bike anymore, even for longer rides.

[@luckyle6]

Unbelievable things, it took me years and my body couldn't handle the intensity of the training, wouldn't he have gotten hurt? This is the legendary talent, isn't it?

[@coolkid8608]

Ngl I was swimmer and we hit like 2*2h intense workout session everyday morning/ afternoon during my peak. It’s so low impact it’s just possible. Same for cycling probably

[@agw8421]

Very great video! For others reading this I just want to preface one thing, and that is unless you're a pro athlete or have way too much time on your hands, it's okay to train less compared to the video. Personally, I am competing as a triathlete while still being in school, so I understand how others may feel when they believe they don't have enough time to train a sport or don't see progress this fast. Of course, this video is amazing, and I learned a lot of stuff that I will incorporate into my routine, but just wanted to say don't be too critical of yourself if you cannot replicate this routine/progress, since everyone's circumstances are different, and as long as you're working hard, progress will come!

[@tsb6958]

Great effort. Thanks for doing this 👍

[@fLowKnows]

Thanks for this video. I think including the background and context was important as Olympic lifting (at a critical development period) and cardio sports precedent would be important factors in why this was such a fast rate of progress. I reckon he has much more potential than 326 FTP but these gains will come slower and more gradual.

[@suisinghoraceho2403]

What’s the history before the huge gain? Is this actual gain or just acclimation to cycling? He certainly is the top 2% athletes given his history in Olympic weightlifting. He probably also had huge aerobic potential given the history as a swimmer and runner. If he hasn’t rode much before the first FTP test, I have a feeling his first result is way under his true potential.

[@stevefantastics6595]

Wow, fantastic video!!! So much great info. We need to know more about Migraine Monkey 😉 Do you fellows work regular jobs as well?

[@APEcycling]

Haha thanks, yeah we do have jobs

[@northernlightay]

Thanks for sharing this

[@kennyxsd]

Thanks love the content!

[@shimona500]

Yeah 95% of 20min test needs basically an all out 6 min warmup before that to make sure it doesn't overestimate

[@APEcycling]

yeah exactly haha. Never seen anyone ever do the correct protocol for the 20min test. I do actually think that the correct protocol would underestimate FTP for some athletes though as some are completely spent for hours after a 6mins all out effort.

[@TomLeeCycling]

Really cool video! Do you both still do olympic weightlifting and what sort of intensity relative to your all time PBs do you train at? Olympic lifting and their variations are kind of the go to for training rate of force development, that can then transfer to your specific sport. Obviously the techinal component for an athlete starting oly lifting is the limiting factor, so it's interesting to see the opposite; going from oly lifting to a specific sport. I've been learning the Snatch and Clean and jerk to try and compliment my cycling/running, but am still very much limited by my technique rather than strength. But definitely still think there's benefit to that gym work provided it's not taking away from my cycling. Looking forward to whatever content you make next!

[@APEcycling]

Thanks. We don't still do olympic weightlifting but i might make him enter a 61kg category competition at some point and see if he can win it haha. We did do a video where we looked at how much strength The Alpe Ape lost from not doing strength and conditioning for around 8 months: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ranchplqmrudjLs I agree they can be good for training rate of force development, however for most sports i'd opt for using different exercises for this as, like you said, the technical component is a limiter for a while (maybe forever without proper guidance). Yeah strength training definitely has benefits if balanced correctly with cycling. Thanks, you too

[@christosandreev6392]

Impressive progress. A quick question: did he actually finished week 9's 6x6 Vo2max session with 2 mintutes rest in between? It seems very unrealistic to reduce to anything less than 50% of the duration of the intervals. It's really amazing if he did. Classic Vo2 max sessions such as 5x5 have also 4-5 minutes rest on between intervals.

[@ricardocamacho1627]

Great vid good stuff

[@tristanm8250]

Just 100 more watts and you'll be smashing guys in the world tour :)

[@myasterr]

Subscribing for that gorilla at 6:00

[@cazzomane]

Nice video mate Any change I can get this plan via training peaks?

[@SpeedBoosted136]

This is insane how people can recover from such efforts. I do 1 hour of 68% ftp and my legs hurt sometimes for days. How can people ride 60 minutes at tempo or Sweetspot?🤪 i am riding 3+ years, 70% on trainer and if i bump up volume or intensity - i get sick or legs hurt/fatigue that the performance degrades with ftp going lower and lower

[@APEcycling]

Sounds like your FTP is set too high and/or you aren’t fuelling on and off the bike correctly. Check out this video riding 4 hours at tempo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3Smqn6ugqmknJosi=4iOPEzHM0Ntr4dLI

[@benoittheminerandgamer]

Well my best 20min is 220watts and i'am 48yo for 69.8kg at 168cm tall. Try to go up my FTP by 100w at 48yo is impossible.

