Testing Testing
As a cyclist, understanding your power output is essential for training and racing. By measuring your power output, you can determine your strengths and weaknesses, set training targets, and track progress over time. In this blog post, we'll discuss power testing for cycling, including the metrics to consider, the testing protocols to use, and the benefits of power testing.
Power Metrics to Consider
Before discussing testing protocols, let's briefly review the metrics you should consider when testing your power output:
5-Second Power: This metric measures your explosive power and anaerobic capacity. It's useful for sprinters and track cyclists who rely on short bursts of power to gain an advantage.
1-Minute Power: This metric measures your ability to produce sustained power over a relatively short duration. It's useful for time trialists and breakaway riders who need to maintain a high intensity for several minutes.
5-Minute Power: This metric measures your ability to produce sustained power over a slightly longer duration. It's useful for time trialists, breakaway riders, and climbers who need to maintain a high intensity for several minutes to gain an advantage.
20-Minute Power: This metric measures your functional threshold power (FTP), which is the highest power output you can maintain for one hour. It's useful for endurance riders and racers who need to sustain a high intensity for an extended period.
Power Testing Protocols
Now that we've reviewed the metrics to consider, let's discuss the testing protocols you can use to measure your power output:
5-Second Power: To measure your maximum 5-second power, find a flat or slightly uphill section of road, and from a standing or rolling start, accelerate as hard as you can for 5 seconds. Utilise a power meter to record your average power output during this sprint.
1-Minute Power: To measure your maximum 1-minute power, find a stretch of road or climb where you can sustain a high intensity for a minute. Start the effort at a high intensity and try to maintain it for the full duration. Record your average power output during this interval.
5-Minute Power: To measure your maximum 5-minute power, find a stretch of road or climb where you can sustain a high intensity for 5 minutes. Start the effort at a high intensity and try to maintain it for the full duration. Record your average power output during this interval.
20-Minute Power: To measure your FTP, perform a 20-minute all-out effort on a steady, flat or slightly uphill stretch of road or on a trainer. Record your average power output during this interval. Your FTP is approximately 95% of your average power output during this effort.
Benefits of Power Testing
Power testing offers several benefits for cyclists, including:
Setting Training Targets: By understanding your power capabilities across various durations, you can set specific training targets to improve your performance. For example, if you have a weak 5-second power, you can incorporate explosive sprint intervals into your training to improve this metric.
Tracking Progress: By regularly testing your power output, you can track your progress over time and see how your training is affecting your performance.
Identifying Weaknesses: By measuring your power output across various durations, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and adjust your training accordingly. For example, if you have a weak 1-minute power, you can focus on building your lactate threshold through longer intervals at high intensity.
Indoor versus outdoor versus race data
When it comes to power testing for cycling, there are distinct differences between testing indoors, outdoors, and gathering data from races. Each method offers unique advantages and considerations for assessing your power output.
Indoor testing, typically performed on a stationary trainer or indoor cycling bike, provides controlled and consistent conditions. By eliminating external factors like wind and terrain, indoor testing allows for precise and repeatable measurements. It is convenient and ideal for structured tests, providing accurate data for tracking progress and setting training zones. Additionally, advanced metrics and software available on indoor trainers enable real-time feedback and detailed analysis of your power output.
One factor to consider is the potential for excessive body heat during indoor testing. When performing intense efforts on a stationary trainer or indoor bike, your body generates significant heat, which can impact your physiological responses. Excessive heat buildup may affect heart rate and perceived exertion, potentially influencing the power output readings. It's essential to ensure proper ventilation and cooling mechanisms during indoor testing to minimise these effects and maintain accurate data.
Another consideration is the physics of the bike rolling in a different manner on a stationary trainer compared to outdoor riding. When you're riding outdoors, your bike is subjected to various forces, including wind resistance, road gradient, and changes in momentum. These factors influence the way power is measured and exerted. On a stationary trainer, these dynamic forces are absent, resulting in a different power profile. Although power meters on indoor trainers are calibrated to account for these differences, there can still be variations between indoor and outdoor power data.
Outdoor testing, on the other hand, offers a more realistic simulation of race conditions and road dynamics. It allows you to experience variations in terrain, wind, and environmental factors that can significantly impact your power output. Outdoor testing provides a more authentic representation of your cycling abilities and may better reflect your performance in real-world situations. It helps you adapt to the challenges of racing, such as handling bike handling skills, drafting, and navigating different road surfaces.
