Higher Wattage

Nothing like spending some time with the Doctor. In this case, a virtual doctor, using Rubber Gloves to check on my progress.

I had to go full out for 20 minutes on the bike this morning. And by full out, I do mean full out. At my age, 60 in a few days, my maximum heart rate is estimated at 160 beats per minute. Although I can go harder than the estimated max. I held 165 bpm for most of the 20 minutes. No heart attack although that 20-minute interval was unbelievably hard. I’m still not sure how I got through it.

My wattage started strong at around 300 watts and then averaged down to about 220 watts for the interval. My FTP was adjusted from 180 to 211. And what, pray tell, does that mean? Aside from a pretty impressive 31 watt jump from the end of December?

More suffering.

The higher the FTP, the harder the ride.

Rule #10: It never gets easier, you just go faster.

How my friends at the Sufferfest describe the Rubber Glove ride:

Ah, the old-school days where you just used to bash yourself into the ground day after day hoping it would make you faster. As fun as that was, it wasn”™t effective and few have the time for that. With jobs, families, and a life outside cycling (gasp!), we need to make the most of our training time.

Now, heart rate monitors and power meters allow cyclists to establish fitness thresholds and training zones. The threshold, called your “Functional Threshold Performance (FTP)”, can be used to train more effectively, precisely following training plans and getting you fitter, faster and more powerful in less time.

Establishing your FTP requires that you take a fitness examination of sorts. Typically you ride at your absolute limit for a set period of time, take your average effort over that period, subtract a bit, and you have your Functional Threshold Performance (FTP). Our FTP test video, Rubber Glove, is the best in the world, helping you get the most out of yourself.

With a workout designed by Dig Deep Coaching, you get a solid warm-up, some high-cadence drills and then it”™s straight into a 20 minute maximum effort interval. Clear instructions will pace you to get the most accurate FTP possible. Once you”™re done, we”™ll tell you what your new power FTP should be.

Rubber Glove is tough.