Training to Race: Faster, Stronger, Awesomer

Mar 05, 2014 at 12:16 AM

Thanks Jules, good idea.

Mar 05, 2014 at 12:57 AM

This has been my off season core routine for like 4 years. Simple. Seems to do the trick. http://bloombikeshop.com/bodyweight-exercise/

konrad

Mar 05, 2014 at 06:00 PM

What do you guys do during the season? I used to do core stuff, but as I've been training more consistently over the winter, I find I'm often too pooped to care about doing additional exercises and have totally neglected core work. I know I should do it though, so I'd like to work something in 2 or 3 times a week.

Mark Inaba

Mar 05, 2014 at 07:36 PM

Konrad,

Here is a video I use when I am crunched for time (haha no pun intended). The guys is a bit kooky but the workout is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjFh4J1dnc

Jeff Apruzzese

Mar 05, 2014 at 09:01 PM

@konrad‌ I've been sticking to the old 7 minute scientific workout 2-3 times a week. Short and sweet, and those planks will give you that d'angelo muscle.

twoyacks

Mar 06, 2014 at 11:10 PM

Why oh Why...can I upload files to Garmin connect...but Strava is giving me the finger? getting a failed to upload????? what the what !?!?!?

Jules

Mar 07, 2014 at 12:04 AM

twoyacks said:

Why oh Why...can I upload files to Garmin connect...but Strava is giving me the finger? getting a failed to upload????? what the what !?!?!?

Give up on your third world technology solution for a bike computer and buy a goddamn Garmin already. It's 2014.

twoyacks

Mar 07, 2014 at 01:57 AM

I may have to...this is a giant bucket of suck. Cateye customer service is shit...I have called them twice in the last 2 weeks and they have offered me nothing, save send us an email and we will contact Japan. Have not heard back from them on the request I emailed 2 weeks ago. There was nobody there that could help trouble shoot my issues...very bad.

FYI I ordered a Stages meter on Januray 28th...It's March 6th and I got nothin. Monday will be 6 weeks....starting to lose my patience. If they don't ship by next Friday I may ask for a refund. The power meter market is the wild west right now. Crank based and pedal based meters seem to be dripping into the market every few months now.

Jules

Mar 07, 2014 at 02:12 AM

Cateyes are not the droids you are looking for...

David Yang

Mar 07, 2014 at 08:33 PM

Because I hate threshold workouts and wanted to know more about my enemy...

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/02/training-center/on-the-bike/lactic-acid-myths-debunked_316899

Unknown

Mar 08, 2014 at 03:40 AM

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Jules

Mar 10, 2014 at 04:14 PM

I'm curious what the experienced people think a fair "haircut" is for indoor vs outdoor power.

(The alternative to deciding on a number is of course two sets of field tests one indoor and one outdoor.)

Mark Inaba

Mar 10, 2014 at 04:48 PM

Gwynna,

I've been using Training peaks to monitor my training for the last 2 years. I give it a thumbs up. It's very helpful to have some kind of power meter to track your progress. I don't know what you mean about their numbers?

mugwump

Mar 10, 2014 at 05:09 PM

Jules,

I don't know if there's a rule here. There are some practical considerations, like you can't "muscle" your effort so much, you can't use your arms and totally lose form. And there are some psychological considerations--I think for the longer intervals, the psychological issues are paramount.

For 5-10s sprints, I think I'm lucky if I can get over 60% of my outside power on the rollers. For a minute, I'd say about 80% is very good. For VO2, Threshold, and Tempo, I can come very close to my outdoor numbers.

Unknown

Mar 10, 2014 at 06:00 PM

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mugwump

Mar 10, 2014 at 06:11 PM

Gwynna Smith said:

Mark Inaba said:

Gwynna,

I've been using Training peaks to monitor my training for the last 2 years. I give it a thumbs up. It's very helpful to have some kind of power meter to track your progress. I don't know what you mean about their numbers?

Specifically IF. I did an 1:30 tempo ride (3x20, 5m RBI) and well and truly tempo according to my HR. But my IF came in significantly under what it should for a tempo ride. Thinking maybe it was the wu and cd that threw it off? Really disappointing. Trying to figure out if the TP numbers are off, my HR numbers are off, or if I really am just not training as hard as I should be. (no power, only HR)

Gwynna,

Can set interval markers on your heart rate monitor? IF you could separate your tempo efforts from your rest, then perhaps you'd get a more accurate picture.

