Training Peaks

skyblueamateur
skyblueamateur Posts: 1,498
edited July 2014 in Road general
Anyone use this and any of the training plans?

I'd be interested to see if it's actually worth the money? I'd be training with HR not Power.

Comments

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    It's not really the training plans that are its usp, but its data analysis... but yes they do have a 'Virtual Coach' function, if you pay.
    Using Golden Cheetah is freeware... excellent stuff, highly recommended... but all data is local to your machine.
    Tpeaks is web based so you can grab your account and performance data from another PC, but you pay for the analysis functionality ref the PMC (performance management chart)

    if you just want training plans, then actually Trainer Road may just be more suitable. They have quite a range.
    Even Sufferfest do them... but tbh honest all their excellent workouts are always at the limit... you cannot train at the limit constantly and hope to sustain progress.
  • Rizzio
    Rizzio Posts: 11
    I highly recommend creating your own training plan from Joe Friel's book, The Cyclist's Training Bible. (Friel is the founder of Training Peaks).

    Following such a plan has taken me, in the space of a year, from being dropped off the back of the bunch in Cat 3 races, to winning 2 such races in succession last month.

    I use Trainerroad workouts as part of my training, too, choosing ones that fit with Friel's guidelines for that week's sessions.
  • wavefront
    wavefront Posts: 397
    JGSI wrote:
    Using Golden Cheetah is freeware... excellent stuff, highly recommended... but all data is local to your machine.

    As a side note JGSI, I believe you can save your training files (.fit .gpx etc) on dropbox and get GC to access them from there so you should be able to run GC on as many machines as you want, all showing the latest data. I've yet to set it up, but plan to do it this weekend after reading a few other forums about it.

    As for the OP, I would recommend the book 'training' with a power meter just for the training sessions listed in the appendix. Ok, some of the shorter interval workouts will need a PM which won't be applicable for you, but I find the sessions well structured, and varied (so you definitely won't get bored). Some are very difficult, but that's the aim I guess - the hard rides should be hard. I do wonder if some have been misprinted as they are truly impossible (One ride is 5 hours long, which includes 2 x 30 mins at threshold, and a set of VO2 max intervals. Another has multiple sets of hard intervals concluding with 6 mins at Anaerobic threshold! Impossible - which means 2mins above my current personal best!!)

    I find it's the perfect companion to Joe Friel's bible to help you 'design' your own plan that is more relevant to you rather than a generic plan. That said creating your own plan isn't easy as I still feel it requires a basic/good knowledge of your bodies energy systems and a complete understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. There are loads of things I still don't understand and wish I had the money to be able to have a coach for a year.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    wavefront wrote:
    JGSI wrote:
    Using Golden Cheetah is freeware... excellent stuff, highly recommended... but all data is local to your machine.

    As a side note JGSI, I believe you can save your training files (.fit .gpx etc) on dropbox and get GC to access them from there so you should be able to run GC on as many machines as you want, all showing the latest data. I've yet to set it up, but plan to do it this weekend after reading a few other forums about it.

    .

    Sounds good, if only for that fact I should really back up my training data of over 2 years worth!

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