That’s great news. Here’s to the next 10% + 
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I have nothing to add here except that my very first FF is scheduled for next Sunday. I added the FF Prep Plan for this coming week, and…I’m actually afraid.
I’ve read most of the tips, and the prep guides, and various forum experiences. I have done a little practice in level mode with pretty mixed results. I think once FF kicks in I’ll forget everything and just fail…not exactly the stuff of the MTP. But it will be okay…right? Right?!
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#TUHNTF
Good luck. Primers - the day before - is a good one to do in Level Mode to get your final Level and Gear settings. Crush it! (And yes, you will feel crushed by it. But that will pass. Just takes a while …).
All that said remember it is just a fitness test. It’s easy to build it up into something more than it is.
Let us know how you go.
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That is probably the best thing I’ve read so far. Surprisingly effective words…thank you.
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Not original words - taken from so many others on this forum. It doesn’t take away the suffering, but it does put things into perspective and thus remove some of the mental anguish we can build up around it.
FTP/4DP tests are interesting - while they really are a tool to ensure you’re giving yourself the correct training stimulus to improve, I think too many of us non-professional cyclists take FTP (esp W/kg) as a measure of our success (or not …). Which is kind of crazy because they’re only one part of a very big picture. As an example, Alaphilippe didn’t just win his second consecutive World Title because he has the highest FTP or W/kg or best ratio of the two of all those who raced, but rather because of his tactical smarts and his extraordinary ability to suffer. I’d definitely be happy to trade a few watts for his mastery of suffering.
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right. 
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Just finished FF. I’m a little wobbly but otherwise unscathed. FWIW, watch the prep videos and read the threads. It’s good to have a plan. A word of warning. In the ‘Cadence Builds’ workout you’ll be asked to rev it up to 130. Personally, that’s way above my threshold. Be careful. And I find it helps especially during the 20 minute segment to concentrate on the action…it helps to distract from the pain! Good Luck!
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Done FF today to get a baseline to start training in ernst again next week.
Been freestyling a bit last weeks (charging batteries after the season) with some rest, a KoS quest, some gravel, some pro rides.
The results where actually really good:
NM: 1106 watts (-54W)
AC: 516 watts (+17W)
MAP: 387 watts (-3W)
FTP:325 watts (-1W compared to last test in Suf but -4W compared to last in Zwift)
Last year I got about 15W extra over winter, would be nice to get the same this winter (or more 
)
The decrease in NM was expected, not much sprinting since september. I usually arrived solo in the group rides or was able to win with half a sprint (not as impressive as it sounds, the fast, young, guys didn’t show up much at the end of the season: building a house, new baby, getting married,…)
Something to train over winter.
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Howdy folks.
I did my first FF yesterday morning, having dreamt about it (seemingly) most of the previous night…
Observations:
- If you can stomach it, I’d always do this one instead the Half.
- It’s amazing what sort of strategies & mind games you can come up with to get through the 5 & 20 mins.
- Yes it is a mental exercise (take that however you like!)
- I didn’t realise that there was a “Avoid Sprints at all Costs” rider type
Questions:
- With the set-up I have, I can’t stand up for the sprints; as a result, my 5 second power was 220w (~20%) down on my record, which I achieved 3 months ago - I assume others are in a similar boat?
- I followed the FF prep plan, and I felt WAY better the day before the test, when doing the Primers. I had no fatigue in my legs & felt fantastic. During the FF warm up, I felt flat & thought I was going to be in a bit of trouble. In the end, I reckon I was OK for the 5 min test, but probably about 5-10 watts down on the 20min.
What do other people normally do on the day before the test?
Thanks everyone.
What is your setup?
Kickr Core. Pretty rigid, and I find that if I stand, it feels really un-natural.
I don’t stand for the initial Sprints, I just take a deep breath before and get into the highest gear and pedal as hard as I can while exhaling.
Primers the day before is definitely the way to go. Execute them well while keeping just a little in the tank. Immediately following the workout REFUEL! Get in your favorite recovery drink or snack immediately following the workout, and ensure that you are recovering with plenty of carbohydrates. It is essential to refuel with carbohydrates after Primers. For the remainder of the day stay hydrated, use electrolytes. Get a carbohydrate rich dinner in the night before. Day of eat a carbohydrate rich breakfast. No need to stuff yourself, you’re just trying to keep yourself topped off. Use a carbohydrate drink mix on the bike during the entire workout. Are we picking up on the theme here? 
Feeling flat is likely a fueling issue, and the fuel we need as endurance athletes is carbohydrates.
Now get a solid 8 - 12 weeks of training in and then re-test. I am confident you will see improvements.
All the best next go around!
Thanks for this - will give it a go.
Exactly the same as you these days … Primers the day before at the end of the FF prep week.
I’ve done a few FF’s when I haven’t done the prep week plan and it was only after doing a dozen of them with and without variously that I realised the ones that worked best were with that prep week.
Sounds like you had a good test. Nice 
Congrats on getting through another test! always fun. Just two things to note, which are in no way a criticism.
-
you can get more comfortable standing up and sprinting, it just takes some practice. Efforts that are truly truly all-out, either sitting or standing, are rare for a lot of recreational athletes, no reason to expect to be immediately good at it. But if you practice, you WILL get better.
-
that said, you can get yourself a pretty wicked seated sprint, but again, it may take practice.
Do a little practice of both and whichever method you’re more comfortable with, you’ll improve, and honestly likely pretty quickly. The neural “skill” of recruiting and coordinating motor units comes on fast, much faster than you might expect. Like you might beat your sprint score if you tried it again today, even if you’re not recovered.
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Hi, thanks for this. I am likely to do another test in a couple of months, as I tore a calf (high grade) in a bike crash about 11 weeks ago, and ended up with a DVT, so I have a feeling I am still getting back to where I was before the accident. I’ll give your advice a go.
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hope you finish recovering quickly!
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I have a Kickr Core, as well. At first I was pretty tentative about the 5 second sprint, but over time I quit worrying about it and get pretty good results. Only thing that slowed me down for a while was breaking and wearing down some teeth on my big ring to the point that any time I put much pressure on it my chain would drop. I’ve since put on a new ring and new chain and I’m back in business. I’ve hit 1190w. Pretty sure with enough technique practice I can finally get over 1200w.
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I am reactivating this thread because I have a question about the Full Frontal that came up yesterday, and I did not want to create a new topic.
My neighbor is relatively new to SYSTM but has become very enthusiastic about cycling lately (I hope his wife and children will forgive me for that). Anyway, yesterday he did the Full Frontal test and shared his results with me. I have seen his power recording on the Garmin Connect page, and now I wonder: Are there some new calculations with the Full Frontal results I am unaware of? I am asking because all of the numbers he is shown in the app are higher than the average power numbers of the respective laps of his power recordings. I.e., MAP is said to be 359, but the 5-minute lap of the recording has an average power value of only 336 (NP: 269). Likewise, FTP is said to be 276, but the recording shows an average of 267 (NP 262).
When I look into my recordings, the Full Frontal results exactly resemble the average values of the respective laps of the test protocol. But my last Full Frontal is from November 2021. That’s why I now wonder if there have been any updates in the equations used to calculate the 4DP numbers.
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Mine too (except for NM,but that’s because it’s the best 5 seconds within the lap). But I did my last FF in November (because I hate it). It would seem peculiar if they introduced formulae. Is it possible that your friend has power meter pedals, cranks, or a spider that are being picked up by whatever feeds Garmin Connect while SYSTM is using data from the trainer? Or maybe something weird happening with power smoothing somewhere.
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