That’s a shame. Well, if you can find the $ somewhere I think you already know there’s nothing else out there like it.
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Bobby, few points you might keep in mind.
First, fitness overall. In general, in some sports more in some less, two weeks of non training leads to big drop/loss in fitness, that is the fact and there is nothing you could do about. It would take the person/athlete up to 5 weeks to get back to the same level of fitness. Unfortunately, there is no easy and quick fix/solution for this, you have to be consistent and suffer 
.
Second point is ‘level’ settings. I don’t think I would be wrong here to say that it is personal for each of us out here. It depends on the trainer you use and cadence/power comfort. As an example, usually I used to set it to 3.5, unless I was doing Power station or G.O.A.T, in those case I would go for 4.
Third, your inconsistent output in power during the test. In my view/opinion, mostly it related to your cadence efficiency/consistency, meaning how ‘smooth’ is your pedal stroke. If I may suggest, try to do your workout in ERG mode when you can, this way you could focus on the target cadence and not to over/under shoot the power.
On the good side , we all have muscle memory, and it is much faster to regain it back then get new and improved .
Lastly, accept the reality. Yes, you have been in a good shape but that is in the past, nothing will bring/give it back for free, you have to earn it, you have to suffer and work hard, and maybe be you will never hit again those 1200-1300 watts, time changed, you changed, most definitely you would improve and increase you FTP, that is from my personal experience, my highest sprint power was 900sh, it is what it is, I’m not getting younger here , but my FTP continues to improve. Simple put it, one question, How hard you want it.
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Just finished the 4DP test about 40 mins ago. It was bloody tough! 
My results say I’m a “Pursuiter”. Probably about right, though I think I could improve on all 4 factors with a few more attempts to get better at pacing etc. The sprint was better (816W) but think I still came in a little slow, need to be at higher power and cadence before the 5 second interval, not surging through it. My FTP (180W) was a bit lower than I thought it should be but I’ll go with it for now. I used level mode 2 tonight (on my KICKR) and it was better than my previous test (level 0), but it still felt like there was surging happening, i.e. if I upped the cadence a little it would feel harder for say 5-10 secs then it eased off a bit, and sure enough my power output would drop a bit too. Does anyone know if the system tries to roughly target your previously estimated FTP? I wanted to hold ~90-93 rpm but I struggled to hold constant watts which was annoying, and it forced me to go back and forth between to gears every couple of mins to try stay consistent. Might try level 3 or 4 next time, though that will make it very difficult to hold the low watts during the warm up/cool speak sections. I feel I could get a better FTP result using ERG mode - is that common? And a few more caveats (
) ; I didn’t leave long enough between dinner and the test (1 hr 50 min) and was almost sick (nasty dinner taste coming back up!), I had to pause for about 45 secs during the FTP as my wife came into the garage and interrupted me (not sure if that will mess the FTP result up a bit) and I was a little tired (test was meant to be yesterday but I put it back a day as I was too tired). Next time I test I’ll make sure I’m better prepared!
A few days ago I looked back on some of the Zwift workouts I completed and realised that my FTP was probably even higher than I thought, in the region of 265-285W. There was a workout I completed in June 2020 where for half of it I held an average of 277W for 30min straight (this was 10 X (260W for 2:30, 340W for 0:30)) - I think I just have to accept that my lack of physical activity over the past 18 months or so has basically left me untrained and is the reason for the massive drop in FTP. The good news is I think I’ve done enough of slowly easing back into cycling and can now start pushing on!
Overall I think I’ll stick with SYSTM/X and start a training plan when the weather/light closes in later in the year. In the meantime I hope my new bike isn’t delayed any further so I can get some extra motivation to cycle more, and I’ll need to find a better saddle as I’m getting too much numbness on the indoor trainer.
Thanks for all the comments and help, I’ll probably be back for more advice in a couple of months 
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Thanks for reporting back. Fyi, you can use different levels for different parts of the test. Some find a faster ramp is necessary for the sprints but less so for the sustained efforts and finding the right balance of gear and cadence can really make a big difference.
