Weights First, Then Watts

Two sessions, one morning

Started in the weight room. Nothing fancy: dead lifts, lunges, overhead press, long crunches. I bumped the dumbbells from 25 to 30 lbs this week. Sets of 3, 5, and 10 reps (5, 10, and 20 for crunches). Fifteen minutes total. Short, but intentional.

Then I got on the bike.

The ride

A 45-minute Power Zone Endurance ride with Ben Alldis on Peloton. Power Zone Endurance means staying in zones 2 and 3, which for me right now is roughly 130W to 195W. It is not glamorous. You are not breathing hard. That is the point.

Numbers:

• Avg watts: 188W
• Normalized power: 200W
• Work: 506 kJ
• Distance: 15.55 mi (indoor)
• Leaderboard: 7,331 / 41,660

My FTP is currently 216W, so 200W normalized puts me right at the top of zone 3 for an endurance ride. That is about where I want to be.

Why this kind of day matters

I have written before about where my fitness is right now. FTP at 216W, W/kg at 2.27, down from a peak of 295W back in 2022. I am rebuilding. Days like today are the work that does not feel like work until you string enough of them together.

The weights matter too. Riding 135 miles around the Bay is not just a cardio problem. Stability, hip strength, upper body endurance from hours in the saddle. The 30-lb dumbbells are not impressive. They are just 5 lbs more than last week, which is how this works.

TheBayRide is August 29th. That is about three months out. I am not where I want to be yet, but I did two sessions today and that is more than zero.

More updates coming. Honest numbers, including the weeks I skip.

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