TOOLBOX: Systematic coaching is concentrated on growing your health, and most of us suppose that simply means getting as the very best energy numbers doable. Nevertheless, excessive numbers are usually not the one aim – equally vital is the repeatability of your efforts.
Many people cyclists prepare and race with energy meters, they usually’re a wonderful software for quantifying our health. We now even have a slew of coaching software program and metrics to trace our coaching.
Many people observe our energy numbers largely with curiosity within the max energy output. All the pieces from peak energy throughout a dash, 1 min energy, 5 min energy, or the 20 min time trial usually used to extrapolate practical threshold energy.
Monitoring these max efforts is certainly vital, and it’s true that in the end we’re aiming to get these numbers as excessive as doable. Nevertheless, when and the way usually you’ll be able to hit these efforts is equally vital.
• Are you able to hit these values on the finish of a 3 h hilly experience?
• Are you able to hit these values again and again over the course of a experience?
Key to having the ability to obtain the above is to be repeatable in your efforts. It’s nice should you can grasp with the principle group after the primary choice. Nevertheless, should you’re so gassed that the subsequent choice spits you out the again, you’re not going to be there preventing on the end.
My Private Hell
I like to check my repeatability utilizing a exercise first designed by Norwegian scientist Bent Rønnestad as a check effort. This consists of three units, every one comprising 13 repetitions of 30 s max effort with 15 s restoration at about 50% of threshold energy.
Attempt it – it’s hellish.
I do that exercise repeatedly all year long indoor and outside, however I particularly like to make sure that I do them indoors not less than a number of occasions all through a season. I do them with the ergometer on free mode (i.e., I decide depth slightly than the coach requiring a particular wattage). Or else I do them using in Zwift on the flattest course doable in order that I don’t out of the blue get slammed by a ten% wall or spinning out downhill.
Let’s check out the three particular indoor Rønnestad exercises that I did this yr on Zwift and see what patterns and insights we are able to achieve. We’re utilizing Xert software program for evaluation.
February
Crimson line = energy. Blue line = Most Energy Accessible (fatigue)
My important aim of the season had been the spring gravel races in upstate NY and Ontario, culminating with Paris-Ancaster on the finish of April. Due to this fact, this effort February 17 was proper about center of my lengthy construct from early December. All of my coaching was indoors because of the Canadian winter. From an preliminary December beginning Coaching Load (TL) of 47, I had systematically constructed TL as much as 85.
Past the uncooked numbers, have a look at every of the three units themselves. They had been extraordinarily repeatable and related in how a lot I might drain my fatigue (Most Energy Accessible – blue line). Every set drained my MPA totally to the purpose the place it matched my precise present energy (crimson line), forcing the Xert mannequin to repeatedly replace my signature. The wattage for every set, whether or not a pure common or normalized, had been very related at 256 – 259 W.
The similarity of the three units inform me that I’m already growing a really deep base of cardio health, such that I can get well and drain myself a number of occasions. This bodes very properly for having the ability to carry out laborious efforts in the direction of the latter finish of rides or races, which is normally the place the profitable strikes are made.
April
My check mid-April was within the ultimate section earlier than my peak occasion on April 29. Coaching remained very constant and I had constructed up my Coaching Load to 96. I had carried out three gravel races up to now and carried out properly in all of them.
As in February, my three units had been pretty related when it comes to wattage (260-270 W) and the extent at which they drained my MPA. So I’ve managed to extend my depth of effort whereas sustaining my repeatability. Good! And it resulted in my efficiency in Paris-Ancaster (70 km of street, double/singletrack, and MUD) properly exceeding my excellent goal of high 200 general (ended up 177th) when my earlier finest had been 263rd.
October
Now to this previous weekend’s check effort. My coaching has been fairly sporadic over the late summer season and into fall, with a number of weeks off attributable to shifting throughout Canada for my sabbatical, getting sick for a few weeks, and many others. My TL had dropped to 70-75 from September by way of to current.
The file from in the present day starkly contrasts with the 2 earlier assessments. The primary set maxed out at 254 W common, then the wheels fell off within the latter two units, with wattages of solely 228 and 225 W. As plainly seen, regardless of my excessive perceived effort, MPA was minimally drained in these latter units. General, depth dropped dramatically in comparison with Feb/April, and repeatability was non-existent.
Classes Realized
What this October assessments tells us is the significance of sustaining coaching. Though Threshold Energy in February and October had been related (240 and 238 W), the drop in Coaching Load simply didn’t allow laborious efforts to be repeated. So general, I used to be way more slot in February than presently.
You usually hear the phrase “matches to burn” relating to racing. The extra repeatable your health, the extra matches you’ll be able to burn. Again in February and April, I might race figuring out that I might dig deep a number of occasions and late right into a race. Now in October, I must race fully otherwise, figuring out my field of matches is operating a lot emptier.
Be aware that this sample of decreased health usually happens throughout CX season. You usually hear of the professionals skipping every week of racing in favour of going south for a devoted coaching block. That’s as a result of, with double races every weekend from October – February, the excessive depth racing forces a number of days of restoration, such that minimal precise coaching is feasible in-season and deep cardio health disappears.
Abstract
The massive takeaway right here is that health is extra than simply uncooked check numbers. Arguably much more vital is repeatability.
Journey quick, repeatably, and have enjoyable!
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