Mark Inaba

Mar 10, 2014 at 08:16 PM

Gwynna,

Another thing to consider is a PowerCal. I purchased one this year to quantify my races on some level instead of using my powertap wheel in races. What I have experienced is that it's a pretty good tool at measuring your efforts into power data. It's extremely good for pacing and efforts over 5 min. It's incredibly portable so you can use at the gym, travelling, and on any bike, etc.Using the powercal in conjunction with TP you can get a better picture of your IF. I purchased one for about $60, I know a member was selling his for $50.

Unknown

Mar 11, 2014 at 12:28 PM

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mugwump

Mar 11, 2014 at 01:11 PM

Gwynna,

Which recording hrm are you using? Perhaps you can try Golden Cheetah (freeware) or pay for WKO+ from Training Peaks, and these will let you see in greater detail.

For me, the detail is essential. Looking at hr for the ride tells you more about overall stress on your body than it does about your intervals. Until you can see greater detail, I would be much less concerned with the ride--unless your interval is the entire ride.

dstokes

Mar 11, 2014 at 06:01 PM

I have to concur with JP. Below is a snap of my indoor session this morning plotting power (red) and heartrate (blue). Notice that even though the power was the same during consecutive intervals, heart rate responded a lot differently.

Capture.PNG

Unknown

Mar 11, 2014 at 06:54 PM

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dstokes

Mar 11, 2014 at 07:27 PM

I truncated the fancy numbers because I'm shy. Just note how the heartrate goes higher and higher even though the power remains constant. Use whatever scale you like for the vertical axis. If you trained by heartrate alone, then the power would not be equivalent - that's my point. In JP's parlance, my stress level was increasing towards the end of the session, but my power output was not.

David Yang

Mar 12, 2014 at 01:56 PM

My really low-tech way of training without power is not going by heartrate, but cadence and speed. If interval #1 is around 24mph at 90rpm using the 53x15, I do the same for interval #2 even if my heartrate is 10-20bpm higher by the end of it.

Unknown

Mar 12, 2014 at 09:28 PM

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twoyacks

Mar 12, 2014 at 09:55 PM

I am happy to report that my computrainer has been underreporting my power output. I am currently in possession of a strain gauge power meter...Now I had to ship my Cateye head unit back for a warranty the day before the Stages meter arrived so I recorded a workout today using bluetooth and my I-phone (pretty fucking cool feature). My usual 250 watt 20 minute interval is now 275 watts for 20. You wanna tango with Rango ?!?!

http://cyclemeter.com/bf36f6eba2a42874/Cycle-20140312-1515?r=f

rango6.jpg

Jules

Mar 13, 2014 at 12:15 AM

Truth is that everyone knows their "threshold" by feel. It's 7/10, with incredible reliability.

dstokes

Mar 13, 2014 at 03:57 PM

Another reason to try to justify the, admittedly, high cost of a power meter:

In the workout below, I have plotted power (red) heartrate (blue) and cadence (cyan). Never mind the first interval; that clears things out. Second interval I started in a lower gear with a relatively high cadence (85). Heart rate goes up as expected, though it seems to me that this feels harder than it ought to. So after 10 min, I change gears to allow lower cadence (76) with the same power. Interestingly, my heart rate immediately drops and stays level for the rest of the interval. Draw your own conclusions . . .

Capture.PNG

Jules

Mar 13, 2014 at 04:04 PM

My opinion is that after a bike that fits, and a bike fitting, there are no components that come close to the benefit of a power meter, except perhaps a good mattress that sees regular use - for sleeping Owens.

Fancy wheels vs power meter, power meter wins every day and twice on race-days.

Unknown

Mar 13, 2014 at 04:09 PM

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Andrew Da Silva

Mar 28, 2014 at 04:31 PM

Nice article aimed for those new to racing. But valuable for everyone IMHO.

http://standarddouble.com/main/2014/3/15/different-tips-for-the-new-racer