How to Raise Your FTP, Full Workouts and Training Plan

I go in depth on how to raise your FTP. Every kind of workout you do from the low intensity endurance to the short high intensity intervals brings up your FTP to some degree. The difference is the rate at which they bring it up and how sustainable that rate is. Raising your FTP is also as much about having a properly written plan as it is about having properly written workouts. In this video I go over what a training month and week should look like as well as individual threshold building workouts. Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe for more training tips!
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The views and opinions expressed in this video are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Carmichael Training Systems, Inc, their sponsors, and/or partners.

[@remongrabu]

Thank you for generously sharing knowledge and insight! You don't beat around the bush, episodes are just the right length, easy to digest and understand. Thanks, coach!

[@peterwilson1831]

solid and straight to the point no-nonsense, zero-hype training advice!

[@jpolchlopek]

Really impressed with the quantity and quality of your content man. Subscribed. Keep it up!

[@StevieOnHisBike]

Love the simplicity. Plain science based sense. Thanks. (P.S. "Share with a friend" - no bleeding chance, you're my secret weapon :D)

[@pstizz23]

Really liked the point of keeping these workouts simple!!! In direction at least.

[@EdwardRivas1]

You're making some great videos, Dylan. You had me at quoting Dr. Seiler and Dr. Rønnestad and other researchers in your videos. Fighting bro science, one citation at a time.

[@jsbrink56]

Thanks! You've saved me from the temptation of following complex plans. Clear and straightforward and to the point - very nice.

[@williamerb3747]

Maybe I’m slow to catch on but the first two minutes clicked on the lightbulb regarding training and building to an event. It’s amazing how when someone puts complex scientific constructs into plane English it makes sense. Thank you for not trying to impress us with your mastery of trainer language. Excuse me while I subscribe and like....

[@zellozeleny3263]

best 13:39 minutes i have ever spent on the internet. somehow i feel almost obligated to give you my money for how much value you put into this video, thank you

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Thanks Zello. Just watching the video all the way through and leaving a friendly comment is payment enough.

[@rascal1234]

Love your snarky impressions. A lot of them sounds like stuff I used to say, before I got a coach.

[@robertolsen9721]

Great content Dylan! I'm a 51 year old man that started road cycling last year, but have trained since I was 20 but not endurance. It's good to know that all training will increase ftp and that is what I'm seeing, my 19 km to work seems to do something. I just started with intervals and concentrating on 4×4 and 30 sec intervals and also started to attend spinning classes, those are easy in the sence I don't have think anything just do the job. I have a goal to get 300 watts on a 4×4 then I'm quite happy, right now im my early stage of intervals its about 250 watts

[@Nobleazure]

Great video, answered so many questions I had. Between you and Tom Bell, I am learning so much even though you both contradic each other a little. I would love to see you and Tom go head to head in a Zwift race!

[@iLuVxJaWzZ]

Dylan your videos are absolutely brilliant! You are always straight to the point and you back yourself with actual science (which by the way is lacking too often even with cycling coaches). If you keep uploading content like that, you'll sure get a ton of followers. Now I have one question for you: what about VO2Max training? I'm sure you could do another entire video on the subject and it would as good as this one! Like when is it best to start a VO2Max block in the season, what are the benefits of such training blocks, what does an actual workout build looks like (e.g. how many 3 mins intervals @ 95% of VO2Max should you do), etc. Again, great work!!

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Thank you! I would start VO2max training 2 months before you want to be in peak shape. VO2max training will bring your fitness up quickly but you also maximize the potential fitness gains you get from them quickly. I would shoot for 10 to 25 minutes of VO2max work in a session. I know that's a big range but it very much depends on your ability level. I would also match the rest interval to the work interval. A great example of this is 4x4minutes with 4 minutes between. For these intervals your goal should be to try to average the highest possible power during the intervals. If you do it right the last one should be almost as high as the first one but it shouldn't be easy to get through it.

[@unknownKnownunknowns]

@@DylanJohnsonCycling Thank you. I do these 4x4s 1-2 per week all year. Is that a mistake? Also, should we aim for standard 85-95 cadence or a higher cadence, higher heart rate witj same power output?

[@fastleopard1]

Great video. Thanks for the explanation about volume in conjunction with interval or tempo work!

