ThePowerMeterHandbook_JoeFriel
I'm presenting a series of workshops this month for our "Club Athletes".

Here are the workshop descriptions

Training With Power 101 - Learning the Language of Power Workshop
Now that we're riding Indoor Cycles with computers/monitors, you've got questions and we want to provide the answers. Participants will learn the language of power and how it will explain:

  • How do I work this computer?
  • What's all this information mean to me?
  • Why does it say; "USB" when I first turn it on?
  • Will it show my Heart Rate & how does HR compare to power/watts?
  • How many watts should I be making?
  • Will I see how many actual calories I'm burning in class?
  • I want to maintain my body weight and/or lose weight... how hard should I be working?
  • Can I compare my watts to my friend or the person riding next to me?

Training With Power 101 is a 30 endurance ride-workshop where we'll answer all these questions and more. Our goal for the workshop is to help everyone understand the basics of power and establish their personal baseline wattage that you can use as a guide for your future class workouts.
Prerequisites - none, other than a desire to improve your fitness.

Training With Power - FTP Assessment Class Workshop
Endurance athletes wanting to get fitter/stronger and faster are now training with power - a direct indication of the actual work they're creating and a fabulous indicator of changes to your fitness. Similar to training with Heart Rate, training with power is most effective using training zones based on a personal metric - a threshold wattage that's unique to each of us.
In the language of power, that threshold is called FTP or Functional Threshold Power. To accurately assess FTP, you'll need to complete an all-out 20 minute effort. We'll use the bike's computer to record your average wattage over the effort and then use that wattage to design your power training zones.

Our goal for this workshop is to help everyone understand the basics of training with power and establish their FTP (Functional Threshold Power) that you'll use as a guide for your future class workouts + track changes to gauge fitness improvements over the winter.

Prerequisites: Strong desire to improve your training efficiency = the 20 minute FTP effort will be very challenging - this is your all-out effort!

We suggest that for best results, you have one of more rest days before attempting this assessment.

Participants should bring their Heart Rate Monitor and a USB memory stick to record their effort for future comparison.

As I'm researching my presentation it occurred to me that you may be in a similar situation. So I thought it might be helpful to share my source material:

Joe Friel's The Power Meter Handbook A User's Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

ICI Podcast 239 — Schwinn Master Training Jay Blahnik on introducing Power into your classes Part 1

ICI/PRO Podcast #240 — Schwinn Master Training Jay Blahnik on integrating Power into your classes Part 2

ICI Podcast 216 Learn the Language of Power from Cameron Chinatti and Doug Rusho

ICI/PRO Podcast #207 — Understanding FTP Functional Threshold Power with Cameron Chinatti

I'll be finishing up my presentation slides tomorrow, on the plane to the ECA Thrive fitness convention in Fort Lauderdale FL. Good thing I'm bugging out, we're supposed to experience our first snow of the year tonight - 3-5 inches. I might just stay there. Either way I'll be sharing what I put together this weekend.

 

John

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