Well, it finally snowed a fair enough amount to keep me off the roads today. I have had many questions about using power with cycling recently, so I have included a short snipet on power calculations for those that may be interested (or have currently purchased a power tap, cranks, etc…). Enjoy the training!
Calculating power range
“The first thing you have to do is go and test,” says Hunter Allen, a cycling coach and co-developer, with Andy Coggin, Ph.D., of Cycling Peaks power training software. The simplest test you can use to determine your power training intensity levels is the 20-minute max test.
After a thorough warm up, ride for 20 minutes as hard as you can. Be sure to pace yourself so that you’re not fading in the final minutes of the test. After cooling down, find your power average for the 20-minute maximum effort.
Next, use this number, a calculator, and the table below to calculate your target power range for each of seven training intensity levels. The table is adapted from the Training Peaks Web site. The right-hand column provides an example based on a hypothetical athlete who averages 260 watts in the 20-minute max test. Note that power is not needed as a guide to training at Level 7 (neuromuscular power) intensity because it corresponds to absolute maximum pedaling efforts that one can maintain for only a few seconds.
Power Based Training Levels
|
Level
|
Name
|
Target Power Range (as % of avg. watts in
20:00 max test)
|
Example (based on 260 watts avg. power in 20:00 max test)
|
|
|
|
1
|
Active Recovery
|
<55%
|
<143
|
|
2
|
Endurance
|
56-75%
|
144-195
|
|
3
|
Tempo
|
76-90%
|
196-234
|
|
4
|
Lactate Threshold
|
91-105%
|
235-273
|
|
5
|
VO2max
|
106-120%
|
274-312
|
|
6
|
Anaerobic Capacity
|
>121%
|
>313%
|
|
7
|
Neuromuscular Power
|
N/A
|
|
Once you’ve worked out your target power ranges, use them during all of your cycling workouts, each of which (as mentioned above) should aim at one or two specific intensity levels. Don’t be a slave to the numbers, however. If the target range is too hard on a given day, go a little easier, and if it’s too easy, go a little harder.
As you gain fitness, you’ll begin to find your target ranges consistently too easy and will therefore need to adjust them upward. You can make this adjustment in one of two ways: by informally tweaking the numbers at each intensity level to fit the “feel” of that intensity, or by repeating the 20-minute max test and recalculating the power zones based on the new result.