[@luftatmer]

I would appreciate a “how to raise your VO2max”-video Basically a video of similar structure to this one, but about high intensity training as you called it (all the stuff sub 5min)

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great idea

[@goaskdra]

Really appreciate the info. and like the way you do your recap. Thanks

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Training plans available here: www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/dylanjohnsontraining#trainingplans

[@Servicevelo]

Brilliant and clear tutorial. Always backed up with sound research too.

[@jamiesutto]

I seem a little late to the party. As an exercise physiologist turn M.D. this is good content. Evidenced based training regimens are always preferable to anecdotal planning. You provide info at appropriate levels of understanding. Well done!

[@shauncook7706]

Dylan, this is a really great video. The part about overly complex intervals made me laugh ! I've had great results sticking to simple interval days targeting either FTP or vo2 max, but I was reading through 'cycling and training with a power meter' recently and a lot of the workouts in workout appendix are just like you described as an example of complex FTP workouts ie "30 mins zone 1, 5 sprints for 10 seconds , 2*10 min sweet spot , 3*6 min vo2 max, few more sprints etc" I was getting so overwhelmed and questioning what I had been doing in my training so far but this video reminded me I was doing it right and to keep things simple !

[@BFinesilver2]

I'm using the same book. I'm doing the 16 week plan and am on week 13. I had great gains from it, but the structure is really wacked...like having you do anaerobic/Vo2max intervals 3 days in a row and also having insane long rides with crazy intensities that are impossible to do unless you are a pro (and not the level of the examples given to do this in the book). Interested to know your thoughts on that book. As for training my FTP, I realize that Vo2 max training with short enough intervals increases your FTP faster than traditional threshold intervals. I have a ling term plan after this block. I will do the following interval blocks first... 5 min tempo/20s bursts, 30/30, 1/1, 2/2, 4/4 I'll then use the same wattages as the previous blocks to do: 2.5min tempo/20s bursts 30/15, 1/30s, 2/1, 4/2 After that, I'll keep the wattages for the 4/2, but increase rest to equal on and off, adding 10s per week over multiple blocks until I can't improve. After that, I'll drop it a little and extend to 20 mimutes.

[@phxrsx]

Ive been doing short hard efforts and wondering why my FTP hasn't gone up. I'm finding these longer threshold sessions are making me so much stronger so much faster.

[@jhl5303]

I have this experience also. Wonder why, anyone?

[@syrus3k]

LSD. Long slow distance.

[@MrVictorc12345]

Fantastic. I really enjoyed the guy who wore his hat backwards.

[@messi9991]

Amazing video! I especially liked the summary at the end (though maybe some bullet points overlay-ed on the video would have been great to take notes) and how direct this is. I have research an awful lot about this topic now, and I can genuinely say that this rather concise video including study references is phenomenal, thank you!

[@MoneyMakerRealty]

You should pair with zwift and make your own traing plans that would keep us going through the year. ( winter ) weights and volume ) pre season ( high intensity ) and appropriate rest and a faze out in the fall ( maybe recreational longer slower rides )

[@jatinmaharao6888]

Dylan is so expressive. Thank you for the videos. Simple n informative.

[@mavknight211]

Thank you for the information! Keep it up. 👌

[@Oslerian]

best pearls of wisdom available!

[@cadumgarcia]

Solid video! If you could talk about ways to prevent injuries (knee/back), if its important to do stretch work or core.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great video topic idea. Thanks.

[@ManofSteele41]

Nice video, Dylan. I would add that progressive overload isn't the only "proper" way to plan a training block. See Ronnestadt's 2012 paper on block periodization.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Video on block periodization coming soon! You are absolutely right. There is actually a ton of science in support of block periodization, I just wanted to save all that information for another video.

[@wesfree]

Fabulous insights and well researched, too - thanks! I found the answer to my earlier question by perusing your responses in the comments in some of your other terrific vids. This leads me to conclude that many other athletes were suffering from the same lack of clarity when it comes to "zones". The problem, of course, is which Zone model is being referenced? A three zone system? A five zone system? A six or seven zone system? It's a mess! I would recommend that you should rather adhere to describing workout segments as a percent of FTP in future, which will eliminate this rampant confusion. In this way, Zone 2 in one model (Tempo) cannot be confused for Zone 2 in another model (Endurance). Rather, doing intervals, for example would be specified as 4x10 @ 105% of FTP, followed by two hours of Endurance @ 70% of FTP. I, for one, would find this much easier to follow. Thanks for you content!

