Half Monty FTP

Training
#1

New Sufferfest user here - and I love it. I’m still in my two week free trial and have been poking around with different rides/workouts. Today I went with the Half Monty so I could get some baseline stats to work from. In full disclosure, this was my first structured ramp test - ever - so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. That said, I thought the test went fine until I got my FTP. It was 40! I’m a fit 60 year old cyclist, have done several other FTP tests in the past and most come out around 190w +/- 10w. I followed the instructions precisely and quit when I thought I could no longer hold the power, but maybe I quit too early? The power reading fluctuations were making it difficult to keep power matched.

Anyhow, anyone else have this happen? Any insights from the community?

Thanks much!

Steve

#2

Do you see anything abnormal in your workout summary (graphs, averages,…)?
Has your trainer been calibrated after installing your bike? Would be good to do it again in any case.
Did you, prior to the ramp test, input any values in your profile? And in the workout settings in the app?

#3

Honestly, I’m not sure what something abnormal would look like. Trainer was calibrated just prior to the test and I did input na FTP of 190 into my profile. I’m definitely going to ride it again. I think I may have just bailed too early on the ramps.

#4

I just did a HM today. I know that the instructions demand that you stop AS SOON AS you can’t hold the prescribed power, but I agree… that can be tricky with the fluctuations. Were you gassed at the end?

Even with Power Smoothing enabled, give yourself a little leeway… if you’re not struggling and it dips under the target for a few seconds but you can immediately bring it back up, keep going. I typically quit when I’m more than 3-4 watts under the target for more than 4 or 5 seconds and it’s clear I’m unable to sustain the wattage.

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#5

@SteveS, can you post a screenshot of your power profile during the ramp?

It does sound like something has gone wrong in the data capture or the calculation. What MAP did you get?

How did the 20 minute constrained effort in HM go? Were you able to hold your heart rate in the required zone for the full 20 minutes?

Finally, from the ramp tests I’ve done, I’ve found I have an idea of when the end is coming. I can usually squeeze out another 10 seconds or so, but either the breathing or the legs are about to say that enough is enough. I do use ERG mode, so I don’t have to manage the power myself, but I think as long as you push until you know you’re done, then it’s a reasonable ramp test. A few little blips below target power (as @ggeiselman says) shouldn’t matter, as long as they’re just fluctuations, and you’re able to get back to the target power.

#6

MAP was 77. The constrained effort went fine. It told me to hold between 132-137 and I was able to do that, but it only required 97 watts, which seemed low (but it kept saying - we know you can go harder, but don’t!).

This was my first ever ramp test and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Now I know and I think the second try will go much smoother.

Here’s the Power Profile:

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Thanks for all the feedback!

#7

While I’m not an expert… yeah, those results should not have yielded an FTP of 40. You could ask the minions to take a look at the file, but perhaps it’s easiest to just give it a day or two and do another Half Monty. If nothing else, you’ll know what to expect this time re: the process.

#8

Hey @SteveS. The results makes sense to me. Your MAP is 77 therefore I would expect your FTP to be in the region of 55. (divide by 1.4 etc). The bigger question is your MAP result. I would expect you to maintain a much higher number in the ramp test as your FTP is 190!

You should be able to get to the circa 253 watt on the ramp test. From looking at the Power bests you did not reach these numbers. In fact you reached your highest numbers before the ramp proportion of the test.

To gauge my performance I keep working until I atleast get close to my max heart rate. (If I cant get close this is a sign I am fatigued.) However this approach is not perfect as I believe I am using this as a target as opposed to just giving it my all. What is your Max heart rate. Can you sent a picture of that section?

Don’t be too concerned about hitting the exact wattage it is alot harder without ERG mode. I actually think a full frontal test is better if you dont have ERG mode… So… you could try the Full Frontal test. It is a walk in the park…promise… If you have ever wondered why the app is called sufferfest. You won’t after the FF test.

#9

Read the following article on ramp test. I am sure Sufferfest have a similar one also…

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/understanding-ftp-and-how-to-perform-your-own-test-indoors/#:~:text=The%20ramp%20test%20estimates%20FTP,use%20roughly%2075%20per%20cent).

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#10

I agree that an FTP of 40 based on a MAP of 77 is realistic… but I don’t understand how that test could yield a MAP of 77. Shouldn’t a “Power Best” of 135w over 5 minutes be a better indicator of MAP?

#11

Reading everything here, I think I just flubbed the test. Here’s my power curve from a session I did two days prior called ‘Getting Away with It’. As you can see, much more power and I should have been able to generate more power on the Monty. I will rest up and try it again.

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#12

I think the power best over 135w over 5 min. Occurred outside of the ramp section and at the warm up to the Half Monty test. So was not taken into consideration.

#13

What trainer, and if smart, did you have ERG enabled?

#14

It’s a CycleOps Hammer (1st gen). I did not use ERG - I thought the instructions said to turn it off?

#15

New to Sufferfest also but as I recall (a long month ago) the HM is ERG for the first portion and then level for the last.

I do definitely recall that HM results were much lower than my 4DP results. You might want to just do the 1 week training plan for FF and leap in. I spent 3 weeks thinking “surely this has to get harder.” And it did. :roll_eyes:

#16

It’s possible you didn’t get enough ramp steps in for it to properly calculate your MAP. From memory, you need to complete at least five steps in the ramp for HM to be able to calculate MAP.

I’ve normally done the ramp part in ERG mode, and then move to level mode for the constrained HR section.

#17

The instructions here are clear. ERG mode for the Ramp part of the test. Level mode for the recovery and constrained part of the test.

#18

Yup. I goofed on that.

#19

I sent a note to the Minions. They got back to me quickly (on a Sunday!) There was an issue with the way I set up my power meter. It affected the results of the test. I’ve got instructions on how to do it properly next go round. Thanks for all the help!

Steve

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#20

Sounds like you need to do it again asap :wink: