{"id":67597,"date":"2024-07-31T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/80a6b88f-0db2-4f3e-8225-b9331a0d38c9"},"modified":"2024-07-31T12:25:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T10:25:38","slug":"how-to-train-with-power-and-7-key-metrics-to-understand","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/how-to-train-with-power-and-7-key-metrics-to-understand\/","title":{"rendered":"How to train with power \u2013 and 7 key metrics to understand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using a power meter opens up a wealth of training opportunities. Here’s how to make the most of them <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 31 July 2024 at 10:00 AM<\/p>

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The ability to train with power sets cycling apart from a lot of other endurance sports.<\/p>

If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a power meter aboard your bike, or you use a smart trainer<\/a> with a built-in power meter, you have access to one of the best tools for measuring your fitness and tracking your progress.<\/p>

Owning a power meter<\/a> is only half the battle, though. It can be tricky to know how to get the most from training with power when you first start out. You have a wealth of data at your disposal, new training terminology to dissect and analysis software to navigate.<\/p>

With that in mind, we\u2019ll cover some of the main ways you can use a power meter to make your training more time-efficient and effective. <\/p>

What is power?<\/h2>
Training with power is more accessible than ever thanks to on-bike power meters and smart trainers. – Russell Burton \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Power (measured in watts) is a combination of the force (or strictly speaking \u2018torque\u2019) applied through the pedals and cadence<\/a>.<\/p>

Your wattage is an objective measure of your external training load, i.e. it tells you how much work you\u2019re applying to the pedals each second and the mechanical energy you\u2019re generating in the real world.<\/p>

Power vs heart rate <\/h4>

This differs from heart rate, which measures internal training load, or in this case how hard your cardiovascular system is working. Both are valuable training metrics but measure different things.<\/p>

Power is precise and fast to respond in comparison to heart rate. Due to the delay associated with heart rate response, short, high-intensity efforts often only elicit a relatively small change in heart rate, despite the workload being comparatively high.<\/p>

As a result, using heart rate can often under-estimate the strain of a given training session. A power meter can help you capture more detail about your ride. <\/p>

Five ways to train with a power meter<\/h2>

Having the ability to measure your power output offers several major benefits for a focused cyclist who wants to train with data. <\/p>

1. Plan and perform workouts<\/h3>
\"Simon
Power meters make structured training much more effective. – Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

By using different combinations of training intensities and manipulating the duration of both the work and rest intervals in your workouts, it\u2019s possible to stimulate the specific changes in your fitness needed to achieve your goals.<\/p>

These goals might include improving your endurance<\/a> on rides lasting several hours, increasing your VO2 max<\/a> or boosting your threshold power. Using a power meter will enable you to target the specific intensity required to fast-track your fitness in a particular area.<\/p>

Power-based training is most often prescribed as a percentage of your threshold power, where Functional Threshold Power<\/a> (FTP) and Critical Power<\/a> (CP) are often used to determine this threshold.<\/p>

Both broadly represent the maximum power that can be sustained for an extended duration \u2013 typically between 30 to 60 minutes. Above this threshold, fatigue accumulates much more quickly than below.<\/p>

Whether you want to create your own training plan<\/a>, work with a cycling coach<\/a>, or use one of the many indoor cycling apps<\/a> and training software packages, a power meter can help you get the most of your sessions. <\/p>

2. Assess strengths and limiters<\/h3>
\"Group
Critical Power testing can reveal where your strengths and weaknesses lie. – Joseph Branston \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Power data can be used to understand the durations and intensities over which you are stronger or weaker. This indicates the types of riding you might be suited to, and where to focus your training to improve your limiters.<\/p>

To determine this for yourself, try performing several maximal efforts over a range of shorter and longer durations (e.g. five seconds, one minute, five minutes and 20 minutes).<\/p>

From here, there are many power profile tables and other resources available online to help you gauge what type of cycling you\u2019re physiologically suited to.<\/p>

You can then also develop a training plan to target any weaknesses. Or, you can focus on the areas that will make the difference in your chosen discipline, be it hill-climb racing<\/a>, criteriums, cross-country mountain bike racing<\/a>, cyclocross racing<\/a> or sportive riding. <\/p>

3. Track progress<\/h3>
\"Jack
Regular fitness testing is best done using a power meter to check how many watts you can produce. – Chris Teagles<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Power can also be used to assess how well you\u2019re responding to your training programme.<\/p>

This could be through formal fitness testing to track improvements in the maximum power you can hold over a certain duration. Or, it can reveal improvements in your regular training sessions.<\/p>

For example, you might see an increase in the power you can hold in a particular interval workout, or maybe observe a lower heart rate for a given power output.<\/p>

4. Pace efforts<\/h3>
\"Liam
Using a power meter can help you pace your efforts, whether they last for hours or minutes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

When it comes to competitive situations, power can be very helpful in helping you pace your effort better.<\/p>

It\u2019s very easy to go out too hard in the early stages of a time trial<\/a>, sportive<\/a> or a HIIT workout<\/a>, since it takes time for your effort perception to catch up with the actual workload. <\/p>

And although power meters are less common on gravel bikes<\/a> than road bikes<\/a>, a power meter could benefit your pacing strategy in gravel racing<\/a> too. <\/p>

Power data tells you objectively how hard you\u2019re working, removing external influencing factors that can affect heart rate (for example, sleep, caffeine intake<\/a> and altitude). Therefore, you can back off when you see that you\u2019re going over your limit. <\/p>

5. Monitor fatigue<\/h3>
\"Cyclist
By analysing power data, you can spot signs you need to take it easy. – Joseph Branston \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Arguably, one of the best ways to use power is in conjunction with a heart rate monitor<\/a> and your subjective feelings on the bike.<\/p>

Over time, you should get a good sense of what data is \u2018normal\u2019 for you. Deviations from the \u2018norm\u2019 can indicate that you might be overtraining<\/a>, or even in the early stages of illness. This can signal the need to reduce training for a few days to allow your body to recover.<\/p>

Common signs of fatigue and\/or illness include:<\/p>