[@torbis75]

I think it was clearyfying that he in one video said. You should aim to do your intervalls, regardless of form ( 4x4, 4x8, 4x10 etc) as hard as you can, but with no drop to your performance in the last intervall. Rather a slight increase. I use to start a little low in the intervalls and feel my way up to what I can sustain for the intervalls I have decided to do ;-).

[@Phil-dx8rw]

thanks for the upfront, honest quality video

[@ricf9592]

I confess to following no plan at all. I train on a kind of instinct, following principles. For overload sessions I ensure I'm fresh enough to hit them hard enough to make them work. That's pretty basic. But I'm happy to operate steady for days at a time waiting for that feeling of having that something extra in the tank in order to do the extra work. Progress is shown by the better numbers combined with a near instant recovery. I use the numbers as proof of correct training, rather than chasing the numbers per se. There's the whole mix in there. Distance, hills, volumes nudged in all areas over time. Macro and micro cycles and sometimes nothing at all. It's a fun experiment.

[@Cruzzazzerardo]

What's your opinion about Sweetspot vs FTP intervals? Some say that there is little added benefit in terms of training adaptations in doing FTP intervals compared to SS and that actually SS intervals could be more beneficial because they are less taxing on the body and so you can spend more time in the zone. Do you still think that FTP intervals have added benefit or could one choose to switch directly from Sweetsport training to suprathreshold and VO2 efforts?

[@gloria4819]

Very interesting video, thanks for the advice 🔝💪

[@stancole5833]

Great video, very helpful., thanks.

[@alexcheloo786]

gold info, subscribed !

[@sc0608023]

Prob would've still been doing those nonsense Zwift workout plans without enlightenment from you. Thank you!

[@chsciclismo]

Excellent stuff!!!

[@kirkshammett94]

So I went from having an FTP of around 249 around January 2020. Then by around July to august I had worked very hard and gotten my ftp up to about 335. My issue now is that I have continued cycling after crit racing was over and really have never let up. The only difference is I’m not doing my very high intensity weekly group rides that I was doing over summer time. Anyways my issue is that my FTP has slightly decreased in the off-season to around 320-325. I find it very hard now to get the gains I had made back. What could I do differently. I’m really hoping to hit an ftp of around 350 this summer?

[@niccopolo]

Great video, interesting topic. Thanks

[@hebrews11vs5]

Listen guy, I'm also tired from my session. So let's hit the gym together for a few hours - leg day like everyday right? But let's try and keep it in zone 9 all the time. We can take some extra strength double vegan brotein whey protein in the cupcake flavor so we can be instantly fully recovered and then on the way home, if you don't mind, I'll give you a lead out on that segment so you can try again at getting your kom back.

[@maapandmag]

Hey Dylan, I m a big fan of your videos and I ve learned a lot. Now I would like to know what are the important training points of the weekend s long tide. I also would like to know more about the low pace/low heart rate training, how it has to be done and what are the benefits of it. Thanks for all the tips!

[@adammillsindustries.]

This guy is absolute dope! Tells you exactly what to do in simple terms! I can’t wait to see more videos.

[@JasonSmith-ue6sg]

Thanks for a great video, i also liked your review of the Zwift workouts, and learning how things don’t need to be so complicated.

[@seanlynchcycling8044]

New subscriber. Seems like great content. I'm currently doing the "New Competitor" from Chris's book "The Time Crunched Cyclist". Keep up the content please👍

[@SteveT__001]

Great information and thanks for sharing, one question - when you say target 95-100% of FTP for your threshold intervals, I always thought that they should be done at 95 -105%? This might seem nit picky but do you think I should not go above 100%?

[@andrewcorrie8936]

Always worth stating that FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power and that it's the average power output you can maintain for an hour.

[@JoshuaTootell]

Not exactly. It is not "one hour". Could be anywhere between 40-70 minutes.

[@MrDicedPotato]

⁠it’s 1hr

[@XX-is7ps]

Joshua is correct, go look at Coggan etc, FTP time is not fixed and can be extended via TTE work. It is the power at which lactate is below second inflection point, and only approximates to 40-70 minutes, not one hour exactly

[@marcdaniels9079]

⁠@@XX-is7ps Yada yada. It’s staggering how cyclists are so pedantic and love to argue about anything and everything. For all intents and purposes FTP IS the one hour power figure.

