Can Cyclists Over 50 Get Their FTP Up To 300 Watts

At some point we will all start to get a little weaker and lose our ftp or functional threshold power that's just a fact of life.
So is it possible to get your ftp up close to or over 300 watts when your over 50 years of age, well i think it's possible with a good training plan and diet.
Diet and a training plan are the most important part in getting stronger and of cause staying focused.
I say give it a good go what do you have to lose.
In cycling everyone wants to get to that magical 300 watts power range.
Doing some bike rides at zone 1 will help your muscle to recover if your doing a lot of intense cycling.
To increase your strength on the bike you will also need to be doing some intense training sessions and maybe even some leg weights.

You should consult your Doctor before doing any strenuous exercise or workout, if you have any dizziness or pain you should stop immediately, you do this workout at your own risk. Please be reminded i am not a personal trainer this is just my workout routine you should consult a personal trainer to obtain a proper workout for what you want to achieve.

[wardandrew]

It's now been about two years since you made this video in response to my question, and I'm happy to report that as of yesterday, my FTP is 278.1 watts, which is a huge increase. I should add that I performed this FTP test pretty conservatively so that I wouldn't risk running out of energy at the end. Had I gone as hard as I could have, I'd guess that my actual FTP would have been somewhere in the low 280's, so I'm on track to achieve my ultimate goal of 300W at my current weight of 175 lbs. Thanks again for making this video!

[janeweller]

I'm 62. Female. Weight 49.8. FTP 330. Aim: 340 FTP and National Master Games in June. Trainer Road trained. Age is ONLY a number!

[tree_Studio]

I'm 44 and just learned what FTP stands for.

[theademerckxfiles]

I'm a vet racer decided to test myself - age 54 just did 300 watts for 20 mins at 66kg

[ArtOConnor]

turn 50 in less than a month. Current FTP is 370, I don't expect it to drop in the next month :)

[donalmahon]

Yes. Im 51 and my FTP is 318w. I agree, it doesn't come easy, it does take time and sacrifice. Im by no means a lifetime cyclist, but i have been cycling with structure and consistency for about 6 years. Ive been using power for 3 years and slowly rose from 260w to where i am now. Though i do notice power alone is not an accurate metric of fitness.On a local 3 min climb I do with fellow club riders full steam, the power for everyone varies dramatically from 340w, 388w for me and close to 500w at the top end for the heavier cyclists that all finish with almost exactly the same time. Im 71kg, the heaviest is 97kg

[mikerichardson]

55 years old and after a year of planned training including weights in the gym and hiit twice a week am just shy of the 300 ftp mark. I rotate my weights and hiit as I find when I do both on the same day I get a little too tired. Strength is there, just slower recovery. If you can follow the regime Valve Riider prescribes in other videos I reckon you can get there.... Also at weekends go out and ride with the 'young ones' not other 50 plus year olds!

[leonhopkins]

Hi, Valveriider, I will be 58 next week and my FTP is 297 watts. As you say consistency and hard work are key, you also need to know when to back off and rest, your body is less forgiving as you get older. Don't neglect the VO2 max efforts, your VO2 max drops as you age and a low VO2max will limit how far you can raise your FTP.Good luck and keep Vlogging. LH

[EyasTheBad]

Getting 50 in the end of the year. just started riding again after 16 years off the bike. Got myself an Elite Turbo Muin for the winter. Started 1st November 2015, so little more than 2 month now. Mostly getting used to sit on a bike again and also loosing some fat that have build up over the years. Got into Strava not long ago and plotting the data there as i find it useful for motivation and fun as well.I started with being able to ride 30 - 40 minutes on the turbo trainer and now 2 months later my easy rides are faster with more watts when having a resting ride.I am certain I will be able to reach 300 watts FTP at the end of 2016. The latest test took me to 210 watts FTP. Still some progress to be done. Soon we will have spring here in Denmark and that sure will improve the training load as is sure boring to spend 1 - 2 hour on the trainer.One thing important is to eat good and healthy food. A good variety of food. Making sure to have days off in the start / easy rides. Not to much high intensity training in the start, but training the cadence and endurance. Getting a good sleep. As another mentioned, the body is not so forgiving to wrongdoings in this age.!I dont have a training schedule, but are good at doing training with what I feel is right. I do however need to push myself now and then as the body and mind have got into the habbit of not pacing myself on the bike for some years. There the data from the Garmin come to good use.!Great videos - keep them coming. Are following you on Strava now ;)

