Hour of Power- A Thank you
Comments
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Ye Gads - finally plucked up the courage to do the full hour on the turbo last night as it was raining (mangaed a couple of half-hearted 40 min efforts back in March)
I am now also officially.................
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Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:
It must be an Aussie thing - the "Battered Sav".ShockedSoShocked wrote:Sav? :?
A pretty disgusting bit of junk fast food. A hotdog on a stick, battered and deep fried.
In Canada we call them "Pogo's". In the US they are called a corn dog.
I lived off them in high school. :oops:0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:Gav888 wrote:Has anyone noticed an improvement out on the road, such as your average has increased, or your TT times are coming down by doing the HOP?
Observed benefits from Hour of Power and other structured intensity workouts so far...
1) Knocked 25 seconds off my best 10m TT time.
2) Knocked 22 seconds off my best climb of Whinlatter Pass
3) Got over Hardknott and Wrynose at the end of the Fred on a 39x25. Grrr. First time in 5 years i've got over them both without dabbing a foot and i'm 4 kg heavier than i was on my best year.
Have you improved much since May doing these?Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond0 -
I don't think I've done one since April/May... It's too hard a workout to be doing when you're in the midst of your season as you get your intensity from Time Trials and Road Races.
So in honesty-speak.. No."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:I don't think I've done one since April/May... It's too hard a workout to be doing when you're in the midst of your season as you get your intensity from Time Trials and Road Races.
So in honesty-speak.. No.
How about in BikeRadar speak?
Surely it's taken over a minute of your 10 mile time?0 -
NapoleonD wrote:disgruntledgoat wrote:I don't think I've done one since April/May... It's too hard a workout to be doing when you're in the midst of your season as you get your intensity from Time Trials and Road Races.
So in honesty-speak.. No.
How about in BikeRadar speak?
Surely it's taken over a minute of your 10 mile time?
As I said above, I took 25 seconds out of my best 10 time this year, but that was a 24:05 in April. And my best since then was a 24:20. Go figure."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:NapoleonD wrote:disgruntledgoat wrote:I don't think I've done one since April/May... It's too hard a workout to be doing when you're in the midst of your season as you get your intensity from Time Trials and Road Races.
So in honesty-speak.. No.
How about in BikeRadar speak?
Surely it's taken over a minute of your 10 mile time?
As I said above, I took 25 seconds out of my best 10 time this year, but that was a 24:05 in April. And my best since then was a 24:20. Go figure.
So in BikeRadar Forum speak you've broken the 20 minute barrier then?
Or are you one of those that tells the truth on here?0 -
Yeah, sorry about my evil truth telling ways... Never seen much point in lying about my cycling achievments on an internet forum."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:Yeah, sorry about my evil truth telling ways... Never seen much point in lying about my cycling achievments on an internet forum.
I'm the same, really, I am.
Except that bit about the 12 watts...0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:Yeah, sorry about my evil truth telling ways... Never seen much point in lying about my cycling achievments on an internet forum.
Telling the truth on a forum... unheard of!! LOL Did you know I finsihed my first pro race end of last year, which was also my first year of riding since a kid, but these powerbar things ive been eating give me loads of energy. Over took Armstrong at one point in the race.
Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond0 -
The idea is to force recovery under stress and just barely be recovered by the time the next surge is done. Click on the link below and go to page 6 of the USA Cycling Newsletter to read the short article that I wrote and which is a type of training that I use with riders generally commencing around mid-February. This usually is very effective at addressing development of FTP (Functional Threshold Power). Everything works off of the "platform" of increased FTP -- it is all about being able to ride the race at L3 and attack/respond at L4 and L5 because if you are riding already at L4-5 then you have nothing to initiate or respond with.
Best,
Bill Black
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/newslet ... er0413.pdf0 -
Interesting that Mr Black. Ta!
Will give it a go next month.0 -
I was just thinking about this the other day. My winter training has been slower, longer road work and more traditional L3, L4 and L5 intervals with low-power recovery. Interesting that early February is a suggested starting time for HoP's.
a serious case of small cogs0 -
Welcome Bill.Bill Black wrote:The idea is to force recovery under stress ...
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toontra wrote:I was just thinking about this the other day. My winter training has been slower, longer road work and more traditional L3, L4 and L5 intervals with low-power recovery. Interesting that early February is a suggested starting time for HoP's.
Surely it would depend on when your season starts :?: :?0 -
Alex is the man to look to for training -- he has helped me greatly in ecovering from serious surgery (two torn peroneal tendons misdiagnosed for 8+ years) of two years ago. Every time I started to whine a bit I thought of Alex and all that he has overcome. Further, he has provided me with invaluable training insights and workouts.
Best,
Bill Black0 -
Does anyone know what % of LTHR 85-90% of FTP would be as used in the HOP? It should be about the same if I understand correctly?
(My LTHR is calculated as average HR of the last 20 minutes of a 30min all out effort.)
Simon0 -
Bill Black wrote:Alex is the man to look to for training -- he has helped me greatly in ecovering from serious surgery (two torn peroneal tendons misdiagnosed for 8+ years) of two years ago. Every time I started to whine a bit I thought of Alex and all that he has overcome. Further, he has provided me with invaluable training insights and workouts.
Best,
Bill Black
Heh heh, with praise like that it sounds like you are Alex posting under a pseudonym 0 -
It is me -- wrbmaine at msn dot com -- I hit a new all time high for my HOP watt average and I do attribute much of that to the inspiration I have derived from Alex. There is all of that Aussie HTFU stuff but what Alex has done is so far beyond any of that.
As far as the above question about commencement of the HOP -- yes, definitely depends on your season's commencement although I do them all year just with less frequency at some times. I have fond thhat the HOP is great at preserving FTP during the season as the regular road racing, crits, and group rides are almost all about VO2max shorter high end efforts which tend to erode FTP over the course of the season if longer and structured quality efforts are not injected.
