1. Understanding Your Power Files
Sean Burke

2. What is Power Power = Work/Time Work = Force x Distance
Power= Force x Distance /Time
In the case of the bicycle force is the amount of force being put on the pedal, distance is the length of the crank arm and time is how fast the crank arm is spinning around

3. How is Power measured Most popular methods use metal strain gauges.
SRM
Power Tap
Cinq
Other methods
Computrainer
Ergomo
Polar
ibike

4. Why do we want to measure power?
Determine Fitness level, strengths, weaknesses
Adjust training
Determine requirements of a race
Create race strategies
Create Nutrition Strategies
The one with the most power wins!
Power to weight
Power to frontal area
Power at the right time!

5. Threshold Power
Threshold power is essentially the highest power output you can sustain without causing rapid fatigue.
Threshold or Sustainable power is the single most important metric for success in cycling events
TT & Triathlon
Road Races
Criterium and Track
Century and Endurance Riding

6. Testing/Determining Power Zones
Lab test VO2 and/or Lactate
Expense
Interpretation
Definitions
Field Test
Is a Direct Measurement
With enough data, not need to do a separate test.
Extrapolation
Can be quite accurate!

7. Field Testing Why When Determine strengths and weaknesses
Determine race strategy
Test progress
When
Beginning of season
After large train block or shift in training
After rest period or injury

8. Field Testing How Months of data taken during training and racing
Hard 1 hour Race
Specific field test
Warmup: 20 minute time trial
95% of 20 minute time trial

9. Zones Based on FTP Coggan Zones % of FTP Adaptations Joe Friel Zones
Active Recovery -1
<55%
Calorie Expenditure
CP∞
Endurance - 2
55-%-75%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers
CP180 or more
Tempo - 3
75% to 90%
CP 90
Lactate Threshold - 4
90%-100%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers, increase VO2 max
CP 60
VO2 max - 5
105%-120%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers, increase VO2 max, increase stroke /plasma volume, muscle blood flow, and ST fiber growth
CP6
Anaerobic Capacity - 6
121% to 150%
Increase anerobic capacity and lactate tolerance
CP1-CP3
NM Power - 7
usually over 200%
Increased NM Power
CP 0.2

10. Different energy Systems
ATP-CP & NM signaling out to ~ 10 seconds
Anaerobic – several minutes
Aerobic – longer than several minutes
Zones 2-4 are primarily aerobic
Zones 5 and 6 increasingly anaerobic
Zone 7, ATP-PC

11. Increasing Threshold Power
Threshold power is increased by spending time primarily in zones 2-5 in appropriate amounts along with appropriate amounts of recovery
Threshold power and fuel

12. Zones Based on FTP Coggan Zones % of FTP Adaptations
Typical Interval Length hours
Joe Friel Zones
Active Recovery -1
<55%
Calorie Expenditure ∞
CP∞
Endurance - 2
55-%-75%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers
HOURS
CP180 or greater
Tempo - 3
75% to 90%
6 minutes to Hours
CP 90
Lactate Threshold - 4
90%-100%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers, increase VO2 max
6 minutes to 30 minutes
CP 60
VO2 max - 5
105%-120%
Mito Density, LT, Conversion of FT fibers, increase VO2 max, increase stroke /plasma volume, muscle blood flow, and ST fiber growth
3-6 minutes
CP6
Anaerobic Capacity - 6
121% to 150%
Increase anaerobic capacity and lactate tolerance
30 sec to ~3 min
CP1-CP3
NM Power - 7
usually over 200%
Increased NM Power
< 30 seconds
CP 0.2

13. Example Workouts Active Recovery ( zone1)
Day off or EZ EZ spin of up to an hour. No hard breathing, don’t go over 200W of any extended period of time.

14. Example workouts Endurance ride (Zone 2)
get in at least 3 hours on the road bike today. How you feel to some extent. Rolling hills. Never over 320 watts for any extended period of time.

15. Example workouts Tempo (Zone 3)
ride W steady steady steady for as much time as you can. Throw some longish hills in there. Try to get in a solid 3hours total , and spend AT LEAST half of that time over 230 watts. No heard breathing. No time over 300 watts for any extended period of time

16. Examples of workouts Threshold ( Zone 4)
Warm up well and then do 8 minutes at watts minutes rest in between. Do up to 10 of these or until you can no longer hold 240 watts. OUCH

17. Example Workouts VO2 max Intervals ( zone 5) + tempo (zone 3)
Warm up well and then do 4-6 X 4 minutes at 280 W. Hold back just a tiny bit on the first minutes rest in between Finish by doing 20 minutes watts at comfortably high leg speed and aero position. If you are truly wasted today, then just spin home nice and EZ. The last part can be done on the way home and doesn't have to be completely uninterrupted, as long as there aren't too many stops/slow downs.

18. Example Workout Anaerobic Power ( zone 6)
Warm up well. 3 X 3 sets of 90 seconds at watts range. Some flats, some hills. Roll hard into each effort but don't kill yourself at the start. This is hard minutes recovery in between reps. 5 or more minutes in between sets. Cool down.

19. Example Workout NM Power (zone 7)
Warm up well, then put it in a BIG gear ( 53 X 13 or 14) and mash down as hard as you can for~10 pedal revs or until you reach 80 RPM Recover 2-3 minutes in between efforts. Alternate starting legs. Do at least 10 of these. Up to 15 if you can still stay within 20% of the power you where hitting on the first few.

20. Values typically examine in WKO
Mean Maximal values
IF or intensity factor is the workout expressed as a percentage of FTP
So a workout averaging half of your FTP means you had a 0.5 IF
TSS or Training Stress score IF X Times hours X 100 Ex: a workout averaging half of your FTP means you had a 0.5 IF. Doing this for 2 hours has a TSS of 100 ( 0.5 X 2) This workout has the same TSS as a workout at 100 IF for 1 hour (1.0 X 1)
This is a way we can compare the total training stress of different workouts

21. How to Analyze Individual Workouts
SS 11/16/10 CRUISE intervals to failure
SS 5/15/10 TT
SS 2/7/10 Race TT
11/14/2009 tt
MO Race 10/9/10 TT
SB 11/13/10 training ride
EM 3/26 redlands
EM 6/26 8 hour ride
EM 7/3 blue trolley

22. Examining an entire year
TSB
ATL
CTL
Volume Matters
RP Annual training

23. RP annual