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Afraid to Suffer, Part One

“I’m not getting any better!” (You don’t know how to Suffer!)

Descending Threshold
Let’s get to the root of this.

I HATE that statement. “Better” is a completely loaded term. It implies perception over analysis, and it’s my job as a coach to be a shrink, a cheerleader, a gentle critic, a cajoler, and an overall positive influence. But what is NOT my job, is to DO THE ACTUAL WORK ON THE BIKE. YOU have to learn how to SUFFER!

I have a client. Low overall Threshold, REALLY low overall HIE, and what I’d call an ARTIFICIALLY low Peak Power. I KNOW this client can do better. But this individual, and I’m going to be harsh here…. This individual DOES NOT KNOW, AND DOES NOT UNDERSTAND, HOW TO REALLY, TRULY, DEEPLY — SUFFER.

Xert Signature Descending
“I Can’t Understand Why I’m not A Stronger Cyclist!”

Do the Work – Reap the Reward. Suffering is GOOD at times.

Training requires WORK. You USE ENERGY to GENERATE WATTS, and thus – GET FIT. FITNESS gives you the ability to use MORE energy, and generate MORE WATTS, and thus – GET MORE FIT!

But when you don’t DO THE WORK, you don’t GENERATE the POWER, and your FITNESS STAGNATES. It really is that simple.

Fitness equals Work divided by Power times Time.
Do the Work, Reap the Reward.

This individual has everything; Great job, two great kids, expensive bike, extravagant components, custom wheels, Rapha Kit that gets replaced when bike grease inevitably shows up on a jersey pocket. The works. But what this person DOES NOT HAVE, is the ability to SUFFER!

Suffer Watts
Sometimes you forget where you put your shoes….

I tell my clients – “You have to suffer like a barefoot Russian in winter!” Hey – they beat Napoleon! You can, too!

Well, there’s a time to suffer; it’s called interval days and it’s meant to be a controlled, “Focused” intensity. Do the work, reap the reward. But some people just…… either don’t want to, or don’t understand just how hard “Work” really is.

“Volume IS Work! It’s not ALL SUFFER(ing!)”

I met with this individual, after they signed up for Xert. I helped them program the head unit. I explained the concept of volume, intensity, frequency, Focus, and fitness breakthroughs.

For TEN WEEKS, this individual’s numbers JUST. KEPT. DROPPING.

I couldn’t figure it out. Until Finally, it dawned on me to try ONE MORE THING.

Click here to see The Breakthrough in Part Two (Premium Content—subscription)

 

MMP (Mean Maximal Power) Breakthroughs Galore in April!

Testing for Mean Max Power (MMP)

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, so apologies that it’s a few weeks late. However, our training in March and April led to multiple Mean Maximal Power Breakthroughs, and I wanted to write about this. Mean Maximal Power is defined as the “Highest average power” you can generate over a given amount of time. This time, at the studio, we used 5 MMP’s. They were: 1-minute, 2-minute, 3-minute, 5-minute, and 8-minute efforts. This was done over two days, and we did “Pre-Tests” the week before for the 3-minute and 8-minute values, and we accepted the higher value of the two. All tests were performed using PerfPro Studio software, and several of my clients are using Xert Fields on their Garmin head units.

We test for Critical Power at the studio, because not all of our clients own power meters for their bikes. PerfPro Studio is the best program to help cyclists understand how intervals work. Intervals on PerfPro incorporate Critical Power and W Prime. Intervals of different intensities, durations, and number, improve fitness.

Most of my clients are veteran studio cyclists, so when we tested, we used previous values as a benchmark to surpass. Here is an example:

Critical Power Curve Cycling Center Dallas Online Bike Coach MMP
Leo Spencer’s MMP Numbers and Critical Power for April 2018

In March of 2018, Leo Spencer had Mean Maximal Power Numbers for the following durations:

  • 1MMP – 418 watts
  • 2MMP – 309 watts
  • 3MMP – 292 watts
  • 5MMP – 268 watts
  • 8MMP – 237 watts

As a result, this led to a Critical Power Value of: 214 watts, and a “W Prime“, or “W'” value, of 13,010 j. Critical Power is a value above which a cyclist is drawing from anaerobic power sources, and it cannot be sustained for long periods of time. Below Critical Power, a cyclist is largely using aerobic power, and the effort can be sustained much longer. The W Prime (W’) value is sort of a “bank account”, from which energy is drawn and returned, when wattage is above Critical Power. If Leo were to ride at 300 watts, his W Prime (W’) would fall quickly. When his power was at 150 watts, it would begin to return.

Furthermore, you can also see that most of Leo’s values came from one day in March, with one day in February completing the 5 MMP’s.

