Power Training for Indoor Cycling Is Here

Indoor Cycling 2.0 is about POWER

It’s Official.

With CEU credits being given, and accomplished indoor instructors being challenged, educated and motivated to train with power… I can confidently say we have the real deal. We spent 6 hours off the bike exploring the foundation, science and practical tools of Power Training, and 2 hrs on the bike putting theory into practice. Those that are fortunate enough to have power bikes to go back to, have not merely a few more arrows in their quiver, they have a whole new quiver. The others will have to do the work of change agents, and try to motivate their clubs to action, or find other places to train and/or teach.

With this post, I will begin a weekly posting of the bulk of what I covered in one intense day (as well as embellishments along the way). If you follow along, you’ll get “powerized” over time. As a member of ICI/PRO you will also be permitted to download a host of tools week to week, that I charge for on my Cycling Fusion site. This is part of the ICI/PRO pledge to provide value for your membership. As we move into the Winter months, we will switch to more Heart Zones training, but power will never be far behind.

Let’s start with the basics: What is Power, and Why Should I Care?

What is Power?
In cycling, (indoors or out) it is simply the product or combination of the torque applied to the crank arm, and the RPM or cadence of rotation; think resistance and cadence combined. It is measured in Watts, as the product is indeed energy, and it is manifested as speed – the more power you apply, the faster you will make the bike go. ICI/PRO Members continue reading here.

2 Responses to “Power Training for Indoor Cycling Is Here”

1. Liz says:

   November 16, 2009 at 8:01 am

   In this posting you allude to CEU credits. Can you elaborate? Bits of information like that might encourage ICI/PRO membership among we non-members.
2. Tom Scotto says:

   November 16, 2009 at 9:11 am

   Gino, it is great to see more attention given to the use of power in cycling. As a coach, I’ve been training with power for over 7 years (including 4 years with indoor cycling). It is a truly powerful (pun intended) tool.

   Although I agree whole-heartedly with what you listed as benefits in your article, it could be argued that each of those areas could be targeted with proper training regardless of the use of a power meter. I spend time each week analyzing the power files from my athletes (on and off the road) to help me continue to monitor their progress. The true value of power training is measured work and performance. It is hard to train what you can’t measure. It is also important to note that power, without other variables such as cadence, heart rate and RPE, loses its value.

   For example, let’s say “Joe” is going to perform 4 intervals at his (anaerobic) threshold or ~85% RPE. Joe could have hit his target HR for each of the 4 intervals and felt like he successfully completed the workout. If we add power to the mix and take another look at Joe’s intervals we may find something a bit different. His first interval produced a steady-state power of 300 watts and his second also 300 watts. Now the third interval produced 280 watts and the forth only 230 watts. Analyzing the data reveals that although Joe’s physiological system was being stress the same on each interval, he was losing power and thus overall performance.

   This is where power has great value in the indoor studio. If a rider knows the power they achieved on a particular interval, they can continue to target that same wattage for the following intervals. Now we are creating a consistent, measurable training environment for our riders.

   There is so much additional value that power brings to the table and I would encourage you to explore those. What you listed is great but subjective. One thing power is NOT, is subjective.

   Also, on your comment about the benefits for running: from a functional standpoint, cycling power is different. Muscles used when running produce a more forceful eccentric contraction while cycling is purely concentric. As a cycling coach I’ve trained runners, lacrosse players, hockey players and soccer players. This may seem odd, but many of the coaches in these disciplines value cycling because it allows an athlete to get a moderate to hard workout with minimal trauma on the legs. The cycling workouts keep their training volume up while targeting other systems. Power doesn’t necessarily provide a better workout, it provides the ability to monitor the effort. As we know, it can be just as important to monitor whether someone is not riding too hard vs. hard enough.

   Cheers, Tom.