So, you have a power meter or you’re thinking of getting one. The several hundred pound question I try to answer in this article is, ‘how do you use power data to improve your performances?’
From time trials to IRONMAN® races, I’ve been using power since (gulp) 1989. I’ve used everything, from the early KingCycle used by British Cycling to Ergo-mo, PowerTap hubs, SRM chainsets, Rotor, and early indoor systems like the Cateye Cyclosimulator 1500, right up to my modern day direct drive - my trusty Saris Hammer.
Here are the lessons I’ve learned about how to get the most out of power…
1. Know your numbers
It's pointless to have wattage flashing up as your power system spews out one, two, three or even four digits like a random number generator. Secondly, it's useless to know Leon Chevalier's IRONMAN® average power or what elite female riders are doing in the Tour de Suisse. You need to know ‘your’ key numbers:
A. Max Power is key
AKA your P.P.O. or Peak Power Output, taken from a progressive RAMP TEST, where you start at about 100 watts and increase 20w a minute until you reach the ‘I can see Elvis’ level. This can be done at home with a friend, no need for expensive lab testing - but do get a GP checkover beforehand if you’re over 40 and / or have any medical conditions.
Your “helper” tells you the target to aim at each minute, shouts encouragement and will be able to confirm that honest 1-minute PPO (oh, and max heart rate).
Whatever you get, whether it’s 229w or 499w, it won’t keep going up if you “try a bit harder” or “do some more training”. After one, definitely two, that's your engine size. See the graph below of a 50-something doing repeated max tests over a series of years - a clear ceiling limit eventually becomes obvious.
If you're a “developing" athlete in your late teens, your power can go up for a few years yet. But for the rest of you reading this, your engine “capacity" is already built.
B. The 40, 60, 75%’ers
Once you know your PPO, then usable targets and ‘regions’ of training can be calculated.
First, your threshold will be around 75% PPO. So, with a 250w PPO you have a threshold/FTP (Functional Threshold Power) of 187w (let’s call it 190w). Simples.
It may be lower when coming back from being ill or not making even 3 hours of exercise a week. And it won’t go ever higher (e.g. to hit 95% PPO) if you train more or take on hard lactate intervals ad infinitum.
So, despite it being un-sexy and not touted by wearables as a training zone to predominate, the low target zone for easy aerobic training is the one they REALLY focus on. That’s just 40% PPO, so for a 379w PPO athlete that's 151w. So 150 watts is their aerobic base building lower target.
Finally, 60% PPO, is the very top of your aerobic fitness work, ideal for extended blocks in an otherwise easy endurance ride. Take a rider with PPO of 300w and that’s 180w for top-end aerobic work (sometimes called high Zone 2).
2. Use control, grasshopper
Once you use PPO to calculate base training session zones, you can then make best guesses at optimum targets for time trials, IRONMAN 70.3® best bike split or average power over a long sportive.
Yet, here’s the issue: some people don’t like their PPO or the numbers they have been told they can do for a 25-mile time trial. They then battle against it and end up working too hard in all aspects of training.
Note: no one has ever come back after a max test and showed they were actually 40w higher FTP or their PPO was out by 65w. It is brutally honest. No sprinkles can be added.
Here’s how your power zones and targets look using PPO:
| Zone | % PPO | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Max Power | 100 | Maximum 1-minute power in a RAMP TEST to exhaustion - it is not some random 1-minute power Garmin has spotted on a ride. |
| FTP20/10-mile TT | 80 | The classic short-time trial effort which can be improved slightly by pacing and learning when to ease and when to shove. |
| FTP60/25-mile TT | 75 | Around the 1-hour effort, predicted by taking 75%PPO (not 95% 20TT), this is the so-called Threshold area. |
| Max Aerobic (top Z2) | 60 | A perfect place to stimulate aerobic training without significantly stressful increases in lactate (and exaggerated use of carbs) often done as “aerobic intervals” e.g. 3 x 30mins @60%PPO |
| Fat Max (Ironman) | 55 | While this may be an area of your maximum fat use when well trained, it will still use significant carbohydrate. Fat max does not mean fat-only. |
| Low Aerobic Base | 40 | This is the perfect base building area for low stress, efficient use of carbs, longer heat-training sessions with sufficient mental bandwidth to focus on good technique - up to 50%PPO. |
Many cyclists are skeptical that a new skinsuit, a behind-the -seat bottle set up, or nutritional “load-up”, can give them 4-10 extra watts. However, they’re utterly convinced they can push harder and increase their bike wattage. Learn from these people: use “your” PPO derived zones/targets and only modify if you can prove PPO has increased.
3. FTP is not what you think
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is just a measuring point, not the key metric or the best place to target training. Have you ever kept doing 20-minute tests and they plateau? And it gets harder to add even 3 watts? And you eventually give up on having a 3, 4 or 5w/kg FTP. Watches and apps that randomly tell you your FTP has gone up should be banned - it's a myth - and funny how people don’t tell you “my FTP is down 8” and smile.