There are a few people who do FF as an ERG workout so you wouldn’t be the first and, imho, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that or with playing around with the intensity during any of the ERG workouts if you’re ever feeling like they’re too easy or too hard.
As for improvements FF is soooo much a pacing game and in order to get the best results the more you do it the better your pacing will get.
If you use a laptop, you can change levels using the number keys 0-9 and you can do that on the fly during a workout vid, the FF test or the constrained effort of Half Monty.
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Detraining is common. But, find a plan that you can be consistent with. If you pick a plan that pushes you to the limit you get overwhelmed you will likely continue with this feeling of discouraging defeat. Find a plan that is doable. Get some momentum. I would recommend testing on the Half Monty after 4 weeks to gauge improvement. Even if it is only 5 to 10 watts, it means you are moving in the right direction! I would continue with this type of action plan, a 4 - 6 weeks doable plan, a taper week into the Half Monty test. Get the momentum buddy! I know you can do it!
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Well done on making it through Full Frontal.
Not unless you are Erg mode, the Half Monty ramp test does use your stored values to set the power for the warm-up and start of the ramp.
What gearing do you have? If you are in a low gear, the flywheel has less inertia and you will experience surging because you have a big mechanical advantage. In level 0 there should be enough resistance with road bike gearing at 90rpm for even the highest FTP ever recorded according to the resistance chart.
A Guide to using Level Mode – Wahoo Fitness Support
What device are you running SYSTM on, can you not reach it to change level mode while you are riding? I use a Bluetooth keyboard with my iPhone, its easy to use the number keys to change level and the up and down arrows to change % difficulty in Erg mode.
Numbness is never good, Its imperative to find a well fitting saddle to avoid neurological, urinary and sexual health complications. I found that my bike fit on stationary trainer is not the same as outdoors when I have the wind blowing against my torso holding me up. I have the saddle on my indoor bike tilted down a degree or 2 compared to my outdoor one, I also raised the bars a couple of inches! It made all the difference.
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I’ll definitely try to choose a suitable plan when I get back on the indoor trainer in a couple of months or so (having first done another half monty to get an idea where my fitness is). I’ll make sure not to burn out as I remember having this a little when I done a 12 week plan on Zwift back in 2020 lockdown and it made me dread a workout sometimes (or have to knock the watts down a few percent) and slightly mess up my FTP test. A little break and a booster plan a month or so later and I was hitting good numbers. I’m more than happy to do the half monty regularly, it’s not nearly as tough as the FF!
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I’ve got a compact chainset and a 11-32 11 speed cassette. I’ve been trying to stick in the small chainring/middle of cog for best chainline, plus I’m currently getting a grinding noise/vibration in the smaller cogs/big ring so keen to avoid that. I’ll have a new bike by the time I come back to the trainer so if there are still any issues I’ll take the time to get it running as smoothly as possible so I can use all gears freely.
My setup is a tablet on a flexible arm In front of me so can change settings during the ride, maybe I’ll change the level up or down one for different parts of the test, that might work well. I’m currently doing up my garage so may get a better setup with a large screen and laptop which might make it a little easier again.
Currently working my way through saddles! Might try an SQLab one next as I think the profile might suit me. Currently have spec power comp but not getting on with side to side profile I think. It’s not so bad on the road but not great either. I’ve actually just put on an old MTB Burgtec Cloud saddle which is a bit better so far, which is funny because I hate it on the MTB, but obviously they are very different riding positions (I’m pretty flexible and can ride fairly comfortably in most positions (e.g. long and low, rotating pelvis or flexing lower spine instead)).
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Grinding noise indicates that you might want to invest in a new chain. I would get and keep a chain stretch checking device like those made by Park Tools.
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I haven’t tested in a while, so yesterday I decided I should do FF this morning.
I had a feeling my fitness had declined a bit since June because I had to take multiple breaks in July first because of my back and then because my mom visited for 2 weeks. And when I was doing my usual Zone 2 rides my HR was noticeably higher than it had been and the efforts felt more difficult. In June I had been considering raising my FTP because my HR would stay in the bottom half of Z2; usually around 118-122. But lately it’s be consistently 10 points higher and sometimes close to Z3 and felt like more perceived effort.
