Why Train with Power? – Ming-Chang Tsai Head Power Training Coach
Ming-Chang Tsai is an elite duathlete and triathlete, a member of the Hello Velo elite squad and the Head Power Training Coach in our new power training studio, opening in November 2010.
With all of the fancy gadgets and expensive equipment on the market that “guarantee” faster cycling times, it is understandable that one may be loath to invest in training with a power meter. However, unlike many other cycling products on the market, exercise physiologists, coaches, and athletes all agree that training with power is an effective strategy to attain optimal performance.
Training with power (measured in watts [W]) is the most accurate method to quantify your level of effort. In fact, power is the exact measure of your effort, such that the terms power and effort can be used interchangeably. From a graphical standpoint, effort and power share a direct linear relationship (ie. 10% increase in effort is equivalent to 10% increase in power). This makes it much easier to measure improvements in fitness and to identify weaknesses that an athlete can then address in his or her training program.
Ming Racing for Team Canada
Using a power meter in training and racing keeps you honest in the sense that the numbers don’t lie. Training according to speed is not an ideal method to quantify how well or poorly you are doing during a training session. Your speed during training is very subjective, because it is influenced by so many other factors such as wind conditions, rolling resistance from your tires, what body position you’re riding in on the bike, whether you’re riding in a pack or not, and of course, the variations in the terrain that you’re riding on. Similarly, training according to heart rate is also not the most objective way to execute a workout. Heart rate is dependent upon many factors such as your core body temperature, the ambient temperature and conditions that you are training in, your quantity and quality of sleep leading up to the workout, your hydration status and whether or not you consumed caffeine prior to working out, your stress levels, and a myriad of other factors. On the other hand, training according to power tells you exactly how much work that you are doing over a given time. Power depends only upon the engine that is doing the work: you.
One of the great advantages of using a power meter during training is that you are able to monitor your improvements in fitness level from week to week, month to month, and so on. With the power data that is generated from your training sessions, you will be able to track improvements in your fitness, such as your anaerobic threshold, and you can also assess the time that it took for you to make these improvements in your fitness. You can also detect where your weaknesses lie in training, and together with your identified strengths, you can tailor and build a training program to set and achieve short and long-term tangible goals.
Using a power meter during a race can be a great way to pace yourself according to effort, so that you can strategically “hold back” when you need to and conserve your energy, and then “give’r” when you’re supposed to. This is particularly useful for stage races or long-distance events where pacing is crucial. Regardless of what style or distance of racing that you are doing, at the end of the race you will be able to analyze all of the power data to give you an accurate and objective playback of your race. You will be able to determine if you made any tactical errors that cost you time that you weren’t even aware of, or pinpoint exactly when you lost the group of riders that you were riding with, or perhaps broke away from them. You can see how you compared to your other competitors, and what it is going to take to be able to ride like the leader. The knowledge that you gain from analyzing your race will help you and your coach further tweak and modify your training plan so that it ultimately leads to you attaining your peak performance.
In summary, training with power is a true and honest measure of the work that you are doing, which reflects your level of effort and your fitness level. It takes a lot of guesswork out of your training sessions, and if you are dedicated to improving your fitness and becoming the bestcyclist that you can be, then the power meter is the tool that can help you to achieve your optimal performance.
——->>Ming has been actively involved in the sport of triathlon and duathlon since 2004, and he has been a personal triathlon coach since 2008. As a member of the Canadian World Championship Team in both triathlon and duathlon since 2005, he brought extensive experience to the 2010 World Championship Team in Edinburgh this year as Head Coach. Ming rowed for the Chinese Taipei Elite Rowing Team from 1997-2004 and is a NCCP Certified Level 3 Rowing Coach. He enjoys sharing his expertise and passion with all of his athletes that he coaches across sporting disciplines.