[jonnyy]

'Never' been on a bike before (rode as a child).First ftp test on zwift october 22nd was 184 now 307 but gains are slowing down.Turned 52 in early october.

[tritonnn]

Hi
I’m 56 and just getting back into training now. Had a 2 year hiatus while going through divorce
I will say it’s absolutely possible. As you say, a good and consistent training plan is critical. I was a collegiate track runner and was pretty fast in the day. Still hold several records 30 years later so I know there is a genetic component for me as well. I found out after trying out triathlons than cycling is actually my strength. I did as training for full Ironmans and my 4-5 hour rides at 75-80% was 268-275 watts at 54 years old. I never did a 20 minute or 1 hour ftp test but I did a few 2 hour rides >305 watts. Bases off of this I estimate that my FTP was in the 340-350 range. My weight was 168-172 lbs I’m on Strava so I document all my rides there. Will see in the coming year what this 56 year old can do!
Good luck everyone!

[cshepcook]

59 year old male here, not much of a cyclist but an experience master oarsman, currently pushing 240 watts for 90 min with my HR at 122. 300+ seems super doable.

[crashoverride]

Biking the gorge last year had all kinds of seniors blow past me like I was parked, and I can sprint well. Cadence work makes you a beast.

[DKiwi]

55 years old. FTP currently 301. 4iiii crank based power meter. Weight 77kg.

[leehargreaves]

I'm 55 and have raised my FTP from 220W to 280W in 12 months using Wattbike classes. I don't actually cycle very often so I reckon regular cycling plus an additional Wattbike session per week would easily get me above 300W. You just need to be prepared to deal with the pain, preparing for an FTP test is a painful process but NOTHING like as painful as those 20 minutes of the test itself (actually it's not 20 minutes of pain, it's about 11 minutes of pain, because the first 9 minutes are usually not so bad)

[cplca]

If there is a will there is a way ! Plus, the older you get the greater your stamina and your pain threshold should be. So, that is a great positive fact for the 50 plus out there.
First, you need to want it and than you need to make a plan and a schedule you can follow.
Keep good records to see your progression, train well, eat well, rest well and sleep well.
You need to find what works for you and adapt your training routine to fit your goals and the most important thing is you need to make it challenging, fun and rewarding so you

[JagXKRcoupe]

63, just started MTB (don't kick me out) 2 years ago. Broke my clavicle so I finally got a trainer last week. A bit out of shape now from the crash 5 weeks ago (operation 3 weeks ago), FTP =252, 3.6W/Kg. Shooting for 290, 4.3W/kg

[sj]

I agree, training plan is the key. What I have noticed at 49 3/4 y/o is that recovery from hard efforts takes longer. That is what age does to you. I do notice that since adding strength training I can do a higher FTP which is right now at 270. Before strength training I could only get around 250. I think I can get a little higher but 300 seems a bit out of reach for me.

[realmc]

I'm 56 and did Triathlons over 22 years ago and just getting back into regular riding, mainly on Zwift for 5 months. FTP has risen from 197 to 244 and feel I would go higher next test. I'm consistent but wondering what I can do to get up towards 300? It seems a very long way off ATM

[jefauweele]

I know a guy who is 66 and he may not have the 300watt ftp bit he certainly has a 250 watt which I feel is incredible for someone at that age