Powermeters: The Latest Training Tool for Triathletes
Over the past 10 years, heart rate monitors have become common training tools for triathletes, cyclists and runners. Training programs based upon percentages of threshold heart rate have proved effective in helping athletes train at certain pre-determined intensity levels so as to improve the amount of work that can be performed at threshold and to help gauge effort during training and competition.
Now with lower cost technology coming to market, many triathletes and cyclists have discovered the latest training tool – the powermeter.
A powermeter provides cyclists with real-time information about the amount of work they are performing based upon the force being applied to the pedals as measured by wattage. Unlike a heart rate monitor, which captures the slow rise in heart rate as aerobic effort is increased, a powermeter provides a cyclist with immediate feedback about the intensity of the current effort.
By training and racing with a powermeter, a triathlete can gauge his current effort in relation to his functional threshold power (FTP) e.g., the maximum average wattage that can be sustained over a one-hour time trial. For example, if a triathlete with an FTP of 300 watts finds he is pushing 500 watts on a climb during the bike leg of a competition, he can back it off quickly without going into the red zone. Conversely, an athlete using a heart rate monitor only to gauge effort might discover too late that he has gone too hard too early in the race. Since heart rate is a lagging indicator of actual physiological effort, this athlete may quickly be overcome with lactic acid and be forced to slow down to recover before resuming a well-paced race effort.
During a sprint triathlon like the Iron Bear or the Wild Bear, a triathlete using a powermeter may decide to dial-in their wattage at 95% to 100% of threshold during the bike leg of the competition. In the example above, the triathlete with an FTP of 300 would select a wattage range between 285 watts and 300 watts. With the aid of real-time feedback from the powermeter, this triathlete will be able to increase effort if wattage falls below 285 and decrease effort if it rises about 300. As a result, this triathlete is able to contain his effort within a sustainable range and maximize efficiency on the bike. Without expending undue energy, this triathlete will have plenty left in the tank for the all-important run to follow.
Have you used a powermeter to train? Have you found it to be effective?
Look for future entries of racing and training with power in this blog.
Dr. Thomas Murray, an avid cyclist, is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. He is President of the Maine Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
I like my power meter.
Posted by: craig | July 05, 2007 at 05:42 PM