In addition to indoor and outdoor testing, gathering power data from races is invaluable for assessing performance. During races, you push your limits, competing against other riders in a high-intensity environment. By analysing power data from races, you can gain insights into your power output during crucial moments, such as sprint finishes, climbs, or breakaways. Race data allows you to evaluate your performance under race-specific conditions and identify areas for improvement. It also offers the opportunity to gauge your performance against competitors and track your progress throughout the season.
Combining data from indoor testing, outdoor rides, and race efforts provides a comprehensive view of your power capabilities. Each testing method contributes unique perspectives, enabling you to understand your strengths and weaknesses across different contexts. It helps you tailor your training to address specific areas for improvement, whether it's enhancing your sprint power, increasing sustained efforts, or improving race tactics.
Ultimately, the choice of testing method depends on your goals, available resources, and training environment. Indoor testing provides controlled conditions and precise measurements, while outdoor testing and race data offer a more realistic representation of real-world performance. Incorporating a variety of testing approaches allows you to gather comprehensive data, track progress, and optimise your training to achieve peak performance on the bike.
Setting your Zones
Setting zones for cycling based on metrics such as FTP and FTHR can be a useful tool for structuring your training and improving your performance. Here's how to determine your zones based on these metrics.
FTP, or Functional Threshold Power, is a crucial metric for endurance athletes, particularly cyclists. It represents the maximum power output an individual can sustain for an extended period without fatigue. Determining your FTP is important because it serves as a baseline for setting training zones and monitoring progress over time.
To accurately estimate FTP, a combination of physiological markers is often used, including the functional threshold heart rate (FTHR) and power output. FTHR is the heart rate at which you as an athlete transitions from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism, indicating the intensity at which you can sustain high efforts for an extended duration.
A 20-minute test, which combines both power and heart rate data, is commonly employed to estimate FTP and FTHR simultaneously. Here are a few reasons why a 20-minute test is effective in this regard:
Comprehensive assessment: By measuring both power output and heart rate during a 20-minute test, athletes gain insights into both their physiological response and their ability to sustain a high effort. Power output reflects the mechanical work produced, while heart rate indicates the cardiovascular demand. By examining both variables, a more comprehensive understanding of an individual's fitness level can be obtained.
Time efficiency: A 20-minute test strikes a balance between accuracy and feasibility, allowing athletes to estimate both FTP and FTHR without investing excessive time. Longer tests, such as one hour or more, may yield slightly more precise results, but they can be mentally and physically demanding. The 20-minute test offers a manageable duration for most individuals while still providing valuable data.
Representative effort: The 20-minute test aims to simulate a sustained maximal effort that closely aligns with an athlete's sustainable power output. It reflects the intensity at which an individual would ride during a race or time trial. By pushing close to their limits for 20 minutes, athletes can gain insights into their sustainable power and the corresponding heart rate response.
Reduced variability: A shorter test duration helps minimise external factors that can influence performance, such as changes in weather conditions or fluctuations in motivation during longer efforts. By keeping the test duration relatively short, the impact of these variables is reduced, leading to more consistent and reliable results for both FTP and FTHR estimation.
By analysing the power and heart rate data from the 20-minute test, athletes can estimate their FTP and FTHR using specific formulas or calculations. These estimations have been validated and widely adopted in training and performance analysis, providing athletes with valuable information for training zone prescriptions and tracking progress over time.
While the 20-minute test is a popular protocol for estimating both FTP and FTHR, it's worth noting that alternative testing durations, such as the 8-minute or 60-minute test, may also be utilised based on an athlete's specific needs and preferences. The choice of test duration should align with your goals, available time, and training objectives.
Divide your FTP, and FTHR into zones. There are different ways to divide your FTP, and FTHR into zones, but a common approach is to use a 7-zone system. I have also included the Rating of Percieved Exertion (RPE) for each:
1 Active recovery FTP <55% / FTHR >68% / 0-2RPE
2 Endurance FTP 56%-75% / FTHR 69%-83% / 2-4RPE
3 Tempo FTP 76%-90% / FTHR 84%-94% / 5-6RPE
4 Threshold FTP 91%-105% / FTHR 95%-105% / 7-8RPE
5 VO2 Max FTP 106&-120%/ FTHR >106% / 8RPE
6 Anaerobic Capacity FTP 121% - 150% / 9RPE
7 Neuromuscular Power FTP >150% / 10RPE
It's important to note that zones may vary depending on factors such as age, fitness level, and training history. It's also important to periodically reassess your zones to ensure they accurately reflect your current fitness level.
