Approximating Power Training without a powermeter

Ken Night

bahzob wrote:

I think to some extent we may be violently agreeing. The OP asked if it is possible to approximate power training without a powermeter.

I think the answer is yes, in terms of actually doing training you can do pretty much the same as you would with a powermeter by riding set routes and having targets for them .....................
..............a lot of swimming. There we had drills that pretty much equated to the "power based" training I do now. No power or HR meter (of course) we just swam reps of set distances (25m to 1500m,) to time targets. Each lane had a different time and your aim was to
move up lanes. Since conditions were pretty much identical each time we swam it was easy to see if you were getting better (and improving your "power"). )

I think this is the real answer to the OPs question

If you haven't got a PM you can still get an idea of what your Power output is here-given other things you can measure easily
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

It's quite accurate-predicts my time on AdH to within a minute

To the OP: train in the way that suits you the best-not having a PM isn't a big deal, as you can see from the debate (Alex, Ruth both professional trainers, Bahzob, and Oldwelshman.....the last two putting up very creditable times on the Marmotte
) all have different approaches
I think the real tip you can get from here, is that if your training follows a structured plan, reviewed in the light of data fed back, you can get close to your best possible

HTH

Earthworm

BeaconRuth wrote:

scapaslow wrote:

Unfortunately the price of power meters is not so "Old School".

If the prices between HRM's and power meters were similar we'd all be using them and throwing the HRM's away (not that i've got either!). I would definitely buy a PM if i could afford it and hope to some day.

Speak for yourself, Scapaslow. I could afford one but have never felt the need to use a powermeter, despite coaching many clients who do and who get a great deal out of using them - not, IMO, because their training is better, but because they either like having very specific training targets, or they like reviewing their training very quantitatively. There are not many riders around for whom the accuracy of training with a powermeter is essential for them to progress. A nice-to-have for many, but by no means essential.

I don't think it would add much to my own training for the type of racing I currently do. I don't think we'd all have one if they were cheaper. Not everybody gets excited about analysing data. Strangely, and this is the case for the vast majority of cyclists I know, most cyclists consider simply riding their bikes a far more interesting pursuit than worrying about data, powermeters, or even consciously 'training'. I spoke to a multi-national champion yesterday who doesn't use a powermeter or a HRM. I think this is what Oldwelshman was trying to get at. For those who want a powermeter and can afford it fine. But don't feel you are getting left behind in the training world just because you can't afford one or choose not to - which is exactly the impression some people would like to give. The community of internet forum posters is just a massively polarised world where all these data-geeks hang out!

Ruth

Hello...a newbie here.
I've been lurking for a while but decided to post after reading this.
Ruth, I recently read another thread where you suggested that you had little or no cardiac drift and your power at a 1 hour steady state effort of 85% (?) of MHR remained constant. How did you arrive at this conclusion without a powermeter?
I also have very little in the way of cardiac drift at such intensities but I only discovered this by using a powermeter.
I wouldn't class myself as a data-geek but do find my powermeter useful

Ken Night

I hope you don't mind my picking up this question, Ruth will be along in a minute to answer for herself, I'm sure

most turbos will either have a speedometer or something approximating to wattage. Keep that factor constant and watch the HR

Alex_Simmons/RST

Ken Night wrote:

I hope you don't mind my picking up this question, Ruth will be along in a minute to answer for herself, I'm sure

most turbos will either have a speedometer or something approximating to wattage. Keep that factor constant and watch the HR

The problem with that is many turbos actual resistance v speed varies through the course of the effort, even those that purportedly measure/control power. The power-speed curve is not necessarily constant. You can only really know if you are using a calibrated power meter. Some turbos are better than others.

It is pretty common for actual resistance to fall through the course of an effort on a turbo, even though speed is maintained. Some however go the other way!

That being said, up to a certain intensity, cardiac drift can be minimal but there comes a level where it'll kick in.