Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner
I posted a few days ago about how my clients were successfully using the W Prime feature on PerfPro Studio, to achieve fitness breakthroughs. Well, it’s happened again.
The second day of testing consisted of a 5 minute, 3 minute, and 1 minute test. I looked through the clients’ histories, and came up with their previous recent records. I then placed those values on a Post-It note and gave them to each client. But more importantly, I reminded them that to achieve a breakthrough, we needed to gauge the W prime JUST RIGHT. As time began to expire, I wanted them to work hard enough to deplete their W Prime, and try to get into NEGATIVE territory. Why? Because it means you’re having a breakthrough!
Here is another example:
This client was given a goal of breaking 269 watts over 5 minutes. He went out too hard, backed off, and then raised his average power for the rest of the interval. If you watch his W Prime value in green, it drops in a curved pattern. Just before the end of the effort, it dips below 0 (Zero). The result? 276 watts – NICE!
Not only did we achieve a breakthrough in his power, we also raised his Critical Power, and Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC). His improvements were modest, but real. More importantly, they give a true psychological boost.
The next 8 weeks of classes will focus on mid-length intervals that will continue to lower and raise W Prime. The clients are learning to develop intuition, so that when they are outside, they can judge their W Prime, energize themselves to overcome challenges, and climb or push longer than they previously thought was possible.
If you want to learn how to use W Prime on PerfPro Studio to help you improve your indoor training sessions, let’s set up an appointment.
See Part One (Free) for the background on Dr. Keeter’s incredible progress.
Let’s start with the “Stress” Chart in Xert.
Dr. Keeter basically began from scratch, with a low fitness level, and few hours per week in his legs. He was certainly not UNFIT, but he was far from TRULY FIT. We began by testing him for his Xert Signature, which was established on March 5th.
Maximum Power Available: 1017 watts.
Threshold Power: 226 watts.
HIE (High Intensity Energy): 18.7 Kilo Joules.
LTP (Lower Threshold Power): 179 watts.
The numbers mean this:
Kyle could ride at a power output below 179 watts, and a majority of his energy systems would come from fat.
Between 179 and 226 watts, energy is drawn equally from fat and carbohydrates.
Above 226 watts, Kyle would be relying mostly on Carbs, and would be dipping into his HIE reserves.
If his MPA dropped below his power, he would either be completely spent, or he would have achieved a breakthrough, and thus set a new Fitness Signature.
You can see Fitness Breakthroughs on the chart with the Bronze, Silver, and Gold circles. He also improved his Threshold Power, seen through the dashed yellow line. You can see all of the gains in his Fitness Signature, as he increased both the intensity of some workouts, and the aerobic volume of other workouts. We used these new signatures to help him train for intensity when necessary, and for aerobic conditioning as well. Almost 95% of his training was Aerobic, at power outputs below his LIE.
Yet the signature kept changing. This meant he needed to spend MORE time out on the bike, at ever-so-slight higher levels of intensity, so that he could continue to adapt and become a more efficient fat-burner. Take a look at the chart. The vertical columns represent a ROLLING 42-day average of ENERGY EXPENDITURE.
In March, he was averaging just 267 KiloJoules of work on a rolling six-week average.
By June, that value had increased to 640 KiloJoules of work for that rolling six-week average.
In July, he hit 985 KiloJoules of work.
August 1st, he hit 1065 KiloJoules of rolling average work….
And on September 1st, he was at an astounding 1340 KiloJoules of rolling six-week average!
Finally, as of this writing, to get to five stars, he averaged 1492 KiloJoules of energy expenditure ON A ROLLING SIX-WEEK AVERAGE. Almost 98% of that was at AEROBIC intensity.
Now, for comparison, my average 2 hour ride is roughly 1500 KiloJoules. Dr. Keeter is cycling at a lower intensity, so it takes longer to get to 1500 Kj’s. Basically, assume that he’s getting to 1500 KiloJoules in 3 hours. So that’s THREE HOURS, ON AVERAGE, EVERY DAY, FOR SIX WEEKS STRAIGHT.
Not only did he earn his Five Stars, he also improved his Fitness Signature significantly. It is now:
Maximum Power Available: 1112 Watts.
Threshold Power: 280 Watts.
High Intensity Energy: 28.8 KiloJoules.
Lower Threshold Power: 208 Watts.
In the effort to prepare for this Ultra-Cycling event, Dr. Keeter has raised his Maximum Power Available by 8.5%, raised his Threshold Power by 19%, raised his HIE by 35%, and raised his LTP by 14%.
This is absolutely incredible, but what it perhaps most significant is the fact that, as an UltraCyclist, his goal is to be as fast as possible while burning fat as much as possible, and not diving into his carbs all that much. At 208 watts of LTP, he can figuratively “Ride Forever”, at power outputs below that. On September 1st, he rode 157 miles, averaging 17.5 miles per hour, with over 6100′ of climbing. His average power on that day? His XEP was 195 watts, and his actual average was 194 watts. For reference, the average speed for this race is about 15-16mph, at altitude and in terrain.
Over the next several weeks, we are actually going to LOWER his training load slightly, and bring him back down to 4 stars on the Fitness Profile. I’m not going to try and raise his Threshold, HIE, or LTP at all, and we will instead ride several 10-14 hour rides non-stop, to simulate the demands of the race. He will be eating, drinking, even making pit stops, on a schedule. We will keep some quality intervals, but I do not expect any records. The record we want to break is his previous effort; and let the others race their own event as well. We want him Fit, Fresh, and Prepared. I think this is VERY achievable.
For you, think about your goals, your FOCUS, and your volume. Not many people have the ability, income, or time to ride 21+ hours per week. Think about Specific goals that are Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART). Dr. Keeter is achieving his goals. Let me help you achieve yours.