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Power Precision - how to improve
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I'm new to power training (well rather, I'm using the Virtual Power through TrainerRoad before throwing down for a power meter). For those who don't know, at the end of each interval TR gives a "precision" score indicating how close you came to the target power during the interval. I am able to have high precision during the recovery periods when the target power is low, but when I'm in a high power interval my precision is way off (60-80%). Anyone have any tips for how to improve power precision to maintain a more steady power output at the target power?
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [wahoowatri] [ In reply to ]
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I had a similar problem too. The isolated leg drills have helped me. I really had an obnoxious dead zone at the top of my stroke. Doing one leg at a time forced me to smooth it out. Power curve would be pancake flat after doing 15 minutes of isolated drills. I'm stil working on it and on higher efforts where I'm sweating, cursing, wanting to throw up, and all sorts of other things technique is near the bottom of what I'm thinking about. So it's something I'm continuing to work on so an even stroke is second nature.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [blueapplepaste] [ In reply to ]
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Great advice, thank you!
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [wahoowatri] [ In reply to ]
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The object isn't to improve your ability to ride precisely in power zones.

One legged pedalling to improve precision, very entertaining, but it won't increase the sustainable power of both legs used together.

First we get Stages only measuring the power of the left leg, then you get people pedalling with one leg to get a better power precision score and a smoother stroke.

World has gone mad.
Last edited by: William Ockham: Oct 31, 14 10:01
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [wahoowatri] [ In reply to ]
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So do you mean that you are averaging less or more power on a higher power interval? Honestly if I'm doing a workout and am even 5% below the power I'm supposed to hit, I bag the workout. So you have an interval and the target is, say 300 watts, and you are doing 240 watts (80%)? If that is the case, then you need to reset your FTP. Honestly I've never even noticed the precision score but if that is what it means then I think your FTP is set too high.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [fwrunco] [ In reply to ]
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"The fourth line is Precision and indicates how close you came to your target power during the interval. So, the screenshot above indicates that the rider was two watts below their target power of 403 watts. A 100% precision means that you stayed within 10 Watts of the target power during the entire interval."

Comical.

Any evidence that intervals performed within 10 watts of target power work any better than intervals which are performed less precisely?
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [fwrunco] [ In reply to ]
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fwrunco- No, it just means how much your power line graph moves up and down and while riding (vs. keeping it at the steady target line). It works out so that my average power level throughout the interval is right around the target power, but I have trouble keeping my power line steady, it spikes up and down but the total average ends up being very close to the target at the end of the interval. The way TR explains it is that a "100% precision means that you stayed within 10 Watts of the target power during the entire interval."

http://support.trainerroad.com/...ut-Display-Explained

I think blueapplepaste was thinking around the right lines in that there may be some unevenness in my pedal stroke that is making it difficult to hold steady power. I'd imagine it'd be a more efficient use of my energy to hold a steadier power output rather than spikes up and down (even if it averages out to be the same). That's what I was getting at, William.

Here's a screenshot of a recent ride so you can see the Yellow spiking up and down (ignore the sudden drop in the last interval since I had to stop pedaling for a second)
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [William Ockham] [ In reply to ]
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William Ockham wrote:
"The fourth line is Precision and indicates how close you came to your target power during the interval. So, the screenshot above indicates that the rider was two watts below their target power of 403 watts. A 100% precision means that you stayed within 10 Watts of the target power during the entire interval."

Comical.

Any evidence that intervals performed within 10 watts of target power work any better than intervals which are performed less precisely?

Captain Power for the win!!
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [wahoowatri] [ In reply to ]
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But the thing is that trainerroad virtual power only goes by how fast your wheel is moving to calculate power. And that doesn't vary that much from microsecond to microsecond. I know when I use virtual power my curve is very smooth compared to when I use my powertap.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [fwrunco] [ In reply to ]
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I am using virtual power not an actual power meter
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [fwrunco] [ In reply to ]
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fwrunco wrote:
But the thing is that trainerroad virtual power only goes by how fast your wheel is moving to calculate power. And that doesn't vary that much from microsecond to microsecond. I know when I use virtual power my curve is very smooth compared to when I use my powertap.

Good point about the virtual power. I think others are missing the point. The less precise you are the less steady you were with your power (eg lots of surging, pulsing, etc) and that is the point I was making. For me my stroke was(is) not as smooth as it could be, which was uncovered doing isolated leg drills. Having a smoother stroke all the way through the pedal stroke has allowed steadier power output.

So even if you're hitting average power, it's not very good if you have a VI of 1.15 during that interval. For me smoothing out my stroke helped to smooth out power.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [blueapplepaste] [ In reply to ]
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I think riding smoothly is a good exercise in metal focus and muscle control. Both are useful in racing. I don't see it as a worthless metric. Is the 10W measured in 1s increments? 5s? 10s? Maybe it doesn't matter since it's measuring wheel speed, so it would depend on the rotational inertia of the wheel your using.


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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [motoguy128] [ In reply to ]
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motoguy128 wrote:
I think riding smoothly is a good exercise in metal focus and muscle control. Both are useful in racing. I don't see it as a worthless metric. Is the 10W measured in 1s increments? 5s? 10s? Maybe it doesn't matter since it's measuring wheel speed, so it would depend on the rotational inertia of the wheel your using.
Putting aside the fact that the way power is measured, or the power meter used, or the type of trainer can affect such numbers (for the same rider/ride), it's falsely suggesting that achieving a rifle-like quadrant analysis plot is superior training to achieving a shotgun-like plot.

Ride outside and deal with variable wind and terrain and the metabolic demands are the same but neuromuscular demands are not. I'd suggest some variability indoors is a good thing and more specific to real demands.

Reminds me of spin scan numbers or cadence.

Not everything you can measure matters.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [wahoowatri] [ In reply to ]
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I wouldn't worry about the "precision" metric. It sounds a bit contrived and adds no value IMO if you are getting with +/-5w of goal average power for an interval.
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Re: Power Precision - how to improve [Watt Matters] [ In reply to ]
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Watt Matters wrote:
motoguy128 wrote:
I think riding smoothly is a good exercise in metal focus and muscle control. Both are useful in racing. I don't see it as a worthless metric. Is the 10W measured in 1s increments? 5s? 10s? Maybe it doesn't matter since it's measuring wheel speed, so it would depend on the rotational inertia of the wheel your using.
Putting aside the fact that the way power is measured, or the power meter used, or the type of trainer can affect such numbers (for the same rider/ride), it's falsely suggesting that achieving a rifle-like quadrant analysis plot is superior training to achieving a shotgun-like plot.

Ride outside and deal with variable wind and terrain and the metabolic demands are the same but neuromuscular demands are not. I'd suggest some variability indoors is a good thing and more specific to real demands.

Reminds me of spin scan numbers or cadence.

Not everything you can measure matters.

Succinctly put.

By spin scan do you mean those pointless pedalling technique graphs on a Wattbike?
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