If you can do 9h without a little puke in your mouth, your numbers are too low. If you actually puke, your numbers are too high. This theory has been confirmed with Violator, the Kilo in Omnium, Tool Shed, and The Shovel.
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Well said, @SirAlexanderLee . Another anecdote here. When I began my way up towards my previous fitness level I said to my girlfriend: āIām going to really force myself hard to my old numbers by using my previous 4DP resultsā. After 6 weeks of (well there are no words to describe it, I experienced things that surpasses Suffering) easy rides that where mediocre, mediocre rides that where hard, and hard rides that where impossible to complete I said: āThisā¦? Never again!ā
Sometimes I honestly saw almost nothing, the only thing I saw was my cadence. Ha and the noise I madeā¦ Man, I sounded like a Sufferlandrian beast roaring. There was one moment that my girlfriend was in a online-meeting in the next room when her co-worker said: āmaybe you should support your Sufferlandrian boyfriendā¦ā
Really good and nice memories but relentlessly painful!
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I concur. I did Omnium yesterday (tougher than I thought it would be 10 weeks into plan) and Tool Shed(mash up) tomorrow. Itās already playing on my mind
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I do believe my FTP. Since Iāve updated it Iāve found it very hard to achieve some targets. It does magnify my weakness which is recovering after MAP. I nail my time trail efforts and other endurance workouts but when Iām in the extreme red for too long I need more recovery. I could get through these MAP workouts before but now with my update Iām failing. Itās discouraging but I know will eventually adapt and meet my targets(hopefully!!)
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Keep on working at it and you will get there @HoneeG! Are you following a plan at the minute?
Also, if you do find the numbers to be a little too out of reach, you can adjust the MAP target and make it 5% lower for a MAP focussed workout. At the end of the day we want you to go through pain, misery and agony but itās important you experience honour, glory and victory at the end of the workout to keep your motivation running high!
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Well, as from today, I can say that I train with the accurate 4DP targets. Just finished FullFrontal. FTP up by 13, MAP up by 5, AC up by 4, NM down by 29. Last test was beginning of October.
Training was aimed not not loose to much fitness after a small break end of September. It succeeded. Im happy.
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Iām finding the same. Tougher MAP/AC workouts are seriously pushing my limits and Iāve failed to complete some of the sessions on target - but not by a long way, so Iām not too disappointed.
I may try reducing MAP intensity a little midway through sessions where I know Iām likely to crack at 100%. At least I know my 4DP numbers are the best I could achieve at the time. I certainly wouldnāt want to raise them just yet!
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After testing, do we need to delete and reload any future scheduled plans to utilise the adjusted numbers? Or does it automatically pull through?
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Iād like to know that!
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After doing the Full Frontal Test, all your scheduled workouts will use the new and updated 4DP metrics. No need to reload your plan(s).
But; if your new 4DP metrics include a change in rider profile with new strengths and weaknesses, a reloaded plan (delete and reapply) could lead to different workouts that cater to your specific profile.
Half Monty generally only updates your FTP, MAP and LTHR, which means going forward with your āold plansā will always be fine.
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Great to know, thanks! My first FF coming up next week, so might need a reload to make sure the plan fits with the as yet unassigned rider type etc.
So if I reload the tour I will get some easier workouts ( I wish)
Hi,
Iāve recently done an HM as Iāve upgraded my hardware (new PM). I plan to do the FF in 3 weeks. My new 4DP numbers are:
FTP 177, MAP 233, AC 226 and NM 414.
AC canāt be lower than MAP so what do you advise I should I edit it to please.
Thank you for your help.
Monthly ok?
Then theyāre definitely current 
Iām guessing you were dying a thousand deaths in that one minute of AC hell!!
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That AC number is not just your one minute power, it is also a measure of how well you recover from repeated efforts. What does the test say your weakness is?
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Iāve not done a FF yet. From personal experience I would say that Iām a time triallist - Iāve never had a sprint and never won a point in a circuit race or road race.
Iām half way through the Kickstarter plan and have a FF scheduled for the end of it.
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Based on the SUF science and collected data on 4DP, a male with your FTP will have an AC between 228 and 508. You might want to take a peak at this training article Why You Should Drop FTP and Train with 4DP ā The Sufferfest
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Hi Rob - youāre right to manually set the missing numbe (AC) as having not done FF, itās just an estimate.
Glen has shown the data ārangeā so maybe just pick thr half way point of that until such time as you do a FF (which would be 368 i guess). And if you then do AC workouts where thatās just silly, manually adaprt it until that FF comes along ā¦ fun times ahead 
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Iām wondering about the upper advisable limit of 4DP testing. For example, if you tested every 2 weeks, youād spend half your time either tapering or recovering instead of doing hard workouts. Maybe 4 weeks? Under what circumstances is it better to manually tweak the numbers instead of testing?
I ask because Iām seeing easy beginner gains. I got a smart trainer and started indoor cycling for the first time in mid-December. Past cycling experience consisted of 15 minute commutes, but I used to be a runner. I wasnāt in great shape because I had been nursing a sprained ankle for a few months. I found the Sufferfest workouts so effective that they would start to feel too easy very quickly (like 2-3 weeks) after each test.
Timeline:
First ride on Dec 16
FF on Jan 1: FTP 151, MAP 177, AC 251, NM 510 (Iām 56kg & female)
HM on Jan 9: FTP 172, MAP 213 (but I stood for the last bit, didnāt know you shouldnāt); also manually moved AC to 275 and NM to 550
Jan 16: Failed during the last section of ISLTA
Jan 31: Completed The Tool Shed at 100%
I would have retested in early Feb, but I decided to instead do ToS at 100% with the expectation that this would be equivalent to doing it at 90% with accurate numbers. So far (after Day 4), ToS hasnāt felt too hard.
My goal is basically to maximize improvement during Covid times. So if you were me, how often would you test? How would you slot extra tests into a 12-week plan like All-Purpose Road? All-Purpose Road has HM at the midpoint and FF at the end, but not every plan includes tests. Or enjoy easy workouts? Pick 4 week plans? Tweak numbers manually in between tests?