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Heart Rate Training Zones

I can't really add to this. Brilliant stuff!
 
Can you recommend any Training with power meter websites or books?
The less technical the better:eek:.
Cheers.

I take it you signed up to the Competitive Cyclist deal. Being lazy, there is a thread on timetrialling forum about this
http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=64414&st=0&start=0
It has a link to a site which gives an overview of training with power and the recommended literature. Andy Coggan adds to the discussion...let`s leave it at that...and he provides a link to a free excerpt from his book, Training and Racing with a Power Meter Vol.2, which is the gold standard.
The Wattage group on google is a good resource, but the search function is limited. Technically, you need a powermeter to sign up, but I managed to get round that :angel:
http://groups.google.com/group/wattage/about
Otherwise, slowtwitch
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?forum=1;
or the above mentioned timetrialling forum are good resources.

If you have ordered the Powertap, then simple advice, is just to ride around as before for a month and data gather to see what you have been doing and how you have been doing it, and then analyse that to start focusing your training. As mentioned, analysis of my riding demonstrated the massive power difference I have between uphills and flats...and that my L4 hill climbing incorporated everything from L1-L6, so training has been directed by that. Aso, unlike crank/pedal power meters which are linked to cadence, the powertap gives off the reading every so often, might be every second (can`t remeber the exact figure) so unless your cadence matches that (e.g. 60) you get various amounts of crank revolutions per reading so wattage can jump about +/- 50 W per second, so you need a device that allows you to choose 3 sec or 5 sec average. I`m still waiting for the new Joules to be released to give me that option. Oh yes, and be prepared for the shock you will get at how much of the time you are actually doing nothing...now where did I put my whip...
 
... As mentioned, analysis of my riding demonstrated the massive power difference I have between uphills and flats...

Any idea on what the reason is for this beside motivation?
Do you also have different HR when doing same max (perceived) effort on flat/hill?
 
I think the main reason for difference on hill vs flats is a hill provides a constant load whereas on a flat you are at the whim of traffic and wind much more. If you can do a flat TT with no obstructions then you'd probably be putting in similar power. Also - on hill your cadence and riding style may suit higher peak power strokes vs more metabolic conservative pedaling. There is alot more to this game than simply watching the tachometer . Skilled cyclists will balance the effort through their muscle groups and use what they need, when they need it. And different muscle groups use and require energy differently. So - you can't just say 'training this way' will result in higher performance. It's much more complicated than that. Not too mention the not-too-subtle approach of psychologicial warfare on the roads - doing things to upset rhythm , concentration and forcing your opponent to unnecessarily exceed their power range and ride more into LAT until they fry.
 
Hang on.....when you say "As mentioned, analysis of my riding demonstrated the massive power difference I have between uphills and flats..."

What are you gauging this on, your 60,90,120 minute CP or just pottering around without any actual testing?

If it is a case of just pottering around then its not really annalyses of data as there are way to many variables to gauge what is important.

I would actually recommend against just riding around and collecting data, as actually it serves no purpose. The Power meter is a tool and to get the best use from it you need to use it properly.

I suggest the first thing you do when you receive your power meter is read the manual and the book "Training with Power" to get an understanding of what you are doing.

Then I suggest a 60 minutes CP test as this is the standard and will give you more accurate results when you do the math to work out the 120 and 180 minute CP results.

Then using this data plan your training rides around the zones that you require to improve your weaknesses.

Its not rocket science and actually if you have already been training with a heart rate monitor a lof of what you are reading will make a lot of sense you just need to learn more terminology.
 
Its not rocket science and actually if you have already been training with a heart rate monitor a lof of what you are reading will make a lot of sense you just need to learn more terminology.

This is a very good point. I find that a lot of people have a heart rate monitor but don't know what to do with it. Just look at average HR over a ride etc. Only once you've fully realised the potential of a HRM should you make the step up to a power meter...

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Well like any tool you need to knw how to use it and then what to do with the data.

Otherwise every ride you just spend trying to get the maximum wattage output or average wattage. If you are looking for a feel good factor just add another spoke magnet to your wheel ;)

But really if you are out riding for pleasure there is absolutely no need to a HRM or a Power Meter, in fact there is absolutely no need for a computer at all.

