Setting Endurance-Specific Power Zones
When designing endurance training programs using a power meter, it is crucial to establish power zones specific to endurance sports. Using these zones, athletes ensure they train at the correct intensities to develop their endurance as best as possible without overtraining.
Determination of Baseline Power
The first step in the process of setting performance zones is figuring out the athlete’s Functional Threshold Power . This number describes the highest power output a rider can sustain in a steady state without overfatiguing for one hour. The most common way of figuring out the FTP is a 20-minute test all-out effort after adequate warming up . This method is based on the assumption that the average power output of the rider will be approximately 95% of the FTP value.
Allocation into Zones
Once the FTP is determined, it is divided into zones. One of the critical features of the longevity nature of sport is that the general intensity of endurance zones may spread from 56% to 75% of each athlete’s FTP. Working out in this zone activates the aerobic system of an athlete . This kind of training increases the body’s ability to burn more fatty acids during workout. The result is an increased delivery of oxygen and increased tension in mitochondria.
Application to Real World
A rider is preparing for a century ride, but they need to increase their performance. Their training plan includes 4-hour rides at 70% of FTP to their regular training. They are also training twice a week using specific intervals to increase their aerobic capacity.
Data Analysis
Athletes who have been training in their longevity zones for 12 weeks have shown a 10% improvement in time to exhaustion . Their improved performance characteristic can be attributed to the fact that they have been exercising in the correct power zones.
Types of Zones
It is crucial to change power zones according to available feedback. The athlete will feel that their power output gets higher than the indicated zone. The recovery heart rate gets better. It will be necessary for the athlete to re-test their FTP.
Long Duration Rides
Long duration rides are fundamental for endurance training, especially for the cyclists and triathletes. A power meter can provide multiple benefits for long rides, ensuring that they will transfer into higher training efficiency and effectiveness.
Planning the Ride
Efficient long rides should vary between 3 and 6 hours, depending on a person’s fitness and training goals. Long rides are planned to maintain significant but consistent power output in the lower endurance zone, which is about 56%-75% if everybody’s FTP. This will ensure, that the athletes are using lipids as a fuel, and also are developing their aerobic endurance without getting overly tired. For the triathlete, that might be in the preparations for the Ironman, a long ride could include a segment with desired race pace. Staying at 65% of an athlete’s FTP for 2 hours, and then adding 1 hour at 80% of FTP. Such ride will support general endurance, and also long-term stamina needed for the triathlon.
Monitoring and Adjusting
A power meter provides an athlete with consistent feedback regarding what power output he achieves at a given moment. If an athlete notices that his power output can not keep up with the necessary 80% FTP effort, he should adjust it, not letting it drop to a value that would be smaller than 75% of his FTP. He should make sure that his power output does not exceed the 80% value.
Example
Cyclist is preparing to the first century event. Planned long ride will take 3 hours, 2 hours he will ride at 60% of his FTP, then he will proceed for 30 minutes at 70% FTP, and finally he will wrap up at constantly changing intervals of 10 minutes riding at 75% of FTP, and 5 minutes of recovery. Such approach will help him to build endurance, and will prepare muscles and energy systems for the irregular efforts they will experience at the event.
Utilizing Power Data for Energy Management
Mastering energy management during your training sessions and competitions can bring your athletic performance to a different level. According to the first notions of energy management, to avoid rapid depletion, cyclists should adjust their energy use to different stages of their training session or race.
Cyclists can benefit from using power data to trace and allocate their wattage in the most productive way. Cycling power represents the amount of energy a rider has to produce to propel the bicycle forward. The narrower the margin between power data and rationing of glycogen is the more effective and balanced is the energy management of a cyclist.
Match energy use to the phases of the workout
In long training sessions and races, it is vital to track one’s overall power output and to rateg the watts produced in the most productive way. It can be possible by following the RAMP test workout structure. During the first five to ten minutes, a cyclist should “ride in zone three on a scale from one to seven”. Correspondingly, the pace of one’s ride can be described as warm-up because the correct approach is about starting at a low wattage and gradually increasing it. In the end, it will help to preserve the major energy stores until the main workout.
Applications
The example of a case where a cyclist would be using the model of energy management is an amateur athlete planning to participate in a gran fondo or a competitive and challenging long-distance group ride. Stages such as the ride to the top of Seven Devils will be characterized by various topographic factors, and using power data, a cyclist should “expedite where he is required to go faster and conserve energy on long descents”.
Practical applications
Marathon runner: for up to 20 miles, a runner plans to stick to a sustainable pace and overall stamina, generating 215 watts. To finish the race strong, he routines to boost his overall power to 245 watts.
Recovery Monitoring
For endurance athletes, effective recovery is no less important than training itself. Power meters can be used to monitor recovery and assure athletes that they are not overtraining and recovering between sessions enough. Overall, power meters can help track recovery trends and adjust training based on this data.
Tracking Recovery Trends
Most notably, power meters can supply data on how an athlete’s output changes from one day to the next. If power output decreases as the same heart rate or perceived effort, it may become evident that an athlete is not recovering. Notably, these trends can be tracked over several weeks or months, allowing athletes to adjust their workout volumes and intensity so as not to accumulate fatigue properly.
Adjusting Training Based on Recovery Data
It is essential to adjust training based on recovery data to avoid fatigue accumulation. If an athlete notices their average output decreased by about 10% over several days, their training should be different. If data is not used to adjust plans, they will eventually lead to overtraining.
Real-time Feedback During Warm-ups
The power meter can be used to provide real-time feedback while warming up for a main set. If an athlete’s power during a typical warm-up routine is 20% lower at the same heart rate as a typical warm-up from a week before, the main set should not be the same, but an easier one.
Practical Implementation
A cyclist who uses the power meter to track recovery notices that the data from one week to the next indicates that their power output was slightly lower without a change in the perceived effort. In such a case, they decide to take an extra rest day and have a lighter week of training instead. After doing so, the cyclist notices that both power and overall well-being are up.
Progress Tracking Through Seasonal Changes
Endurance athletes experience different training conditions and physiological responses in various seasons. A power meter is the most vital tool for tracking the progress of an athlete and adjusting training.
Adapting Training
A power meter spice up training on different seasons, and an athlete may need to adjust. For instance, during the season of winter, it can at times be awful since more hours are spent indoors in the training regime. In such conditions, the output of power gets perceived differently, and it is close to impossible to maintain the intensity of training. The power meter provides a better way to measure output and workouts for athletes. In summer training, lesser intensity is produced, and the hot temperatures cannot be a useful training factor either. Athletes training get promoted in winter and slowed in summer as indicated by the meter.
Trends Measuring Seasonal Effects
The trends of athletic performance are measured with different temperature changes and training. At times, it is observed that performance is slower during the low temperatures and cold seasons of winter. The average power output is likely to decrease up to 20% during winter and only at an increase of 5% in hot conditions. Thorough warming is essential before the exercise and the adjustment of the exercise to accommodate the changes.
Longitudinal Data Analysis
The analysis evaluates the data of the athlete from one season to the other season training and adjustment effects. It helps to understand the training plan design, adaptable, achieve peak competition, and the progression of the athlete in attributable to endurance, power output, or efficiency.
Desired Effect
When the heat season approaches, athletes begin adjusting the training to focus on the development of efficiency through keeping the power at the same rate. A triathlete who trains alone may need to monitor 18 months of data to notice a variance. An athlete may experience a decrease in average of up to 5% power. Since the athlete aims at competing at the end of the summer season, the best way is to prepare appropriately and adapt to high temperatures to perform at peak.
