Pyramid Intervals
Here's an interesting take on pyramid intervals. Not really anything like what I have thought of as pyramids. But notice that the author mentions improvements in 25 mile and 10 mile distances so I take this to mean it would work on FTP pretty well. The description is with HR. Any ideas on how you would translate this to Coggan power levels?
In Power Terms
To answer my own question: Level 6, Level 5, and Level 4. In Friel speak it might be more like: cp .2, cp 12, cp 30.
Any thoughts on how effective these might be in raising FTP? When would it be a good time to start incorporating this into your annual training? The article seems to suggest a hefty amount of base mileage.
Icing on the cake
I'm not sure but I think it was Dave Harris who put it said it first, this kind of work puts the icing on the cake of your training. It installs the top end to go with the endurance and threshold training installed before it.
Myself, I don't believe it will do much for FTP. In my experience FTP wants to drift downward when I replace threshold work with high variability work that includes high intensity stuff like this.
That's not to say it doesn't have its place. I would use something like this near the end of the season in preparation for an "A" event.
Mark Ewers
I may not be fast, but I'm 2 old 2 go slow
Yes but
The author says right at the beginning that the rider who used this technique set records at 10 and 25 miles. 25 miles of course is 40.2 kilos, and as we know, 40k is the magic Coggan distance for FTP.
Sound training practice
The more I read his article the more I think it's consistent with my own experience. He doesn't apply this training until a really good base of "specific fitness" is in place:
I think what he's recommending is sound training advice which will help bring about top performance in your chosen event. But based on my own experience I don't think it's a recipe for increasing Functional Threshold Power.
Mark Ewers
I may not be fast, but I'm 2 old 2 go slow
Perhaps
Perhaps it is better to say that these intervals, when used correctly (at the propper time), will optomize FTP. I'm still having trouble saying they will not help, especially in light of the record breaking performances mentioned.