Original episode & show notes | Raw transcript
This document provides a detailed analysis of the key concepts discussed in the “Too Much FTP” episode of the Empirical Cycling Podcast. It’s designed for an educated audience seeking a deeper understanding of the physiology and strategy behind endurance cycling training.
The podcast centers on the role of Functional Threshold Power (FTP), a cornerstone metric in cycling training.
Definition: FTP represents the highest power output a cyclist can sustain in a quasi-steady state for approximately 30 to 75 minutes. It’s a critical indicator of aerobic fitness.
Why It’s Emphasized:
Accessibility and Simplicity: FTP is a relatively easy metric to understand and test. Standardized workouts like 2x20-minute or 3x15-minute intervals are straightforward to program and execute.
Tangible Progress: Cyclists can see tangible, week-to-week improvements in their FTP, providing gratifying and immediate feedback, which is rare in a sport that typically requires months of training for peak performance.
Effective Default: For self-coached athletes, focusing on FTP is a generally safe and effective way to build a solid aerobic base. As the hosts state, “more FTP can’t hurt…to a certain point.”
The Central Thesis: Necessary but Not Sufficient A high FTP is a prerequisite for success in almost all cycling disciplines. As the podcast illustrates, a powerful sprinter with a 200-watt FTP will not get far in a road race. However, FTP alone does not guarantee victory. It must be supported by other physiological attributes.
The podcast emphasizes that long-term FTP improvement is not achieved by simply doing endless FTP intervals. It relies on a balanced development of three physiological systems, which they liken to a “three-legged stool” or the base of a pyramid.
Leg 1: Endurance Training (The Base): This involves a significant volume of low-to-moderate intensity riding.
Physiological Adaptations: Endurance training enhances mitochondrial density, capillary density, and enzymatic activity, all of which improve the body’s ability to utilize fat for fuel and clear lactate. This creates the foundation upon which higher intensity fitness is built.
Podcast Analogy: “The bigger the base of the pyramid, the higher you can build it.”
Leg 2: VO2 Max Training (The Ceiling): This involves high-intensity efforts (typically 3-8 minutes) that push the cardiovascular system to its maximum oxygen uptake capacity.
Physiological Role: VO2 max represents the absolute ceiling for aerobic power production. FTP is always a percentage of VO2 max. Therefore, to raise your long-term FTP potential, you must also raise your VO2 max. As stated in the transcript, “We can’t ever have our FTP higher than 100% VO2 max.”
Mechanism: Training at VO2 max stimulates improvements in cardiac output, oxygen transport, and muscle oxygen utilization.
Leg 3: FTP-Specific Training (The Sharpening): This involves structured intervals performed at or near your current FTP.
Physiological Role: This type of training specifically targets the lactate threshold, improving the body’s ability to clear lactate at higher power outputs. It raises your FTP as a percentage of your VO2 max.
Important Caveat: For well-trained athletes, FTP training is a duration-based stimulus, not an intensity-based stimulus. The goal is not simply to hit a power number, but to extend the duration you can spend at that intensity, progressively overloading the system. This contrasts with the novice stage, where any training can initially boost FTP.
The core of the podcast is a warning against the pitfalls of focusing exclusively on FTP.
Plateauing: Simply repeating the same 2x20 workout will lead to stagnation. The body adapts, and the stimulus is no longer sufficient for further improvement.
“Teaching to the Test”: Many common FTP testing protocols (e.g., 20-minute test, ramp test) have a significant anaerobic contribution. An athlete can improve their test result by improving their anaerobic capacity without actually increasing their true aerobic threshold. This creates a misleading sense of progress and can lead to setting incorrect training zones.
Neglecting Other Systems: An over-focus on FTP training often comes at the expense of developing other crucial race-winning abilities:
Anaerobic Capacity (W’ or FRC): The ability to perform repeated efforts above FTP, critical for attacks, bridging gaps, and navigating hilly courses.
Sprint Power: The ability to produce maximal power for a short duration, essential for finishing races.
Durability/TTE (Time to Exhaustion): The ability to hold your FTP for an extended period and resist fatigue over long races.
The Low-Volume Trap: Athletes with limited training time (e.g., 6-8 hours/week) often try to compensate for low volume with high intensity (i.e., more FTP work). While this can provide some initial stimulus, it is not a long-term substitute for the aerobic adaptations driven by endurance volume. The podcast references the “ryanodine receptor fragmentation” mechanism, explaining that for well-trained athletes, this high-intensity “shortcut” to aerobic adaptation ceases to be effective.
A key skill for any athlete is to correctly identify why they are not achieving their goals. The podcast argues against the default conclusion that “I got dropped, therefore I need more FTP.”
How to Analyze Performance:
Context is Key: When did you get dropped?
Fresh, on a short hill? This points to a lack of “punch” or anaerobic power. Your FTP is likely not the primary limiter.
In the final sprint? If your sprint power at the end of a race is significantly lower (e.g., 30% less) than your fresh sprint power, your aerobic endurance and fatigue resistance are the limiters, not necessarily your peak power. Your high FTP is what needs to get you to the end of the race less fatigued.
After repeated attacks? This indicates a need for better repeatability and a larger anaerobic capacity (W’/FRC).
Evaluate Your Profile:
The podcast concludes by stressing that training adaptations only occur during recovery.
Recovery is Not Universal: The time required to recover from a hard threshold workout can range from 24 to 72+ hours. This is highly individual and depends on training history, genetics, nutrition, sleep, and life stress. You cannot base your recovery needs on what your training partners are doing.
Fatigue vs. Overreaching: It’s crucial to learn the difference between normal training fatigue and the signs of non-functional overreaching. The podcast highlights key indicators:
Inability for heart rate to rise to expected levels.
Sluggish legs and persistently high RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).
Heart rate shooting to maximum very quickly during an effort.
The “Double Down” Fallacy: A common mistake is to respond to declining performance by training even harder. The correct response is almost always to take a structured rest period. As the hosts state, “trust your legs and trust your RPE.”
The Teeter-Totter Effect (for Elite Athletes): At the genetic limit, training becomes a zero-sum game. Emphasizing VO2 max may cause a slight decline in TTE, and vice-versa. This is a sign of being at one’s absolute peak, where specificity is paramount. For most athletes, however, a well-structured program will see all metrics improve concurrently.