[@unktopia]

As a newbie thanks for the permission to do anything to boost my FTP. Seriously though I'll try and take some of your advice onboard as well.

[@Rotoped64]

Great video, but please, do something with the sound. That echo kills it!!!

[@BobKimball]

Love this video - so much wisdom packed in here. If I'm coming off a period of inactivity (injury or otherwise), is it sensible to tilt toward higher intensity work for the first 2-3 months since you'll see the quickest gains that way, then taper off to a 80/20 polarized plan once the improvements plateau? Or is it always better to build strength and endurance in tandem?

[@FlyWithMe_666]

Great content as always, Dylan! Question: 7:05 - if the intervals are «only» at 95% - 100% of the FTP for a total of 30 min, how does this increase the FTP (which is based on a 60 min effort)? I.e. shouldn’t the intervals be above 100% of the FTP (like 105%-110% of FTP) if the total effort is below 60 min to go out of your 60 min threshold zone and progress?

[@arvind3986]

Hey Dylan! Great video as always. I just need some clarification. I don't own a power meter or hr monitor. What should riding at ftp feel like?

[@MrBandido45]

What Dylan is saying works. I use a similar training method and I am currently a cat 3 but can punch above my weight usually always top 10 in pro 1-2-3 races. The training program I used is from the book time crunch cyclist. But Dylan is 100% on the dot I would love to have him as my trainer. 💪💪💪💪

[@shitbagg]

Hello Dylan. Love your videos!! I have a question to something you mention in the video. You say that you sometimes add hours of endurance to the end of your ride when you're done with intervals. How many hours are we talking? Would 2-4 hours be okay or is that way too much? The thing is I have time available to ride about 10-15hours a week, but sometimes the weather simply sucks too much in Denmark to go out. So if the weather is good only 3 days in a week, could I do intervals 2 of those days but also get a lot of endurance work done afterwards, or is that not a good way to do it?

[@dhldt1021]

It’s a good question, because when I have 5 or 6 hours to ride, I want to know is it better to focus on one energy system and keep it Z2, or start with high intensity for the first 1.5 hours and then finish with Z2 - would you still be benefitting two energy systems, or better to focus on one. My last few 4-5 hour rides have all been only Z2, and then some high intensity on other days

[@maelinerodrigues5684]

I'm very thankfull for your hard work! Hope u have the success u desserve Dylan!! Some questions here: how To improve sprinter qualities? Or neuromuscular power and anaerobic power? Does FTP raises improve does qualities by block periodisation or regular training? Or do you need specific work like 30sec sprints - 30 secs rest intervals?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Thanks! FTP training will improve your sprint but if you want to maximize your potential you will need to do sprint specific work like 30/30s, 10 second sprints, 1 minute intervals etc.

[@MrHansBattle]

Dude you're killen it! Keep it up.

[@shay9732]

Good stuff!

[@curvenut]

Very good mteil ! But you should put more drawing in order to vizualize all the talking . It makes easeier to see the whole picture

[@bobbafett1971]

I own a food cart estaurant bar....work over 60 hours a week. And have to do indoor for training...just to get more endurance and speed. Nit racing. Living in PNW...a short 30 mile is around 3000ft climbing. Near Impossible to do a zone 2.

[@mrsalmon123456789]

Such an informative video, as always! I was wondering what there was much correlation between CTL and FTP and if they both decrease at the same rate during time off the bike? Cheers!

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

This is a topic for a whole video. The answer is yes and no. You do need CTL to gain fitness but at a certain point gaining more CTL won't bump up your FTP. Also during the months before racing my CTL may actually be lower because my volume is lower but my FTP is higher because I am doing more intervals. If CTL were a true measure of fitness then optimal training would be to ride tempo all day every day because that would give you a high CTL. As you probably know this is not the best way to train.

[@mrsalmon123456789]

@@DylanJohnsonCycling Awesome, thanks for the reply!

[@alexanderkock7576]

Thank U for the information.... Greetings from sunny island Aruba.

[@PockyGameLover]

Hi Dylan! Great video, thanks a lot :) I was wondering, what should you focus on during the months prior to the ones where you do FTP? What I mean by that is, when would you include VO2 max or short sprints? (I race shorter races) Thanks!

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Thanks Eli! Start including VO2 and short sprints around 2 months before the time that you want to be in peak shape.

