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News / power
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Dec 17, 2014
Success in the off-season is higher speed or power for an aerobic cost
Read more →I often ask my athletes to produce the most speed for the least cost. In the off-season, when athletes aren't focused on racing, I will look at aerobic cost. For example, I will assign a negative-split workout where the goal is to go out at a Zone 1 heart rate. This can be an out-and-back course or it can be a loop. On the way back, the athlete is to run or ride as fast as possible – without exceeding the top of Zone 2 heart rate. I want to know how fast or powerful you can be at an...
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Nov 05, 2014
Visual example of heart rate lagging power in a training plan
Read more →(Click on the image to make it larger) In my training plans I ask triathletes and cyclists using heart rate as their training monitor to begin an interval with a lower, controlled effort and allow heart rate to climb to the range specified in the plan. The reason I request that approach is that heart rate lags power and many times I'm interested in a constant power output; whether the athlete is actually training with a power meter or not. This week I asked one of my athletes to do 60-second power repeats. He executed the workout perfectly. His TrainingPeaks...
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Oct 28, 2014
Should I use heart rate or power in the triathlon training plan?
Read more →Dear Mrs. Bernhardt, Greetings from Germany! I do have a question about your training plan, Triathlon: Base Period (Winter, Off-Season) Training, Phase 1: 4.75 to 9.5 hrs/wk - especially about the bike part . Unfortunately it's not clear for me, if the zones you describe in the cycling parts are power zones or heart rate zones. Example: Endurance - Z3. Should I stay in power zones 1-3, or heart rate zones 1-3? I am looking forward to your answers. S.S. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello S.S. ~ By design, you can use heart rate Zone 3 or power Zone 3 if you have a...
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Nov 15, 2013
Getting the most power using a heart rate monitor for training
Read more →Many of the athletes that I coach use power – and many don’t. For those that don’t have access to power, you can still get the highest average power output for your heart rate efforts. Those of you using my books or online training plans recognize this workout description – or something close to it: These intervals begin work on lactate threshold speed. On a mostly flat course or indoor trainer, complete the prescribed intervals allowing heart rate to rise into the Zone 3 over the course of the interval and no higher. After heart rate is in Zone 3,...
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May 30, 2013
On-the-bike strength training workout
Read more →When I assemble training plans for triathletes, cyclists and mountain bikers there are times when I want a primarily aerobic workout; but I want an on-the-bike strength training load. I like this workout to be done on a hill, because it is easier for the athletes to keep power high and heart rate in the aerobic zone. I did this type of workout myself yesterday. Before looking at my training file, first you need to know my training zones. The zones are calculated using the table in Training Plans for Cyclists. Power Zones - Watts Zone 1 0 101 Zone...
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May 07, 2013
Why does cycling power increase for a given heart rate on hills?
Read more →In yesterday’s blog post I tried to explain that a cycling time trial on an uphill course will produce more power output for the same average heart rate than the same duration of time trial on a flat course. I used a running analogy, but that specific analogy wasn’t a good one. Let me try again. Human power The engine in your car does not physically change when you drive. It is a fixed mechanical system that is powering a fixed mechanical chassis. There are certainly changes with aging, but from one week to the next or from a hilly...