When we say that our Endurance Nation plans make you tangibly faster, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. How will it help them specifically? While I can’t predict your fitness future I can show you the data from one of our members. In a little under a year, he boosted his FTP up by 47 watts and improve his w/kg ratio from 3.0 wkg to 4.1 w/kg!

Not only could his former self not ride with him…not too many others in his area can either. Enjoy the data view, you geeks!!!!

• 11/27/10   First FTP test ever, FTP 175  (3.0 w/kg)
• 12/26/10   42 min CT test, FTP 185
• 2/07          42 min CT  test, FTP 195
• 3/22          42 min CT test, FTP 201
• 5/25          23 min test  hill time trial, FTP  206
• 6/30          42 min test, FTP 218
• 8/11          20 min test, FTP 221
• 10/16        20 min test, FTP 222 (4.1 w/kg)

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As members post their workout data, it’s clear that many are possibly riding harder than the prescribed intensity. So let’s sit around the table, have a beer or two, and I’ll give you my thoughts on how you can apply our experience with this stuff to your job as a self-coached triathlete. But first, lets step back to give you a little power primer. I’m going to speak “power-geek” in this post because it allows us to frame this discussion around objective numbers.

Typical OS forum post by our over-achieving members: “I just rode 3 x 12′ @ 1.08, 1.09, 1.05 IF. Yay me!!”

This doode is riding with power. He did some testing to determine his Functional Threshold Power (FTP), let’s say 200 watts. Intensity Factor (IF) is how hard he rode, as a fraction of this FTP. So an IF of 1.05 means he rode at 105% of his FTP of 200w, or 210w. So…what’s the problem? The problem, or issue, is that the prescribed intensity for the workout was 95-100% of FTP, not 105%. And once you get over 100%, things get real hard, real fast and too much too hard can put you into a hole and compromise your other sessions.

These are my questions and observations as a triathlon coach:

Does Timmy have an accurate FTP?
That is, did he have a good test, is he then using that FTP to calc these numbers, and is his FTP still an accurate measurement of his fitness (ie, has his fitness improved/FTP gone up since his last test)?

Riding 3 x 12′ at those IF’s is doable, given an accurate FTP. It’s a solid session, no doubt, and the drop between the 2nd and 3rd intervals tells me that what’s likely happening is a combination of an accurate FTP, the guy just crushing himself on #1 and #2, and paying for a bit on #3. But he didn’t completely implode on #3 (still above FTP). In short, it’s possible to overachieve on these relatively shorter intervals and get away with it. But if he were putting up those IF’s for intervals of 15-20′, that would be a sure sign that his FTP has likely increased since his last test and he’s ready for a bump.

Should he bump his FTP up?
Our OutSeason plans include power testing about every 4-8wks, so you can test your fitness and move your FTP upwards accordingly. And the “rule” is if you think your fitness has improved, prove it by testing or racing faster and use that proof as permission to then train at higher wattages…but that’s the general rule. Let’s all have another beer and continue to talk to each other smart adults able to manage our own training, pay attention to our bodies, and not drive them through a brick wall…

In general, yes, it’s best to wait until a formal test before you bump your FTP up. The reason is that this workout above doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Far from it. Timmy will follow this up with a hard interval run on Wednesday, a similar bike interval session on Thursday…and more intervals on Saturday and a hard run on Sunday.

So Coach Dick’s Don’t Be Stoopid Rule, to be applied to every situation where you feel the need for speed, and the ability to over achieve a bit in a session, is:

How will what I’m doing right now affect my ability to successfully complete downstream workouts?

So when Timmy has his nose on the dial for the second interval and can feel a 1.09 IF ride in the works, he should ask himself “Self…the workout sez to ride at 95-100% but you’re tracking towards a 110% interval. Is this the smart thing to do, considering the fact that you have to back up it in 24hrs with a run interval session that kicked your ass last week. And the run is your weaker leg…and you’re going to be up late tonight busting out that project for your boss (damn job!!)”

If it were me and the answer was:

• Yes — I would let it ride and consider that my over achievement (and sorta-comfort doing so) = my FTP has increased since my last test. I “might” do some math* to establish a new FTP, and take that for a spin on Thursday to see how it feels. Or I might wait to see if I can repeat the performance on Thursday and, if so, do the math and increase my FTP.
• No — I’ll back off, sit down, shut up, do what I’m told and keep my eye on the bigger game — to do the best I can do with EVERY session, not just hit a homerun on Tuesday only to booger Wednesday and Thursday.