[@stusnell5792]

Question: Those carbs values that were gradually increased throughout the program….was that for all training sessions? Or just the long ride on the weekend? (That’s the only place where nutrition was specified.) Thanks.

[@APEcycling]

Increased throughout all training sessions, different sessions had different requirements but week to week was increase. Check this vid out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4u2h3-OjM90a9k

[@FitnessSynthesis]

this is pure genetics. very very rare, are you a coach? can I contact you :D

[@APEcycling]

Haha, if you are actually interested in coaching then visit our website (www.apecoaching.com), i'm hopefully going to be taking on some new athletes in the foreseeable future.

[@zwiftlegs]

Except it's not! The common denominator some of these guys share is pure strength. You look at EJ, Jasper Verkuijl, and these guys, a lot of them have done their due diligence in the weight room. The rest of it is spending time on the bike. And their capacity to dish out watts is already higher than most. It's all hard work.

[@cryptocretin]

@@zwiftlegs I don't think "pure strength" has anything to do with it. Being really strong isn't anything to do with aerobic fitness. Lots of people can lift a lot of weight at the gym but they could have terrible aerobic fitness and a low ftp. Of course having the strength from weights is going to help a lot with sprints. Of course maybe he had aerobic fitness than the average person that does nothing as I'm sure he would gain a small amount from the weight lifting but not much. I lifted weights for years and my ftp was quite low when I first started using my bike recently.

[@zwiftlegs]

@@cryptocretin buddy, these guys aren't just lifting. They are elite olympic lifters in their country. 60kg+ with 130kg over their height? 230W as a starting FTP isn't that high either. There are so many literature pointing to this. Their ceiling is so much higher than any random 60kg rider on the bike. The way they experience 300W is going to be different than most people. They are structured in their approach and they are where they are because of hard work. Proper time spent in the saddle. Not just riding around for "freedom" or for "spirit". Just brushing it off as genetics is an insult. Chris Froome's VO2 Max is genetics. Your muscle fibre ratio is genetics. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be strong but not many wants to work for it. Our current abilities is a direct reflection of our work.

[@cryptocretin]

@@zwiftlegs Being an elite olympic lifter doesn't necessarily translate over to aerobic fitness on the bike. Just in the same way as an elite cyclist isn't going to automatically be able to just start lifting weights and be at be at elite level. It definitely is a case of genetics. Even in the video it mentions he trained other people and no one else responded this well which straight way proves its genetics. I'm sure most the other people the guy trained were following their structured training plan given to them. Its more of an insult to other people to make out that people like this just worked really hard and everyone else was just lazy. Always saw the same with gym where people tried to says its not genetics yet I saw many people work very hard and not achieve much and other people mess around doing things wrong and achieve far more. In the end to get amazing results you need both genetics and hard work but you definitely need good genetics.

[@Aldorains]

Being a new guy, it seems possible that some of the gains might be attributed to figuring out what he's capable of doing on a bike. Not all of the gains are from physiological changes.

[@APEcycling]

Usually I’d agree with that about beginners but because he already knew how to push himself hard from other sport I can be confident in saying it is basically 100% physiological. First 20min test: 189bpm avg, 200bpm peak. Final 20min test: 183bpm avg, 193bpm peak. Peak heart rate lowers slightly from endurance training but there is no doubt he tried equally hard on both tests. Even though heart rate can vary based off a lot of factors it’s still a good indicator of effort level.

[@leg_snapper]

I rather wanna know if he thinks that it was worth it to lose >5kg of muscles for some random numbers noone cares about outside the cycling world. As an "hybrid" athlete myself I've always wondered if it would be worth it to specialize in one discipline instead of always compromising. I have no injury issues though, but I'm also more of a bodybuilder than a powerlifter and barely lift super heavy.

[@APEcycling]

Realistically no one rlly cares about muscle outside the world of bodybuilding etc. VO2max is way more important for overall health. As for The Alpe Ape, he’s never wanted muscle and always competed at lower weight categories relative to his height. He’s now pretty annoyed at himself for gaining it in the first place as it’s making him slower up climbs. But yh depends what your goals are.

[@sigfreed11]

You going to do IndieVelo racing??

[@rotation-y2n]

Myonuclei coming in clutch

[@ericb7937]

Zone 2 training only way to do 12 hours per week

[@coolkid8608]

12h indoor is like 20h outdoor my guy

[@user-ur5vw1gi4v]

So at 0:38 you're at 195BPM and you don't have any sweat or any sign of fatigue ?

