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I’m logged into my exisiting TP account.Did not create a new one.
Have paid you for a 32 week plan and am still nowhere.
email: christophermjoyce@gmail.com
TP username: cmjoyce
Please advise and thanks much!
Chris 847-714-3020
Hey Coach(s), are there ideal ATL/CTL/TSB levels to shoot for prior to FTP testing? My current numbers are, respectively, 70/64/-19, and was wondering if I should raise my form up a bit since my legs feel a bit tired and don’t have any pop. Thanks in advance!
It depends on the individual a bit here but generally I would advise bringing up your TSB a bit to freshen up just a tad to really be able to hit that Field test full gas. Usually -5 to +5 is a good range but again that athlete dependent.
putting this at the top of our forum as we have several new members as of late!
Hi Fas Cat.
I have an question regarding injury in the middle of my resistance program.
So I had finished most it and the last day of strength I got a back injury. It was pretty bad and I was to resume into power phase Monday but thought I would take a week off. Now I started the resistance program late as it is, so when my back is better should I still move onto my power phase or just jump straight into base?
Hey @owenvermeulen
Sorry to hear about your injury.
I would say it really depends on how bad the injury is and when your goal race is/whether you have the time to finish the resistance training, base training and your race specific intervals.
If you are at risk of re-injuring yourself (the last week of the power phase is pretty intense) or it will impede your ability to finish your base training then I would say to focus on moving into base training. If you think you can complete it safely, then I would say to move forward with the last phase and make sure you have proper form by consulting with a personal trainer. We also just released a video that might be helpful too.
Thank you Lacey, So my back is getting better, I realized that despite my squat form being good, I have had 2 knee surgeries on my right leg (I used to be a professional skateboarder so lots of old past injuries). So it was my right side of my back that got injured and i believe its due to the weaker right side and having too much weight (it was the final day of strength and the final rep of 2 lifts at 100% of RM) Anyway i am able to ride indoors easy but really would like to continue the power phase of my resistance program, my earliest A race is Belgian Waffle ride San diego (hoping it even happens) followed by Unbound, SBT Gravel etc. I do have some early road races as B/C training races throughout March and April. (these are more team responsibilties and helping teammates to the win) Now with my back possibly being not strong enough to finish the power phase besides base/sweet spot is there other off the bike strength/mobility stuff I can do to make up for missing the power phase? (given you recommend i miss it?)
@owenvermeulen
Glad your back is feeling better. Sounds like this would be a great time for you to focus on balancing your two sides out a bit. So make sure you do the foundation and Revo work
Both are phenomenal for making sure everything is firing correctly and then from there you can build out strength.
Single leg box jumps and single leg deadlifts are a great place to start with making sure both sides are working equal. For the box jumps start small (you could use a single step). Then for the single leg deadlifts I would do this with a very light Kettlebell and really focus on your hips and form.
Happy New Year and I hope to see you out at BWR/Unbound/SBTG!
Hi FasCats!!
First off I want to say a huge thank you for all you guys do and what you have available to the public. It is a great help and loads of good stuff but not overwhelming. Getting back into structured training over the winter it really helped. I am not the best at sticking to a rigid structured plan especially when it comes training off the bike. But I was motivated and was able to get to the gym and do the work.
I did the 10 week resistance program and I recently did an impromptu 20 min test and managed to hit 383 watts or 5.4 watts per kg for my 20 min. So that puts my FTP at 365w and 5.1 w/kg I hit my goal of a 5.0 w/kg FTP (which is up from 338, I believe it to be from the weights over winter) Although, I just did it on the Epic KOM in Zwift in a time 19:04 over a min faster than my best. So probably not ideal testing ground. But in my Training Peaks I did my best 5-10-20 min on that day.
So I have a couple questions, I am having a hard time predicting when I will be going good, (my best 20 min was on a Mon after riding Fri, Sat & Sun with a 488 TSS. Similar to my best 20 min before that) which seems like I would not be good, I realize I have good sustained power but too tired to have any “snap” is there a way to try to continue to have the sustained power and also be fresh enough to have some “snap”. I will be back racing in the local P-1-2 field soon and I feel like if I am too rested I don’t have my sustained power but if i put in the hard days before my race I worry I won’t have the kick to attack or follow moves. Is it possible to have both in the time needed?