Now within this discussion I’ll say it’s more ok to overachieve on the bike than on the run. The bike is a much lower risk activity and so “can” warrant a little bit of risk-taking. However, the run, especially what we have you doing during the OS, is much different and no joke. You DEFINITELY should wait until your next run test to prove you’ve earned the right to run faster in training. You need to have a much longer term view of your get-faster run project, assigning yourself the task of getting much faster on the run between now and September vs perhaps a now through April time frame for the bike.

“Yeah, yeah, blah, blah…so I can ride harder than the prescribed intensity on my rides or not?”
I’m saying you can be smart, think things through on every ride, keeping your eye on the long term goals and bigger picture: your job is to do the workout today that creates conditions for success TOMORROW and the next day and the next. And if you need help, just ask Patrick and me in the forums, or post your questions to our Facebook page.

*The Math — or how to determine your FTP from a breakthru ride:
One FTP test is to do a 20′ time trial, subtract 5% from your average watts and call the result your FTP. Using one of my own recent rides as an example: every Tuesday since the Dawn of Time I’ve been doing hill repeats on a 5k, 5-6% hill about 2 miles from my house. This week I put up 307w and 1.10 IF on the second repeat, after about 1.05 on the first, and I then comfortably went 1.02 IF on the third repeat. So I multiply 307w x .95 = 291w FTP, call it 290w. I’ll take this FTP for a spin today (Thursday) and this weekend to see how it feels. More importantly, I know myself well enough to know that if it’s set a little too hot, I’m pretty good at managing individual sessions, and sessions across the week, so I can achieve all of my goals for every session.

Rich Strauss
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photo credit: mitsukuni

Ed Note: This post is about the broader concept of training with power, and doesn’t include specifics on the application of power to triathlon training. If you’d like to learn more about how we have pushed the limits of powermeters in the triathlon space, you can either purchase the second edition of Andy Coggan’s book “Training and Racing with a Power Meter” and refer to our chapter on triathlon or for more detailed information, purchase the “EN Power Webinar” which includes over four hours of audio + written guidance on how to use your powermeter.

Affordable powermeters are the most impactful piece of equipment to dominate the triathlon space since the advent of the aerobars. Period. Now triathletes everywhere can train and race with almost laser-like precision, achieving new levels of fitness and performance that were once out of reach. But you don’t have to own a powermeter in order to reap the training and racing benefits of a coaching methodology built on using power.

Question: “Do I need to have a powermeter in order to be able to train with Team EN or to use one of your training plans?”

This is one of the top questions we get inside Endurance Nation. And the answer is always the same: Not at all. Having a power meter will help you follow the training plan, but know that all of our training plans also include heart rate and perceived exertion guidance. The difference is that every single one of our training plans is written from the perspective of power.

Answer: “You’ll be training like you have power whether you own a PM or not!”

As one of the earliest adopters of training with power in the triathlon space, our entire coaching methodology is built upon what we have learned from training and racing with power. We quickly realized that training with power afforded the opportunity to quantify the work done in each workout. We used that information to create training plans that (A) use fitness benchmarking to drive workout levels and race performance and (B) leverage intensity to make manageable, effective plans that fit the age-group triathlete’s busy lifestyle.

“Work…WORKS!”
You might not feel like a powermeter athlete, but you are doing the same interval workouts and build up that a regular power user does. While you don’t have that fancy computer on your handlebars, your muscles don’t know the difference — they are just working really hard and getting stronger.

Here are a few of our key concepts

• Fitness is defined as your ability to do work (i.e. Move your bike).
• The fitter you become, the more work you can do (i.e. Move your bike faster).
• Working harder, in shorter training sessions, builds equivalent fitness to training long hours (i.e. You save time).

At the end of the day, whether you train with power or not is not really a function of how much disposable income you have. It’s what’s between your ears that matters. If you’re ready to commit to a power-training approach, and to apply that knowledge to direct your training and racing, then you’ll be well on your way to achieving your potential on race day.

To learn more about our unique training approach feel free to browse our FREE online training manual. If you are interested in a training plan, you can view all the options in our online store here. If you have further questions, please ask us on Facebook!

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photo credit: nDevilTV
Using metrics to measure your fitness is a double-edged sword. No more is this true than in the OutSeason, when the fitness you have right now is competing with the fitness you had during the season. Don’t be depressed by the disparity; instead find a deeper meaning in what the numbers are telling you.

Using metrics to measure your fitness is a double-edged sword. No more is this true than in the OutSeason, when the fitness you have right now is competing with the fitness you had during the season. Don’t be depressed by the disparity; instead find a deeper meaning in what the numbers are telling you.

