Watts and Training

[stymie2000]

Please tell me my stationary bike watts meter isn’t working right! I have been training VERY, VERY hard and have been looking on the web for the best measurements to use to check training. I found a lot about watts but am very concerned because the watts levels that they are showing are well above what I am producing on my bike.

I’m 45, 145 pounds. I’ve been building my training up for 7 months (riding, running (infrequently) and lifting weights. I have my stationary bike set to its highest level (16) on crosstraining. So, there are extended times at the highest level, intervals between mid-level and highest level, as well as other variations but none going below the mid-level. Over 30 minutes I am averaging only 130 watts which is low even for a casual rider from what I’ve read! My average heart rate is 140-145 which, according to what I saw on Wikipedia, is on the lower end of hardcore training.

So, am I doing something wrong or does it seem like my watts reading is just off?

[Sackattack]

"stymie2000" wrote

So, am I doing something wrong or does it seem like my watts reading is just off?

I wouldn’t worry too much about it unless you’ve had some real-world experience to back it up. Data sources are only so useful. Whether your power meter is reading correctly is truly impossible for someone to say from across the interwebs (looks fine from here 😆). Just jump in a race, give it a shot and see what comes out. Besides, suppose for a second that it’s reading correctly—what are you going to do that you’re not already doing?

One other thought: weighing in at 145 means you’ll require less power to go fast than someone who weighs, I dunno, 200 pounds or something. Us little guys tend not to crank out as much power as the big guys (face the facts, we have smaller muscles), and it really isn’t that big a deal. What matters is how fast you and your bicycle go.

[GoldenGoose]

Try this site for a second opinion…

[url:qpcwz7su]http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm[/url:qpcwz7su]

Does calorie and wattage estimates. If you have an idea of your VO2 max, it’ll give you an even more precise number.

[Suvacrew]

I play with watts for Time Trialing and you’ll want to address a few things to gauge yourself first.
Goose has you to a site that will give you some passive retrospect, but tell us how are you capturing your watts? If your stationary bike isn’t a strain gauge based unit like Cyclops/SARIS, SRM or Quark then you’re dealing with some algorithm and the accuracy of your output may be way off. So there…your readings may be wrong. It cost some $$ to play the watts game with accuracy.
Powertaps are accurate to within+/- 1.5%. I use PT SLC+ on my roadies and a 300Pro indoor. If you’re training right you’ll get immense gains with the watts approach, providing you’ve got the right feedback on an instant basis.
First you need to know what your LT (VO2Max) is and will be referred to as FTP, functional Threshold Power. Most experts will advise you to do an all out Time Trial for 60 minutes to get your 1hr AVG FTP. There are shorter tests or ramp up tests but they aren’t as accurate That will be your Lactate Threshold and the watermark for your work outs. Then your workouts will be configured around this LT so you get the most benefit and don’t blow up.
Powertap has recently come out with a Disc hub for MTBs if you want to go that far.
If you’re going to be climbing tons, watts/kg will be a very important metric. Big guys with more muscle will make huge watts numbers but will suffer in the watts/kg ratio unless they are very lean. Great sprinters (1600 watts +) and great Time Trailists are rarely great climbers on avg. Yes Lance, Fabian and Levi aren’t avg.

Some links to peruse:
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac … thresh.htm
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac … obench.htm
http://www.saris.com/t-sciencePower.aspx?skinid=2
http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-to … -max-test/
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training- … allen.aspx

The beauty of watts is that it is pure output and overcomes the drawback of just HR based training. If you always try to keep your heart rate in a range, your output will continue to drop as you fatigue. On a watts basis, you’ll hold steady on your output and then contend and manage the HR creep under the LT. Knowing the FTP/LT will find you training properly for the goals you may have.

Resources are Coogin and Hunter Allen

Good Luck

[stymie2000]

Thanks all. I used the online calculator and my watts came to 233. I know it’s not precise but it seems much more reasonable. I rode a course last week as a practice run. It’s a 10 mile loop and a 20 mile total race. It had a few climbs, only 2 bad ones. I saw on the race site that the fatest riders were just under 45 minutes per lap and most below 50 minutes. I wasn’t even close to that time! I have a 50 mile race in July with over 2 miles in elevation gain. I did a tough ride this weekend and am now thinking that I should focus on distance races rather than shorter ones. I did much better focusing on consistency over speed. I also find that my cardio does better as I get going. The first 5 to 10 miles seem to be the toughest and then I hit a rhythm and don’t have to stop to catch my breath as often.

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