A little known piece of research by Sitko et al (2022) tested the so-called FTP abilities of the fairly untrained up to professional level with ‘that’ 20 minute TT effort. They then took the advised ‘95%’ value to derive 1-hour FTP. And then tested them 72 hours later to see if they could do what the 20 TT test suggested. Most only survived 30-40 minutes, a few got to an hour, but many were way below the test prediction (and my coaching experience suggests it’s 90% factor to better predict FTP funnily enough).
The professionals lasted longer, although almost a dozen of them failed to hit the assumed 60 minutes capability. So the correction factor (i.e. 95%) or the uniqueness of riding 60-minutes at a fatiguing effort is out of kilter. FTP is a zone or just a number; it's not the perfect Goldilocks zone for your training or your progress to shine.
Remember: PPO x 0.75=FTP.
4. Faster isn't about gaining watts
Whatever your race goals, your input (PPO x desired percentage) is limited. Even with some specific intervals, FTP only goes so far up until it hits a double-glazed glass ceiling, with metal bars.
So focus should be on losing watts by perhaps being better able to ride on the wheel on off-road gravel or hone your head position to drop drag in a triathlon bike leg. Right now I know you could get 10-20w better across tires, clothing choice, shaving those Chewbacca legs, or smoothly applying power to reduce drop off in leg stamina due to surges.
You cannot just add that 10-20 watts to your bike performance right now. Try to just ride your 10-mile (or TT 20 if you just love that FTP short test) around 10-15 watts harder from the start or see how that next middle distance tri run goes by pushing 20 watts harder on the bike (it only makes you 3-4 minutes faster).
Fueling and hydrating with “precision” can keep the power more consistent and a smooth use of carbs. The number of times an athlete's race plan is executed correctly on the bike and they have a great triathlon run or focus on position into the wind. In a TT with extra watts pushed out makes for a great finish time.
5. Use power for concise sessions
The final piece in the puzzle: how power and training sessions are combined for best effect. First, it's important that around 75-80% of training time must be below 80% of max HR.
Zone systems vary; some may have you in Z1, some in Z1, 2 and 3 - and they’re both below 80% of max heart rate - remember you got that max HR from your indoor test, use it.
BASE
Lots of this. Keep a lid on effort. It’s a cruise, not mega hilly, could be Zwift or rollers or Watt bike indoors, whatever the mode you can do one hour and think easy-peasy.
Three hours will have some fatigue but not leave you spent (e.g. Saturday base ride keeping below 50% PPO, cruising not turning it into a chaingang).
OGE
Proper strength work. Over-geared-efforts (aka torque training) where you ride at low revs 40-55rpm at 55-70% PPO. This is proper strength work used by Kona podium pros to World Tour cyclists. The random hill sprints some clubs do or racing up the same hill to get stronger is wrong.
Do it right (e.g. 4 x 8 minutes @ 60% PPO with 4 minutes super easy between). All year round and indoors can be better to hold “ergo” mode dictated effort.
Time Trials
Possibly - but if you’re not a “tester” these are either good to see what your 75%/80% markers are from racing or good ways to look at aero watts in and speed out.
Benchmark outdoors
Regular in season. I much prefer these as ways to ride the race bike, test the smoothness of the rider's input and how the speed (output) is coming along with changes in position, tires, helmet etc. It's your own way to get aero testing and some solid fitness riding in one: Target the 50-60% PPO area.
Benchmark indoors
Regular, all year round. You do a controlled warm up to around top Zone One (maybe up to 65% PPO) definitely NOT always up to threshold. It's meant to warm you up for a session and show where the power and heart rate relationship is right now, with no ego involved.
If HR is dropping (say your 200w is 115 HR but was 125 when you look back a month ago), you’re fitter and absorbing training. Look at December data then compare to mid-June and you can see the off-season is in full effect. And that is okay as peak fitness is probably not your December goal.
I wrote about this RAMP TEST way back in 1994 in Inside Triathlon with a pro triathlete and their data. And also the same with cycling legend Graeme Obree in 1997. They and you can get confidence when you can see good numbers and you’ve only warmed up, no TT ego effort required. Oh and both the above went on to win significant races - see how it can help you too.
Power scenarios
- When an athlete says “I can just make up for a lower max by working at a higher percentage”. The rider had gone for a max test elsewhere and was sold the Christmas answer as to his disappointing numbers and how he can beat more powerful riders. He failed.
- The triathletes who hammer the bike, get a really poor return on their investment and get passed on the run. A recent IRONMAN 70.3® in Wales saw my client pace the bike, fuel well and get ready for the run, then cruise past the rider who had biked way too many minutes into her, thus making their run worse.
- As I hinted above, when you see RAMP TEST warm ups showing you are losing ‘in season’ fitness, ease up. However, the muppets do their November and December indoor, smash your FTP group sessions with passing on of colds mixed into such absolute muppetry.
- Repeating max testing when not happy with the number compared to others you have heard. Yes, I have had a person do five max tests over a series of years, chasing another (very talented) rider's target max. And it didn’t go higher and higher and catch them. Your max is yours, use it. But if you’re not happy, blame your parents or your early life choices. Two options to beat this: reincarnation or digital doping tools to exaggerate your file.
