What should I be measuring?

fsd61b

I've returned to cycling this year after a very long absence and am now thinking of racing next year. What should I be measuring to ensure efficient training? I'm not even sure what half the stuff mentioned on here is! I do have tutbo,a simple ( polar F11) HR monitor and a Lidle computer but beginning to feel a bit lost in the modern training world.
Regards

estampida

start slowly and don't get hung up on measurement

for basic info use - map my ride - on your phone (free app)

garmins, powertaps and the like are really expensive, and if you just back into the sport take your time, see where your cycling goes and then make a decision.

schweiz

the obvious one is power but failing that then heart rate and perceived level of exertion.

the real answer though is enjoyment. It's a hobby, if you're not enjoying it then you'll never reach your full potential, whatever that may be.

get out and ride when you can between now and spring, try and ride on the road rather than indoors and you'll feel yourself getting stronger. I have a power tap but I trained from May to the end of August without it, riding on feel, doing the climbing that I knew i needed to do, doing the distances that i knew i needed to do, pushing myself when required but also lots of active recovery. I was as strong (and a far better climber) than in previous years when I'd been a slave to the numbers!

cyco2

Measure your waist size, mileage per week, mileage per ride, average speed, length of test rides, etc. then in time see how you are getting faster,longer, smaller, lighter. HR measuring for you is not essential. Starting to look like a bike rider is if you are going to race. Why don't you provide more details about yourself because if you weigh 280lbs, have only one leg, one lung etc. it may alter the answers your fishing for. Smily face.

Alex_Simmons/RST

There are three things we typically want to measure to aid training and the assess the impact of training:

1. Intensity of effort.
You can use your own perceived exertion for that, or use a HR monitor to help. If using a HRM, then you need to set a baseline value (such as HRmax or average HR in a time trial effort), and you can then use that as a reference point to determine intensity levels.

2. Duration of effort.

3. Actual performance and changes in performance (i.e. fitness)
The HRM isn't much help here, nor is speed on relatively flat terrain - this is really where you need to measure your power output or find a good proxy for it, such as speed climbing steepish hills.

bahzob

You should have some reliable external measure that you expect to change/improve as you get fitter.

The best one is power, but this costs money to measure.

The second best is speed in a controlled environment. A turbo with a rear wheel speed/distance sensor can be used for this but needs some care to make sure you set it up the same each time in terms of tyre pressure/resistance/cooling and the likes.

Another good alternative is a hill that takes a reasonable amount of time to climb (8 mins or more as a rule of thumb) or local 10 mile time trial course (this will have been chosen to minimise the effect of external variables) but these are subject to the vagaries of weather which is just in the process of getting worse.


Whatever you choose do a test early on for an all out effort that takes 20-30 minutes or so. (so if a hill ride up and down a few times to make up the time) This should be pretty depressing and feel very hard. Record your time and distance. Reducing the first and/or increasing the second is your target.

Then train. Training is largely a case of riding harder than you did during your effort but doing so in smaller intervals. So if you ride 30 mins at 100%, do 2x15mins at 105% with 5 mins or so in between. (or 3x10 mins or 6x5 mins, variety makes it easier to train so try various. The shorter the interval the more intense each effort should be).

Keep repeating the test after a week or so of training. You will get better which hopefully will make you more motivated but also mean you need to up the effort for each of your training intervals. Just continue, maybe changing your test for a bit of variety.

If you find you are plateauing and not making progress (or worse getting slower) have an easy week.

If occasion permits you can also do some longer rides for fun which will also help fitness.

HR can help with all of the above, but it can also be confusing. I would be inclined to judge efforts on the basis of how hard they feel. Problem with HR is that it can vary with conditions and take a while to catch up with effort. So maybe take a look at it towards the end of an interval to cross check your view of effort. I sometimes also use to push a bit, at the end of interval forcing myself to push until HR ticks up another couple of beats or so.

Tom Dean

bahzob wrote:

Keep repeating the test after a week or so of training. You will get better which hopefully will make you more motivated but also mean you need to up the effort for each of your training intervals. Just continue, maybe changing your test for a bit of variety.

You want to see improvement every week? How is your test informing your training?
You do not need to up the effort as you get fitter! Increase the power maybe but how is this measured in your system?
If you change the test how can you compare it to previous tests?..

bahzob wrote:

If you find you are plateauing and not making progress (or worse getting slower) have an easy week.

and then?

bahzob wrote:

If occasion permits you can also do some longer rides for fun which will also help fitness.

So if they help with fitness do >30 minute rides count as training?

fsd61b

Thank you all for your replays , it' appreciated!. I do see a theme emerging though and I'll re read all the posts and digest it all. So far I can't keep up with the changes happening to me (weight loss and increased fitness) or the speed that formally hard circuits have become easier(relatively speaking) .i'm away to make a plan!!!
Regards Fergus

bahzob

fsd61b wrote:

Thank you all for your replays , it' appreciated!. I do see a theme emerging though and I'll re read all the posts and digest it all. So far I can't keep up with the changes happening to me (weight loss and increased fitness) or the speed that formally hard circuits have become easier(relatively speaking) .i'm away to make a plan!!!
Regards Fergus

Good luck with it. I assume the guy above is just a troll but if anything isnt clear just ask.

Tom Dean

Nice one. If my questions are not valid, lets hear why.

Trev The Rev

schweiz wrote:

the obvious one is power but failing that then heart rate and perceived level of exertion.

the real answer though is enjoyment. It's a hobby, if you're not enjoying it then you'll never reach your full potential, whatever that may be.

get out and ride when you can between now and spring, try and ride on the road rather than indoors and you'll feel yourself getting stronger. I have a power tap but I trained from May to the end of August without it, riding on feel, doing the climbing that I knew i needed to do, doing the distances that i knew i needed to do, pushing myself when required but also lots of active recovery. I was as strong (and a far better climber) than in previous years when I'd been a slave to the numbers!

I am not a number I am a free man.

I would not be surprised to discover many people would be stronger if they ditched all the numbers and concentrated on doing the training properly rather than recording and analysing qualitative data and spending half their life calibrating their power meter and working out why their Garmin only works intermittently when their Silver Jaguar is in TrainingPiles OKW mode on a Mac or in Windows PMC, TSS/IF with Critical Power in StagBeetle work capacity of synergic muscle groups.

Sorry I'm being flippant. Mind you StagBeetle is far better than Golden Cheetah or TrainingPeaks in my opinion.