[@marcuspartridge11]

Hey Dylan, quick question. You've mentioned that doing HIIT intervals to increase your FTP will bump up your threshold quickly, but that you'll maximize these benefits quickly...does that mean you'll peak and then get a decrease in threshold fitness?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

In many cases yes, it depends on how well trained you are. For highly trained athletes often a plateau is followed by a decrease in fitness.

[@mikecoglione1308]

Wow thanks for sharing. This is really hard. I was considering hiring a coach for structured training regimen as all my friends are doing so but upon seeing how complicated the process involved I'm happy to leave some performance on the table yikes this is so involved it takes the whole fun of riding completely away!

[@scottphillips5677]

Friendly video production note I learned - generally, if you're talking towards the left, there should be more space on the left side of the screen than the right. Maybe the framing doesn't work to adjust the shot, but you could talk towards the right standing in the same place.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Thanks Scott! Noted.

[@mindciller]

20 minute intervals. 10 minute intervals. 15 minute intervals. take your pick

[@alexienc]

Thanks a lot bro , very appreciate your training plan

[@Tom_Smeets]

It might be a silly question but you said at 6:00 that the goal of Z2 is to teach the body to use fat as energy rather than glycogen. But glycogen is restored by carbohydrates right? Would that mean that if I replenish with carbs during those long rides that I miss out a bit on the overall goal? I was under the assumption that when I was in Z2 that fats were being used anyway as there is less lactate buildup etc due to lower intensity. Not sure if I mix things up here but more info on nutrition or this topic might be helpful. Thank you !

[@damiancooper3403]

Solid evidence based approach. I wish more parents would employ the advice instead of seeing them over training their kids to breaking point. Maybe you have some dos and don’ts when it comes to age groups?

[@HasnMia-k8s]

Young Eric Thomas Betty Martinez William

[@stevenweir4204]

Great video again Dylan! Is it OK if a key weekly interval session also ends up being my weekly long ride? I tend to ride 1hr chaingang with my local club on a Saturday but tag on mileage before to make this my long ride. I run long on Sundays so would have to drop the Club rides otherwise

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Perfectly fine if that's how you get in your hours. When you aren't with the group I'd back it down to zone 2.

[@duanesamuel8741]

The only time I can find time to train during the week is at night after the family has gone to bed. Any downsides to this?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

They've shown that the optimal time of day for performance is the afternoon. That being said most people are still at work during this time. You may be slightly more tired for the workout or have a little bit harder time falling asleep but if you get used to it then it shouldn't be much of an issue.

[@marcuspartridge11]

Duane, yeah I have a similar situation. I find that getting up super early works for me. I'm usually up by 4:45 and on the bike by 5 or 5:15 a.m. Not fun, but gets it done. Coffee and Cinnamon Toast Crunch helps!

[@alexeyalexandrov7583]

Thanks for the video. Two questions: 1) What about intensity around 105% of of FTP (sessions like 4 x 10 min)? Is it considered as high intensity and should be done closer to race season or still FTP training? 2) What should I do if I already had 2 months of intensive training? Take 2 weeks of rest and return to endurance training?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

4x10 at 105% are great intervals to do. That's still in the realm of threshold. As far as what you should do with your training now it really depends on what you have coming up and when you want to be in peak shape.

[@mattparsons6487]

I know you’re probably right in what you say but... makes me so depressed that I do ALL the things you not to do like hard 1 hour sessions everyday but have no time for base miles 😭

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Check my fast on 6 hours a week video!

[@DP-sh3nk]

Thanks Dylan!!!

[@razorree]

how about doing 4x 10-15mins intervals above your FTP? like ~105%

[@elonif4125]

Sounds like very good training. I don’t know what the science has to say but I would be very surprised if it doesn’t increase FTP.

[@robinhawes8843]

Hi, you seem to favour the tempo 2x20min as the mid-level/fatigued interval session, are there any others that could work this way after a harder day? thanks

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

The types of intervals that you could do on a day 2 are endless and really depend on what you are training for. Just because it's the second day doesn't mean it needs to be low intensity per se but keep in mind that you may not make it through the whole interval set like when you are fresh.

[@tonycrabtree3416]

Your channel is awesome!