[@APEcycling]

Haha ur fuming

[@user-ur5vw1gi4v]

Always better than muting answers. KZbin has become a business for the sharks@@APEcycling

[@benalze]

what calendar is this? (5:00)

[@APEcycling]

Training Peaks

[@micoschuermann3169]

We didnt add an Kalorie deficit but he lost weight? Even if Its Muscle mass, Its immpossible

[@APEcycling]

I said we didn’t “focus” on it. You can still lose muscle mass with a calorie surplus.

[@micoschuermann3169]

@@APEcycling But than you would gain fat? It is physically impossible to lose weight while eating more calories than you are burning so it just doesnt Make Sense if he lost weight, he Must have been in a deficit

[@APEcycling]

You could lose the muscle mass at a faster rate than the fat gain, resulting in a lower total bodyweight. He could be at caloric maintenance and maintain the bodyfat and bc the muscle isn’t in use it will slowly come off. His bodyfat didn’t change much so was prob at maintenance.

[@derekpau064]

What is his height?

[@APEcycling]

172cm morning, 171cm evening

[@planttheseed2129]

How tall is he?

[@williamwyn]

5' on all fours and 5'5'' on his hind legs

[@APEcycling]

172cm in AM, 171cm in PM

[@axelHAB58]

234W for 20 min ? It's sure that big progression is predictable 😅

[@phatphish3855]

How many bananas does the Alpe Ape consume daily?

[@APEcycling]

The Alpe Ape's banana consumption directly correlates with the average power for his training ride of the day. For example if his training ride has an average power of 200W, he will eat 200 bananas on that day.

[@HeyWattsUpCycling]

what the hell is zone 2? whats that % of HR max?

[@APEcycling]

Showed the power zones in the vid Usually between 65-80% max HR but can vary

[@darkbread6401]

Cancer training

[@user-ur5vw1gi4v]

Pogacar's coach said that over 30W FTP gains in a few months is basically the result of detrained into well trained. Your guy is at 100W. in 3 months there's nothing to see here. Clickbait.

[@APEcycling]

How is it clickbait? All the rides are available to see on Strava. Been open with all info including training history etc. I’ve seen loads of untrained people gain over 30W in 3 months. I’ve seen trained people (not detrained) gain over 30 new watts in 3months.

[@user-ur5vw1gi4v]

I'm in a Swiss Triathlon Club. I train with people doing podiums on half Ironmans, I train with Theo Lachat 1st in his catgeory (25-29) in Iron-Man Mont tremblant quebec. We're are 80-100 high quality triathletes (not pros, some like Theo have locals sponsors). I've never seen such progress among all athletes in the club, in every age (youngs 16yo competitioners included). I'm simply fed up of these internet made videos simply to create trafic and earn money on credulous people. It's a trend and a vicious one. The best triathletes in the club started at the very least 6 years earlier, some have been swimmers for the swiss team, some have won some local bike races... I've never ever seen someone doing these internet progresses. So on one hand there are the unknown coache and unknown athletes with aliens gains. On the other there are real pro coaches and my training partners which all made / explain rational gains. Which one is right ?@@APEcycling

[@APEcycling]

All his rides are on strava with heart rate data, I don’t understand what part of it you are saying is fake/clickbait? He literally gained 100W in 14 weeks the proof is right there. I also get annoyed about videos online claiming X gains but don’t show any of the proof of ride data like we have. We just thought it would be interesting to log his cycling progress as he transitioned from weightlifting. I was ASKED to do this video by people in comments. Obviously you haven’t seen this rate of progress from people that are already training in cardio sports, he came from weightlifting so was detrained from cardio hence why his starting power is low compared to his finishing power. We were also very open about his childhood competitive swimming, and cross country races. We have both competed in multiple sports from county to national level (seems to be a higher level than what you are talking about, and yet you are calling us unknown athletes compared to you??). I have competed at national triathlon and have a BSc in Physiology from a prestigious UK University, we are not random people making up stuff on the internet. Did you even watch the video? I’m really confused about what part you think we are lying about.

[@buttlesschap]

If doing 4x strength sessions per wk (squat, Deadlift, Ohp), is it better to do 45-60 mins at 75% ftp or 90 mins at 65%? I am pretty time crunched so the 65-75% ftp bike sessions usually are right after the lifting or like 2hrs later after food as well. On lifting rest days ill do one sweetspot interval session and one vo2 max. Then a weekend 2hr z2 ride outside.

[@APEcycling]

Depends what your goals are