Also, I do have a Training Peaks account and use my calendar and I am getting better at writing notes as to how i feel/felt after training. I have been doing lots of sweet spot and no real intervals yet but my races are coming in May. But with a spike in my FTP over the last month I worry I may be peaking too early. I know that its hard without seeing my TP acc. I need to get better at understanding the Performance Manager Chart (so i will listen to the podcast on that topic again) but what can I do to make sure that I don’t peak to early and am able to predict my form in the weeks to come?
Sorry for the long ass questions, but i trying to give you as much info as i can without giving you an essay to read haha!. Thank you so much
Owen Vermeulen
TSB (training stress balance) is what you are going to want to be looking at to make sure that you are in good form. Most athletes do well between -10 to +10, though that can vary. Once you load your plan into your calendar, TP will lay out your projected TSB and you can see where you will be at and adjust accordingly.
Same goes for your CTL.
All of that is taken into account in the design of our plans though and it sounds like the benefits from the weight training are already paying their dividends. Now it is time to trust in the sweet spot plan and FtFP. If you do that you will set yourself up for success 
For your enjoyment, I encourage you to listen/read to these. It will help you understand things a lot better!
Timing is Everything: The What, When, and How of Annual Training – FasCat Coaching
For how to understanding/how to use your power data to set you up for success:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0lei5kMniY
and of course, what you already mentioned… the PMC podcast, but also this post that breaks it all down:
The Performance Manager Chart in WKO and TrainingPeaks – FasCat Coaching
Thank you so much for all the good insights. And YES the resistance program was amazing and did wonders to help me reach my goal of 5.0w/kg FTP I am now at 5.1w/kg FTP and with some local racing coming up I can now start to work on my VO2 max and I really need to work my 15 sec to 2 min power for attacks and breaks. So my 2 part question is what a good diesel engine and weak sprint and lagging VO2 max what would be the best efforts/intervals to do to get that punchy race fitness back. I have always just done 30/30s-Over Unders etc in the past but feel i need something more to really get my punch/kick back. also I have 4 strait days to train fri/sat/sun/mon and usually a 45min/1hr recovery ride on wednesday what would be the best way to utilize those strait days to get full potential out of all the hours I have, my weeks tend to be anywhere from 16 to 22 hrs
Thank you so much and keep up the great work!!
Hey! Kind of a big question. So me and my wife are expecting soon (January 2022) and was wondering what were some expectations and reality of all the new parents in this group? Not that I’m prioritizing exercise but wondering if I should sell my bike for more of a indoor set up so that I could jump on when the moons align or keep my road bike and trainer set up because it’s more flexible?
I am not a parent, but I do have friends that ride and have little ones. They all have their indoor trainers + their bike. That way when they get the chance they can go on group rides with their friends. Can’t do that if you only have the option to ride inside 
Thought I should do an introduction as I’m starting my first FastCat training plan Monday and may be in need of help/support from the coaches and other FastCats.
I’m a 62 year old athlete. Retired from the USAF. Married to my high school sweetheart for 42 years. She’s also a recreational gravel rider. We have 2 golden retrievers, Teddy and Franklin Brosevelt. We live in the Black Hills of South Dakota with miles of gravel and more secret single track than you can ride in one summer.
I ride gravel and mountain bike and use roads to connect up gravel routes as little as possible, don’t like cars and we have a lot of tourists who think talking on their phone or taking IG photos is more important than looking where they’re going, sorry 2 close calls last year getting clipped by truck mirrors pulling RVs.
Been riding about 6 years from an endurance sport background, in marathons, ultra-marathons, and ultra-distance kayak racing.
This year’s goals are not to get over-trained like I did in 2020 or sick before my “A” race in 2021. two “A” races on my schedule, the Pine Island Gravel Odessey (72 miles) in June and the Dakota 5-0 in Sept(50 mile MTB) along with making some youngsters go “how old is that guy that just passed us?”
I have a strong background in yoga after teaching for 12 years and holding several credentials. If you have questions about yoga postures, breathing, meditation please ask.
I look forward to learning from the coaches and other FastcCats. Ride On!
You get likes just for those dog names!!!