But I can understand the appeal of a new toy and all the flashing numbers!
 
Any idea on what the reason is for this beside motivation? Do you also have different HR when doing same max (perceived) effort on flat/hill?

I`ve been researching this, and consensus seems to be that there isn`t one. It seems to be fairly common, along with lower indoor power on trainers compared with outdoor riding. GSAtutuo picked up a couple of points - resistance load (I think terminology is crank inertia), cadence, riding style, pedal torque, along with an increase in the window in which you can apply force to the pedals when ascending, riding uphills itself (you get better at what you do), riding position, fast-twitch fibres ratio. Consensus seems to be that you can reduce the gap, but even with dedicated training, some people just have differnent FTP`S for uphill vs flat riding.

For me personally, I think my riding style when climbing is the main factor - heel down/sitting back (esp on steeper sections) - and I`ve been been lax and started riding on the flat like this, which creates too much of a dead spot. I don`t use HR, as don`t get on with it, so was just working off RPE, and whilst I thought I was working at the same rate on the flat as uphill, was miles out.
 
But really if you are out riding for pleasure there is absolutely no need to a HRM or a Power Meter, in fact there is absolutely no need for a computer at all.

Even serious cyclists can do without a computer. My mate Andrew is a great cyclist and has an uncanny ability to get into form very quickly. He knows his body inside out, riding on feel alone...

I was surprised to see him dust off his old cycling computer last sprng:

http://www.mountain-goat-rides.blogspot.com/2011/04/rocket-science.html

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Hang on.....when you say "As mentioned, analysis of my riding demonstrated the massive power difference I have between uphills and flats..." What are you gauging this on, your 60,90,120 minute CP or just pottering around without any actual testing?

If it is a case of just pottering around then its not really annalyses of data as there are way to many variables to gauge what is important.

I would actually recommend against just riding around and collecting data, as actually it serves no purpose. The Power meter is a tool and to get the best use from it you need to use it properly.
Then I suggest a 60 minutes CP test as this is the standard and will give you more accurate results when you do the math to work out the 120 and 180 minute CP results.

Then using this data plan your training rides around the zones that you require to improve your weaknesses.

Its not rocket science and actually if you have already been training with a heart rate monitor a lof of what you are reading will make a lot of sense you just need to learn more terminology.

There are two approaches; one to test straight away, and the other to collect data and then test. If I had followed the test straight away approach, then I would not be aware that I had two different FTP`s depending on terrain, and would have been training either too easy on uphill courses, or too hard on flat courses. To know your weaknesses, you first need to know what you are doing, which requires data collection. As I said, I was training before I had the powertap, but purely off RPE, so the data collection enabled me to see precisely what I was doing on my training rides. I.e. was my L4 hill climbing really L4? Were my VO2 sets really working VO2? Were my recovery rides easy enough? Hence, it enabled me to gauge how good my sense of RPE was, and examine what I was doing.

As I said before, there is no need to test, as no test is 100% accurate. If I do 3 VO2 sets, and can`t manage the last one, I went too hard - no test needed for that. If I do a 2x20 and can`t hold the power for the second interval, I have set them too hard. If the second interval is too easy, then in reverse, haven`t ridden them hard enough. Training in itself is testing.

Taking 120 min and 180 min figures from a 60 CP test, is prone to error, as different people have widely different abilities to sustain power. I.e., the person with the higher FTP won`t necessarily win a 3 hour race, as a person with a better ability to hold a higher % of their FTP for the duration, can beat them.
 
Well like any tool you need to knw how to use it and then what to do with the data.

But really if you are out riding for pleasure there is absolutely no need to a HRM or a Power Meter, in fact there is absolutely no need for a computer at all.

But really if you are out riding for pleasure there is absolutely no need to a HRM or a Power Meter, in fact there is absolutely no need for a computer at all.

Even serious cyclists can do without a computer. My mate Andrew is a great cyclist and has an uncanny ability to get into form very quickly. He knows his body inside out, riding on feel alone...

True, before I came here, hadn`t had a computer on my bike for 5 years. But as I found with altitude, having power encourages me to work even harder.
 
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