Let’s say I have a “friend” whose FTP was 325 last season. He’s a big doode, so it’s actually not that impressive. For 9 months he thought of himself as Mr 325; that’s what he tested, that’s what he rode…it was just a huge part of his being. Enter the OutSeason. After a few weeks off, my “friend” starts training again only now indoors. The first test is a debacle; so hard it’s a slap to the face…the net outcome is 305 watts. It’s humble pie, it’s a bit of a knock-down, some might even say a step back.

But my friend isn’t phased one bit.

After all, it’s the OutSeason and while he hoped for higher numbers, he didn’t expect to see them after not training for a solid month. Instead, he’s excited about his results!

• First off, he survived the test and has added another layer of toughness to his mental six-pack.
• He now has a new target for his immediate training, one that’s “just” challenging enough instead of making him over-reach.
• He has a “gap” goal, or a target to attain last season’s fitness — he can strive to be as fit as last year before this next season even starts!

Our mutual friends knows that taking a step back is an important part of being able to leap forward. It’s not easy eating some humble pie, but learning to do so, developing the ability to effectively self-assess, is a really important part of achieving your potential as an athlete. Learn more about the OutSeason and how you can improve in our FREE Virtual Seminar by clicking here.

Do yourself a favor and put last season away. Live in the now. Do the test. Get the numbers. Own them. Be them. Get fitter and beat them.

Next season won’t know what hit it when you emerge from the pain cave.

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Tune in as Endurance Nation Coaches Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann cover the most important parts of getting your bike ready for the big day. From wheels to helmets to food, we’ve hit it all to make sure you are 100% dialed in! Click here for more information: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/endurancenation/2009/05/11/Endurance-Nation-Radio-Weekly-Check-In-With-The-Coaches

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This week Coach P talks Watts per Kilo, keeping it real and…finally reveals the sign up URL for our free Bike Fit Webinar on 3/29! Czech it out!

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Thanks for the mention. Patrick and I did a free webinar in the winter and turned it into a free ebook, which you can download here: https://www.box.net/shared/l57mxcp2pa. In it is a $20 discount code on our much more complete webinar product that you helped us with (thanks!) last year:

Since Endurance Nation was mentioned in the thread I want to clarify a few things:

• For the first 16wks of our season (our Out-Season, your Off-Season), we are 100% focused on lifting FTP. Interval sets, zero concerns for volume, about 4hrs total cycling volume per week. Average FTP gains last year, teamwide, were 15%. We are gathering the data from this year. Several members have posted 24%+ gains this week
• In General Prep (about 8wks for us), volume increases because it can (you’re outside) but we stick to about 2.5-3hrs max on the weekends. This is the volume that is repeatable week after week for our athletes given work, family, etc. Still focused on FTP but we add 80-85% time. Additional volume comes from a warmup but we still prescribe nothing below 80% (other than a warmup)
• Race Prep the volume increases but tops out at 4.5hrs for Saturday, about 3hrs on Sunday. 1 x interval session during the week with zero volume goals. Main Set only. On these long rides we do prescribe 70-75% riding, to build race-specific fitness. More specifically, they lock themselves in the aerobars and wrap their heads around nutrition, the art of riding steady, and the pacing discipline we expect of them on race day, etc. But, again, the FTP and 80-85% work continues.
• They perform 2 x race reahearsal rides before the race. These are the only sessions that they ride over 4.5hrs. These are by far their easiest rides with us.

In general, our focus throughout the season is:

• Lifting FTP. Best time for us to do this is on the Out-Season, when they don’t also have to go far, but we maintain this focus, in some measure, throughtout the season. That said, we believe the value of going far (for much of the year) is significantly over-rated. The last three years we have done a cycling camp for the Tour of California. About 350 miles last year, close to 400 this year. About 2/3 of our participants are east coasters, dropping into this camp after no more than 4hrs/wk of cycling. From 4hrs on a trainer, all FTP-focused, to 20-25hrs outside on challenging terrains…no problems: Tour of California Summary
• Optimizing (usually by maximizing) their TSS/hr of training time by having them do alot of 80-85%/sweetspot training. Low risk method to significantly boost the TSS of each session.
• We reserve the race specific intensity for much closer to the race and don’t have any “magical adaptations” thoughts about it. You’re strong, time to get comfortable at your race watts in your race position, learn what works for you nutritionally, and get your mind right about how we want you to pace the race.

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Endurance Nation is pleased to release another free eBook today, 3/9/2009. The Intro to Power Training for Triahletes eBook contains the content from our Intro to Power Webinar back in Dec 2008. The PDF contains basic power info, the slides from our presentation and 60+ minutes of accompanying audio. This is another step forward in our unswerving commitment to giving triathletes access to great resources on the fundamental elements of our sport.