[@jongom9328]

I’m trying to build my base I guess to be able to do more miles in one ride but, I have limited time during the week to be on the trainer. I can do maybe 1.5 hours 3 times a week on the trainer/zwift and a long maybe 4 hour ride on a weekend ride. I have signed up for Gravel locos, unbound gravel and another gravel ride this year and worry I will not have the legs/endurance to complete the rides before I die. Any recommendations would help if you don’t mind. I’m just doing the endurance training plan on zwift now but, it seams off from how you recommend.

[@chesterules]

I paused the video at 5:42 and the TSS for this week seems very low. My last long ride (4 hour 18 minute my TSS was 444) with 44% in zone 1, 15% in zone 2, 7 % in zone 3, 7% in zone 4, 9% in zone 5 and 18% in zone 6. But this is based on an FTP I set on June 13th and I've been training 5 days a week (sometimes 6) since then, so my FTP is probably 10 or 20 watts higher now. My recovery rides are predominantly in zone 1 and for the most part are super easy. On Monday I do moderate to hard 15" sprints as leg openers before the group ride where I go as hard as I can. The rest of the week is a mash up of moderate intensity with some hard efforts sprinkled throughout and then the long ride on Friday or Saturday. The last group ride my TSS was 244 over 42 miles. Really like the channel, thanks for posting these vids!

[@royadamsptfmsk4585]

Dylan, I have questions on the FTP. So I am masters 60 yo and I returned to cycling after a 3 year hiatus and luckily stumbled on your videos right after I hit gravel and crashed while cornering on a ride breaking 2 ribs and stopping my outdoor biking. I have a wahoo Kickr and I was able to do a 20 minute FTP ride and came up with a level of 146 watts. Do you think this will be similar to what I would do outdoors? I will be working to get up to an hour FTP workout, but I need more base work as I only have 315 miles since March. I will say though that maintaining at 55% did feel good for an hour. In fact whether in the FTP ride or in my zone 2 rides, it seems I am slowest the first 1/3rd and best my last 3rd. Is that usual?

[@markczechalien3592]

Questions. We have this great 5.1 mile/1150 single track climb. Couls I use that for interval training? Say, 10 mins max and 5 mins easy? Been riding for 14 months. Thx, subscribed.

[@Ritch1e]

Hi Dylan, thanks for all your videos and your researches, I don't think I have come across other channels more useful. I discovered cycling March 2019, after a major surgery rehab. My first ftp test on a friend's wahoo trainer was a measly 109w after a few weeks into cycling, was 70kg at the time, currently 66. My ftp has been increasing slowly but was slow to move from 140 to 175w, was still 175w March 2020. Recently I had an increase of 25w to 197w (3w/kg is so so I supposed but potentially might keep going a bit more). Because of the lockdown at home training and fear of the virus I did not get out much to ride, turns out that was the fastest 25w increased in 2 months compare to my usual much harder outdoor efforts. In trying to find the answer, I end up discovering your channel. I now realized how over trained I was, no concept of rest days/easy z2/z1. After going through your ftp training suggestion videos. I now plan to do very basic plans, only 2-3 high efforts a week, 1 hard effort Saturday group ride at a local bike shop, one of 3x10min ftp/2x15min ftp interval on Tue, z3/z2 for Wed/Thu and occasionally z1 on Fri, will try to add a 3 hours z2 on a Sat/Sun. Will see where I will get to in the next 6 months. I'm not the youngest or the healthiest in term of existing medical conditions, I'm not yet 50 but only around the corner, though my heart rate is fairly high for my age, during recent ftp test I was at 180-182bpm in the last 10 minutes.

[@WellValUa]

hey, how is your cycling now?

[@JosephBenson-p3s]

Johnson Shirley Gonzalez Frank Lopez Ronald

[@nevilleschuit2953]

What would you consider a long ride? 1hour, 2 hours or 3 hours 😁😁

[@BertJacobs]

Hello, interesting video, like all of them !!! I'm a novice, ftp 227, and can ride long rides. I want to train for grand fondo's, and i think one intervalsession per week is okay for the moment. Should I do for this goal VO2max 4*4 at 110%, ore should i do the novice 3*10 and 3*15 intevals from this video. I'm doing sometimes the 4*4 at 110%. But i'm not shure this is the right way for me to evolve. I'm thinking the 3*10 are better for me maybe ?

[@ab-pe2zs]

Would you be able to comment on how one calculates a "long ride"? For example, I am training to try to stay with a group of riders that ride for approximately 3 hours at avg 30 km/h. My "long ride" indoor workouts thus far have been around 105 mins at around 75% of FTP, once per week. Any guidance / comment much appreciated.