As to the % of FTP to use as the "base" for the HOP, much depends on your pain tolerance level on that day but I try to stay in the lower end of my Threshold Zone (Coggan zones), surge off of that and then not let my watts go below that between surges -- the latter is really the valuable part of the workout IMHO as forcing myself to stay at the base level between surges is really the painful part, not the surges themselves but immediately after the surge.
Best,
Bill Black0 -
85-90% FTP is top end of Level 3 (tempo) power - this would correspond to roughly 95% of LTHR - but it is very difficult to use HR as a guide for this type of session as the power surges will push your heart rate up into the red pretty quickly.sjburbidge wrote:Does anyone know what % of LTHR 85-90% of FTP would be as used in the HOP? It should be about the same if I understand correctly?
Much easier to use rear wheel speed on the turbo to pace it - start off with a speed that is just below the sort of effort you'd do a 2x20 at and then click up a couple of gears and put some effort in for the surges.0 -
Bronzie wrote:
85-90% FTP is top end of Level 3 (tempo) power - this would correspond to roughly 95% of LTHR - but it is very difficult to use HR as a guide for this type of session as the power surges will push your heart rate up into the red pretty quickly.sjburbidge wrote:Does anyone know what % of LTHR 85-90% of FTP would be as used in the HOP? It should be about the same if I understand correctly?
Much easier to use rear wheel speed on the turbo to pace it - start off with a speed that is just below the sort of effort you'd do a 2x20 at and then click up a couple of gears and put some effort in for the surges.
That's pretty much how I gauge it. I just make sure my HR is in the right place to begin with and note the speed /gear/cadance and go on that as I stop recovering.
How glad am I gave Bill his props up the thread?!"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
As someone who's main spint/max power/etc interval training involves yo-yoing off the back of a group that is actually far too fast for me, but has been spending a lot of time just riding on my bike, (including 5days of 150km in the Pyrenees with some serious clumb this summer) are there any tips or recomendations to limber up to this kind of thing? Or do I just go head first and bury myself every 5 minutes on the turbo untill I can't function as a human being?
I only recently bought myself a turbo - which at the highest resistance represents a similar mental challenge as climbing sodding mountains.Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
The indoor trainer is your friend and will "fix" whatever ails you faster than any other mode of riding provided you have the mental focus to apply it properly.
The HOP can be dumbed down a bit as an intro andd I often do that with trainees until they are better acclimated to harder indoor sessions. Ride it in Tempo as your base and look to hold the Tempo level after each surge. You will rapidly get the sense of the workout and it does yield results but don't do it too often (once every 7 - 10 days) and make sure you are well rested for the session.
Best,
Bill Black0 -
Bill Black wrote:The indoor trainer is your friend and will "fix" whatever ails you faster than any other mode of riding provided you have the mental focus to apply it properly.
The HOP can be dumbed down a bit as an intro andd I often do that with trainees until they are better acclimated to harder indoor sessions. Ride it in Tempo as your base and look to hold the Tempo level after each surge. You will rapidly get the sense of the workout and it does yield results but don't do it too often (once every 7 - 10 days) and make sure you are well rested for the session.
Best,
Bill Black
Thanks very much!Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Bill Black wrote:As to the % of FTP to use as the "base" for the HOP, much depends on your pain tolerance level on that day but I try to stay in the lower end of my Threshold Zone (Coggan zones), surge off of that and then not let my watts go below that between surges -- the latter is really the valuable part of the workout IMHO as forcing myself to stay at the base level between surges is really the painful part, not the surges themselves but immediately after the surge.
Tried this for the first time today - a great turbo session, thank you Bill, but should be renamed as "The H-aaaauuuggghhhh of P-aaaauuuggghhh". TBH I hadn't investigated fully and think I overdid it by trying to keep the surges going for 30 seconds.
I was reasonably conservative in the 'base' phases and tried to maintain 275W for each 2min30sec, then surges of approx 410W for 30sec. After 40mins I was struggling to maintain the 275W in the 'rest' period - you're right, this is the really tough part of the session IMO. Post-surge was dropping down to 240W for the first 20-30 seconds and struggling to pick it back up again.
I am now officially a deep-fried saveloy.
Will probably try it again in 10 days or so.0 -
Oh my gosh the inventor of the HOP, the legendary Bill Black is on the forum. What with Alex the training guru constantly 'droppin science' all we now need is the inventor of the ultimate threshold workout (2 x 20's) Dr Andrew Coggan to post...... AGAIN!. 0
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He has.........several times.........see "Quadrant Analysis" thread. Is there an exodus from Wattage?Toks wrote:all we now need is Dr Andrew Coggan to post...... AGAIN!. 0 -
Tried this out today, I didn't go quite hard enough as it only really started to hurt for the last 10 mins, so I'll try again in a few more days, upping the difficulty of the rest bits- hard bits I think I judged right but easy bits were maybe too easy?
HR got nicked so basing it entirely on feel..."I hold it true, what'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost;
Than never to have loved at all."
Alfred Tennyson0 -
Yeah I know dude. It was a poor attempt at a jokeBronzie wrote:
He has.........several times.........see "Quadrant Analysis" thread. Is there an exodus from Wattage?Toks wrote:all we now need is Dr Andrew Coggan to post...... AGAIN!.
Posting immediately after a set of 3minute VO2max intervals is never a good idea 0 -
I did my first HOP last night. 2.45 mins of 90MHR with 30 sec all out intervals repeated 15 times. I had my ipod on and was told later by my wife that my 7 year old daughter had asked why daddy kept shouting at himself!
Very hard work towards the end and feeling it today but strangely addictive.0