This was in the middle of a “MesoCycle” of training. Mesocycles are periods of time where a cyclist is increasing training volume and/or intensity. Four weeks later, after an increase in intensity, the installation of a power meter and a Garmin 1000 head unit, along with the introduction of Xert Fields and Metrics, we tested him again.

Testing after four weeks of Progression

Here are his charts…

Mean Maximal Power PerfPro Studio Xert Breakthroughs
Leo Spencer Critical Power Test for Mean Maximal Power in the 5, 3, and 1 minute durations.

The 5-minute, 3-minute, and 1-minute MMP Tests yielded:

  • 1MMP – 461 watts (10% improvement).
  • 3MMP – 304 watts (4% improvement).
  • 5MMP – 278 watts (4% improvement).

Here is his 2-minute and 8-minute MMP Test chart:

Mean Maximal Power Critical Power Test PerfPro Studio Xert
Leo Spencer 8 Minute and 2 Minute MMP Test May 2018

The 8-minute and 2-minute MMP Tests yielded:

  • 2MMP – 372 watts (17% improvement).
  • 8MMP – 249 watts (5% improvement).

His Critical Power Curve ended up looking like this:

PerfPro Studio Critical Power Test May 2018 MMP Xert
Leo Spencer Critical Power Test May 2018

These Mean Maximal Power Improvements led to more overall fitness for Leo and many others. In fact, 3/4 of my studio clients achieved breakthroughs in at least 3 of the 5 MMP’s!

Here are Leo’s Gains by %.

  • Critical Power: 2% in four weeks.
  • W Prime (W’): 25% in four weeks!!!!

The Secret Behind the MMP Breakthroughs…

So here is what I find so interesting.

Before Xert, I would give cyclists their previous MMP Records. Leo got his April Mean Maximal Power values, to try and break. But the method of breaking the MMP records was what made it so successful.

Leo and all the riders who use Xert, used COLORED ZONES to better pace their efforts. Watts colored in Black are at Threshold Intensity. Power showing watts in Yellow were at Vo2 Intensity. Watts colored Red were highly Anaerobic, and if the watts turned Purple for a long enough period of time, then a breakthrough could be achieved! By timing the efforts JUST RIGHT, Xert users were able to “See” how much more they could give, before they surpassed previous limits. Leo’s breakthroughs were all performed visibly as well as mentally.

Therefore, in PerfPro, the chart looks like this (this is from March, 2018):

Wattage Pulls metabolic Efficiency
It never pays to go out too hard, too early. ALWAYS work on raising your intensity over time, and with that rise, come breakthroughs!

 

And here is Leo’s file from Xert’s point of view…:

Xert MMP Breakthroughs
The MMP breakthroughs at 5,3, and 1 minute.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mean Maximal Power is a way to test yourself for work capacity. Using PerfPro, we can accurately look at empirical records to set breakthrough goals. When combined with Xert Fields, cyclists can better pace their way to breakthroughs. Using PerfPro Studio with Xert Fields on your Garmin, is truly the best combination available.

More Fitness Breakthroughs with W Prime on PerfPro Studio

W Prime Provides a VISUAL approach to Intensity and Fatigue.

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:

W Prime Visual PerfPro
Follow the Green Line – W Prime falls just below Zero with a few seconds to go, and the cyclist achieves a Breakthrough!

Do NOT go out too hard, too early!

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.

Teaching Intuition with W Prime

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.

 

Using W Prime in PerfPro Studio To Get the Most Out of Your Body

W Prime PerfPro Studio Analyzer
What's that Green Line? That's Your W Prime Line!

W Prime is a great way to measure your training load.

Not everyone owns a power meter for their bike. Some people do not want to make the investment in equipment. Some just want a great workout and want to see how hard they can push their bodies. W Prime in PerfPro Studio is a great tool to help athletes measure their effort better.

PerfPro Studio has added features almost weekly now for several years. This is a robust, solid training platform that is my go-to for indoor studios. It is consistent and is easy to operate. PerfPro Studio shows riders what they need to know, both on a dashboard and graphically, so they can achieve their goals.

Since 2015, I have been employing W Prime testing at my studio, Cycling Center Dallas. It's a great tool, and in this post I show you how to put W Prime to work for you.
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Xert In a Crit: Prime Win and Victory!

Travis Pope is a big guy with a big engine. He loves to ride, loves to race, loves Xert, and he loves to train with it. He has been a client for years, but has suffered several crashes that left him on the sidelines. It also affected his training consistency.

But this year has been a different story. Travis has trained consistently. In early June, he bought a Garmin 1000 and began training with Xert Fields.

 

The Race According to Xert

Xert Criterium Profile
Xert Profile of Travis Pope's Criterium Win. Note the severe drops in MPA in the middle and the end.
Last night, it all paid off! Here's how Travis used Xert training to turn his hard work into success on the podium.
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