Training with Power

Coach Al Lyman, CSCS, FMS, HKC
© PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE© PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
TEAM Pursuit Athletic Performance
Training with Power
May 22, 2013

Why This Spreecast?
Why Train With Power?
Let’s Review Some Basics
Testing and Your Zones
Practical Training Applications
Four Training “Take Homes”
Questions?
Our Goals For This Evening:
“Power at lactate threshold is the most important physiological determinant
of endurance cycling performance….” – Andrew Coggan, Ph.D

 Accurately test current ability and track progress over time
 Accurately testing current physical response to riding (setting
training zones)
 Accurately capping z2 (aerobic) intensity, and decoupling also
 Ability to accurately establish goal race intensity zones and allow
for accurate training in those zones
 As a carrot to chase (motivation); improved focus (mindfulness)
 Power is constant. A watt is a watt is a watt. Heart rate and RPE
aren’t.
 More fun? 
Why Train With Power?

Functional Threshold Power (FTP) = 1 hour best power
Normalized Power (NP) = average of the averages of a ride;
weighs “harder” efforts more heavily; is a more accurate
representation of the physiological cost (work) of a ride
Training Stress Score (TSS) = Qualifies workout load based
upon duration and intensity of the training
Intensity Factor (IF) = workout NP / current FTP; equal to a
percent of FTP, e.g. .85IF = 85% of FTP
Variability Index (VI) = NP divided by AP; how variable your
ride is
Coupling/Decoupling = a measure showing how heart rate
and power relate to each other as a ride progresses
Some Basics

Functional Threshold Power TEST: 20min, 30min, 60min?
Other options: Race data (Olym or Sprint); Data collected over time in
TP/CP
Take your results and plug them into Coggan’s Training Zones
calculator (see next slide)
Zones are zones for a reason
See the “AJ example” in the TWP guide
Testing And Your Zones
“Testing is training and training is testing” – Andrew Coggan, Ph.D.

Andrew Coggan`s Power Training Zones
FTP watts (.95 of test) 260 TT wattage estimate tool
TT heart rate 175 Average watts 265
Average Pulse 150
Estimated TT wattage #####
A Coggan`s Levels Wattage Range Heart Rate Range
z1 Active recovery less than 143 watts less than 119 bpm
z2 Endurance 146 195 watts 121 145 bpm
z3 Tempo 198 234 watts 147 165 bpm
z4 Threshold 237 273 watts 166 184 bpm
z5 Aerobic Power 276 312 watts more than 184 bpm
z6 Anaerobic capacity more than 315 watts na na bpm
See the next slide for a basic layout of the six training zones

Coggan’s Power Training Zones
Zone 1: Active Recovery
Average power: <50% of FTP
Zone 2: Endurance
Average power: 56-75% of FTP
Zone 3: Tempo
Zone 4: Threshold (lactate and/or functional)
Zone 5: VO2 Max
Zone 6: Anaerobic Capacity
Average power: >121% of LTP

 Cycling is hugely “stochastic,” e.g. variable
 Learn how subtle changes in pedal pressure result in
large changes in wattage output
 What gear you choose, and what cadence you choose
to ride at, determines your power output. The choices
are yours!
 With power, you’ll have a new relationship with hills
and the wind
 Understand the “aerobic” threshold and what it means
to avoid the “gray zone.”
 Flattening the course on the bike (riding smarter), will
not only lead to a faster bike split, it will make you a
faster runner!
What’s Next? Practical Training Applications
First, remember these important concepts….

What about “Aerobic” Threshold?

(Endurance is not just about what and how you eat, its
also about how you train! )
FACT: to develop true aerobic endurance, we should train
in the middle to upper range of our aerobic zone for as
long as possible (and still be able to routinely recover).
 Fat burning vs. sugar burning
 Requires focus, concentration, mindfulness
 Want to be able to go faster for longer duration? Seek
to raise your aerobic threshold
 When you cross over the “aerobic” threshold, you are
slightly anaerobic, e.g. this is the “gray” zone.
 Avoid crossing this threshold during aerobic training!

What Is An Ideal Lactate Curve?

 Practically speaking:
 the upper range of z2/low z3 for experienced
 mid to upper z2 for less experienced
 mid z2 for novice
 Makes differentiating intensity,” a key concept central
to training smart, sometimes more challenging
 This is slightly harder than “JRA” – more “steady”
 It is easier than you think!
 Very easy to accomplish for 1 hour or less. MUCH
harder to do for many hours in a row!!

 Heart rate is a reflection of work, not a measure of it
 It is not the best tool for measuring intensity on the bike
 Do not use Coggan HR zones as your guide unless no
other tool exists to gauge intensity
 Heart rate is best used:
 To review and assess training response after the fact
 As a tool to assess appropriate hydration, fueling, etc.,
e.g. normal cardiovascular stress
 Be aware at what HRs various power/wattage levels
“happen,” and correlate these numbers with RPE.
 Correlation of all of the available tools = experience =
improved intuition, decision making in training and on the
race course
What about Heart Rate?

 Are you training to “train,” or training to “race?” 
 Two examples:
 1. A moderate length group ride in early spring with
training partners, or a “how you feel” ride….
 2. A long ride three weeks out from your goal race,
with some sets in the ride AT YOUR race intensity.
 Should you?
 Push hard at the base of the hill?
 Push over the crest of the hill?
 Build into the hill?
 Or blast it and hang on as long as you can!
What is the right approach?
What About Hills?

 “The faster you go, the faster you go”
 Long hills vs. short hills
 Rollers vs. an isolated hill
 The right approach:
 Hold back early, build into the hill gradually.
 Picking the right intensity will allow you to get up the hill
quickly without causing undo fatigue.
 Takes practice (it’s a skill!)
 Being familiar with the hill helps! Know the course.
What About Hills?

 Variable courses, by nature, encourage a variable
approach to riding (pushing harder on the ups, relaxing
and coasting on the flats and downs)
Could you ride faster if you held BACK on the up-hills but
pushed HARDER on the flats and down-hills? 
 Ride faster in those valleys and carry more speed into
the next hill, which in turn means you’re riding faster
through the entire section
Flattening The Course

 Did you keep to the “spirit” of the workout?
 Did you do the appropriate (correct) number of
intervals?
 Were you close to your zones? At the lower end or
the upper end of those ranges?
 Did you do the correct overall volume of work?
 Did you see appropriate “coupling” of HR and power,
for aerobic or race specific sessions?
Training Review

 Purposeful training: training to improve or training to race?
• Different approaches on different days is smart training
• Recovery is your primary dictator
 Training with Power teaches discipline and patience
 Take time to study and learn what the numbers mean…
 Don’t suffer from paralysis by analysis – keep the spirit of the
training and you’ll be doing great!
Four Training “Take Homes”:
“When RPE is low, power is high; when RPE rises, power drops.
They are inversely related”
– Coach Al

Training with Power

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