[@thecarlosotom]

Hey Man! thanks for all the info, you are really clear and didactic. I´ve got this question, i figure out my Interval and Zone Load for a specific day, ok! but where i live takes me about 30 min riding to get to that climb, and 30 min back, i ride them as warm up and cool down, is that TOO MUCH? (Interval sesion might be 54 min.....) short explain (Ride out-30 min-Training Time 54min-Rida back-30 min= 1:54 hr....)

[@souhirchouikha3878]

Could you please cover this: does indoor training on the bike help progress cycling performance outdoors. (When the goal is long distance)

[@RealShawnhendrix]

Just started riding 2 weeks ago. I have low fitness. Thank you for pointing out I dont need to make it complicated just go ride

[@robertenglund89]

Hey Dylan! Thank you so much for all your great videos! I've been cycling for one year now and I am just starting to do structured workouts. Your videos has helped a lot in understanding how to do this. However, I do not have a power meter and I'm to poor to invest in one atm. Could you please do a video about how to structure interval workouts around your heart rate instead? Thanks! :)

[@torbis75]

If you do hills you can use the time to climb a certain hill as a "power meter", Decrease your time up the hill as "increased power"

[@WesternUranus]

Seems like I've been going way too hard with 10' intervals way above my FTP that take me about 20' minutes to recover from 😅 This spring is going to be so laid-back lmao

[@hebrews11vs5]

And yeah, Dylan is right: don't be that guy. What is the guy thinking? That this is the 18th century or something? For goodness sakes, get the wahoo element with live strava segments so you can be staring at the bike computer for the whole segment, including the traffic light in the middle, so you can see instantly if you got back your kom or not.... Or whether or not you got hit by a car by staring too heavily at the screen. But seriously I did have those strava live segments for a time it was real cool and I felt like a total strava soul. (if you say that last bit fast it sounds like something else). The live segment feature is analogous to hunting with a scope(the wahoo being the scope part and the hunt... Don't tell me I have to explain to you what hunting for a kom is) . More fun more accurate. It's a detailed look as it unfolds. At any minute: are you up 5 seconds? Down 5 seconds? (pardon the animal hurting analogy, perhaps we should call it binoculars and animal catch and release analogy to be most animal friendly)

[@valiantabello]

Thank you for your videos. So helpful.

[@pbarkin2]

Hi Dylan, great video. What zone should the rest periods be between work intervals? Zone 1, low Zone 2, sit on the side of the road? ;-) Also, if doing interval days 2x/wk (rest day in between) and then 1 super longride/wk (9-10 hrs in zone 2) after a rest day,, would it be ok to do 3 sets of 20min Threshold (10 min rest), then go straight into 3-4 sets of 30 min sweetspot intervals (7.5 min rest in between). I did one of these interval workouts this week and then finished up with 120 min of Zone 2. It was a tough workout but I was able to maintain in target zones.

[@NewEnglandDirtRoadie]

i just completed the 5th day of the first week of block periodization (going by heart rate), and i could barely get above AT (as calculated by 220 minus age, which seems to fit me pretty well). is that supposed to happen? i didn't even feel like my breathing was nearly at max

[@sasatrifunovski]

hello dylan - so happy to have stumbled upon to your channel - this is golden!! One question tho - how do you fuel for endurance rides? e.g. I had a ride last week of 4 hrs outdoors - zone 2 roughly, I ate 4 bars, 1 gel and 1 coffee + 1 bidon of water and 1 of electrolytes - felt amazing after that because I wasn't destroyed which was case last couple of years, but I feel I might've eaten too much?

[@danhaire3064]

Not sure if you'll see this question as your video is a couple years old now. At what rate do I add in progressive overload over say a 4 week cycle? So for example if I start with 3x10 mins intervals at 100% of FTP in week 1 session 1, what extra do I add on each session or each week?

[@robertwadsworth269]

Of the 100’s of cycling performance videos I have watched this was probably the simplest and to the point!. The best bit ‘common sense’! The one thing I was left wondering was ‘what sort of duration is a good endurance ride and what duration is just a bit of a waste of time? I’m assuming 2+ hours = good

[@grootjebbink]

I have a restweek coming up, but still thinking what to do. I do 2 days of 4 x 8 at 105% and 1 day off long ride that i raise every week. How should my restweek look like?