Please pass this on to your readers/network. We hope to hit 2,000 downloads today…so please help us out!

Here is the direct link to download the file: https://www.box.net/shared/l57mxcp2pa

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Timmy knows exactly how much weight is on his bar, all the time, in real time. He’s know how much weight should be on the bar, given any situation. He knows how quickly he should lift each weight and he knows much total weight he can lift and still run well off the bench.

Your weights come in all shapes, sizes, and none of them are marked. Are you benching 100 or 200lb? You think/feel/take your heart rate and have a pretty good idea…but you don’t know. You don’t know how much you are, could, or even should be lifting right now, much less your optimum total across the day.

Who is gonna win? My money is on Timmy, the guy with more information and the knowledge of how to use it. It’s easy to understand that in an event lasting in many cases well over 10 hours, success is often a function of making fewer mistakes than the other guy. You don’t out-fitness your competition, you out-execute them. In our experience, the objective, real time information of power, coupled with the knowledge of how to use it, is an incredibly powerful race day tool.

Racing with power is a simple three step process:

Step One: Measure your current fitness and determine what is the best pacing strategy and total work output for you on race day. We have proven tools to help you.

Step Two: Ride the bike and look at the meter. Assess what you are doing now against what you know are supposed to do.

Step Three: If you are being stoopid and making a mistake, STOP DOING THAT!! Gain confidence in the fact that you are doing the opposite of everyone else. We tell our team that only about 10% of the field knows how to execute. If they are doing the opposite of the everyone else, they are definitely doing it the right way.

Powermeter = Stupidometer

“I am being stoopid, I will stop doing that now.”

“They are being stupid…I will not do that.”

We hope you have enjoyed our Training with Power Series. We have tried to keep it simple and light on the geekage. If you want the full-monty, high-octane power training and racing learning experience, please check our signature product: Endurance Nation Training and Racing with Power, for Multisport, Webinar Series. With over four hours of audio and a ton of additional written documentation, this is without a doubt the most comprehensive learning tool for the power multisport athlete. And, to reward you for sticking with us, we’d like to offer you $20 off. Just use the code Power20off at checkout!

Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann
The Endurance Nation Coaches

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1. It will save you time.
2. It will redefine your limits.
3. It will make you into a race execution ninja.

Time Efficiency
This is without a doubt the most compelling reason any age-group triathlete should consider a powermeter. A powermeter allows you to get more bang for your buck from every workout.  On a micro-level, having a powermeter eliminates the guesswork from all of your bike training. You know what watts you should ride at. Toss your leg over the bike, flick on your PM, push the watts for the prescribe time, done. We will talk more about how we train with power in our next installment.

Redefined Limitations
Everyone enters triathlon with a preconceived notion of who they are and where they fit in.  Some folks assume they will always be “slow” while others look at their training buddies and figure they are going to be pretty darn fast.  A powermeter cuts right to the heart of the matter because it doesn’t care who you are, what your sport background is. Power training athletes learn very quickly that there is no magic to getting faster. Just as getting stronger in the gym is as simple as putting more and more weight on the bar and lifting it, training with power is no different: becoming faster is simply a matter of pushing the watts up and up. All athletes, regardless of background and ability, push the watts, see the numbers go up over time, and learn one very important lesson: work is speed entering the body. No magic, no arcane science…it’s just work.

Race Execution Ninja
Let’s create a new sport, Liftathlon. We will lift weights in the gym for 6hrs and then run a marathon. I know exactly how much weight is on my bar at all time. I know exactly how much and how quickly I should be lifting. You, with only heart rate, can only guess. Yes, it can be an educated guess and we’re not saying you should toss the heart rate monitor. But is the weight on your bar 100 or 200lb? What should the weight even be? You don’t know. In a game that lasts for hours and hours, success is often defined by who makes few mistakes. You can eaisly see that my constant access to objective information (watts/weight) allows me to make better decisions. Over time I make few pacing mistakes than you. The net is that a powermeter is an invaluable tool for long course racing. We will talk more about racing with power in our next installment.

Before we move on to our next installment, Racing with Power, we would be remiss if we didn’t discuss why some of you should not train with power. Very simply, any powermeter is only as good as the investment you make in learning how to use it. This investment takes the form of learning what buttons to push on the monitor, downloading and analyzing your data, and listening to guys like us who can teach you how to use it. Yes, it does take time and it does take some work between the ears. Be honest with yourself and if you feel you won’t be able to make these gray matter investments, for whatever reasons, then perhaps training with power is not for you. And that’s cool! Hopefully you’ve avoided making an expensive mistake we’ve seen others make: purchasing a $1500-3500 powermeter and using it as nothing more than a $35 Cateye!

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