Well, I haven’t been getting to bed on time since the middle of last week (another likely factor in my declining fitness), so when my alarm went off this morning and I wanted to stay in bed I knew it wasn’t going to be a good day for FF.
So instead on went for Half Monty with a plan to recover and get more sleep and do FF next week.
Half Monty results confirm my fitness decline. My MAP dropped 6w and my FTP dropped 9w.
We’ll see next week how I’ll do with FF. Hopefully I can actually get some sleep, rest, and recovery. I need more of those 3 things anyway since I have my Sufferfest Memorial KOS coming up in just over 2 weeks. Need to have accurate numbers, but also to be fresh for maximal suffering. #TUHNTF
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Yep got a chain wear tool but just haven’t used it in a while. It was ok about 500 miles or so ago but could be gone by now. I would have checked but I’m just waiting on my new bike (it’s been delayed until end of Aug) so have been neglecting the current one a bit.
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I check my chains on a weekly basis. I can’t afford new cassettes and chainrings on a recurring basis. Chains are cheap, relatively speaking.
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Get a Connex chain… I have one on my turbo bike for over 3000 miles (waxed) and it hasn’t even worn to .5 yet!! they come with the super easy to remove easy link too (no tools needed). They are a little more expensive but worth it. I got through 3 Shimano 10 speed HG chains on the turbo in less than 1000 miles!!
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Still gave to check and maintain!
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FF idea for a beginner
I am doing the FF tomorrow, and reading through the post, I just got an idea on how to do it.
I did the Half Mounty test on Wednesday (I am following the Half Mounty + FF plan this week), so I already got my FTP numbers and MAP numbers (211 W and 265 W respectively). So now I need to update my NM and AC via the FF.
Given I am pretty new to cycling (started January this year at a whoping FTP of 138W), I really don’t know how to pace myself well nor I am very good at selecting gears, so for the MAP and FTP efforts here is an idea:
- Start the efforts in ERG mode so they start at the Half Monty values from 3 days ago.
- Half way through the effort, if I feel comfortable, crank the intensity by 2%, but stay in ERG mode.
The idea is to use ERG mode to force the pacing and by-pass the need to faff around with gears (not Brit, but love the expression).
Has anyone done this? Any feedback on the idea (I would not be surprised if this is not a new idea)?
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Congrats and welcome. Yes, many if us use ERG mode in FF for pacing and practice. Search “full frontal erg mode” and you should see any number of threads on the subject.
What you’re describing ia a good way to practice pacin the MAP and FTP efforts, for sure.
@sandman It is best in level mode. I would suggest doing a few workouts in level mode to get an idea as to what gear and cadence combinations result in your FTP and MAP watt targets. While ERG is a shortcut, level will allow for better adjustments and also allow you to get a better feel for pacing the efforts.
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OK, thanks for the feedback. Did the Full Frontal today in LEVEL mode as recommended. Results came very close to the Half Mounty values, just lost about 1-2%, I blame it on pacing experience.
Results:
- FTP = 208W (Half mounty said 211W)
- MAP = 257W (Half mounty said 265W)
Overall, pretty happy with the results. I am going to go with the avergage of the two tests:
- FTP = 210W
- MAP = 260W
For what is worth, given the experience, I highly recommened doing the Half Mounty earlier in the week when you are doing the Full Frontal. Having an idea of what your FTP and MAP are a priori of the test is a HUGE help.
As an aside, while it was not called out in the test, the Lotto Jumbo guy in the 20 min FTP interval is actually BUTTER BOY (Sep Vanmarcke). In the test, he is referred as the Yellow Banana guy. I was thinking about it during the test, as I watching battle and getting beat by Peter Sagan.
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Nice work! You (and I) are some of the fortunate ones where their HM is exceptionally good at predicting their FF MAP and FTP. There are certain riders where HM either over or under estimates. I’m with you ok don’t the HM/FF plan.
Congrats!
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1-2% is easily within the daily normal variation of ability or the calibration accuracy of the power meter.
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