Before you decide 1M power is a weakness, you should probably actually test it. Most people will come nowhere near their max in "normal" riding, even if that riding includes hard group rides and mass-start races. So do a proper warmup and a 1M max test before making any conclusions. Warning: You're not going to feel right for several days after doing a 1M max effort.

Thanks, that's a good point.

I also checked my Fitness Signature in Xert and compared to by all-time bests in TP. The 5 second, 5 minute and 20 minute were pretty much within a few watts. The 1 minute best I have done is considerably lower than the 1-minute power on the signature - so that would imply I haven't actually done 1 minute all out.

I will definitely do a true 1-minute test.

^This^ Watching any video of track guys race the kilo makes me want to puke.

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Alex Arman

Strava

been working on my killermeter over the winter. Lots of Pmax and FRC work. Lots of rest (like sub 100w) with all out efforts for the given time of the sets. (Usually between 25" and 1:30)

I added about 150w to my 1' in a few months.

When you test, pretty much go all out from the gun, and just ride it out no matter how things go... at about 40" you're going to feel like they aren't going well (at least I always do) resist the temptation to cut it and just hammer on.

It makes you really appreciate how long 60 seconds is.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Do 45 second intervals at about 95% max power. Burning really bad at the end, just about to failure. 3 minutes rest in between, at least 3 sets. No more than 5 sets.

Thanks, and nice job raising your killermeter!

Is there much of a relationship between raising one minute power and other durations of power? If I work on my one minute power will it influence—positive or negative—twenty minute, hour, four hour — power?

I need to tell this to my wife.

HAH!

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

45 secs (everything from ~30-60 secs) at 95% should be closer to 8-10 minutes recovery. You need maximum recovery to give maximum efforts at these.

Agree with this, and this is probably the biggest difference between someone who is training specifically to compete at this duration (e.g. on the track) vs. someone who is training this duration as part of a comprehensive strengthening of their overall tool box prior to racing season (e.g., someone who competes on road, cx or mtb).

The former is trying to maximize power whereas for the former, repeatability is probably more important.

If you're going to work on 1 min power you need to be more specific in your training plan then what people are suggesting from what I skimmed

Here's an example of what I mean and this is a workout for someone track racing trying to increase their FRC/PMAX who races a lot on the track (also a cyclist not a triathlete)

4-5x(6 x:15sec all out from a slow start in a big gear + 6min recovery) + 5min extra recovery between rds
Accumulate 3-3:15 at >150% FTP

To drive up your 1min power you may have to do sets similar to (and I'm basing this off the athlete's schedule I'm doing so your wattage may vary) this:

4x( 4x:45 @525-550 + 5min ez) accumulate a lot of minutes >535w take 3-4 extra min rest between rds.

As a triathlete worrying about your 1min power is folly. If you need to get near your max 1min power in a triathlon you're doing it wrong or you're on a super steep & short hill.

Now bike racing? Maybe if it's really important or you're a few points from an upgrade......But as a triathlete don't worry about it imo

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

There is a chance, a pretty good chance, if you really focus on FRC/PMAX that you're going to lose on the right side of the curve a bit, depending.

Depends on how long you focus on it, but if it's 3 weeks is that even a focus? (No it's not)

I think, and again ymmv, if you're a triathlete who is not bike racing then who gives a fuck about 1 min power other than your ego?

Actually now that I read that I want everyone in the M45-49 to focus strictly on increasing their 1 min power between now and mid June! haha

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

True. But if you get your one minute power up like the way I suggest, the watts you can make will probably explode your frame into a thousand pieces and end the race of everybody around you. Then walk to the finish line holding what's left of a wheel and you are THE CHAMP. ;)

Response of the year! And it's barely April...

Can Confirm! When you're doing proper long sprint work, it's going to hurt... I've done some massive workouts targeting that type of power, and there are days where it's a struggle to throw my leg over the top tube of my bike to get off the trainer at the end of the workout... That said, you rarely tap into that power in a race, except something like a kilo... In a bike race, you're usually below this, and then are hitting more like 10s or 30s power for a proper sprint... the only time I can remember doing a proper 1min Power type effort, was after a power drop out in a Zwift race, I had worked hard to get a breakaway group clear, but got shelled on a climb when my power dropped out, and I needed a 1min effort in the 5-600w ballpark to get back onto the break... once I got back in, I had to sit on the back for a couple of laps to try to recover (I was frankly shocked that I made it back, and stayed with the break to the line)...

I rarely target those types of effort in training, because in general I find I get more bang for my buck targeting either 5min/20min power or 10s/30s power...

lol amazing

Thanks, great info. Still considering a true test of 1-minute power to get a closer idea of my power profile, and I am training for cycling, mostly longer gravel races.

After doing some more reading it seems my limiter is likely my ability to handle the surges in the paceline and group, and I could benefit from three things:

1. Riding smoother and better in the group (more aero on front, faster cadence to respond better, smooth the transition from slow to fast line)
2. Train my ability to handle surges (I think this is more like HIIT or a Xert HOP: 115 seconds at 90%, 15 seconds at 125%)
3. Raise threshold so the overall demands of the group pace are less difficult

I don't think the Xert HOP 125/80 is enough to work on your 1 min power.

I've done the HOP 140/85 with decent results, it's very doable and I'm not a sprinter at all.

Olympic track sprinters hit 700lb max Olympic squat and rep 405lb+ for 10+ reps

1 min power is very trainable, but it can take quite a while to max out. Over two years I increased 30% from doing mainly top end stuff. Lots of 5s jumps and 30/30' s.

Let it decline when I moved to altitude. Went up by 20% last year after a few weeks of doing the local wednesday night crits. Found myself floating to the front of the pack without effort whenever we hit a roller in a road race. Threshold went down though - important to maintain this.

I have a similar problem - in WKO+ my power for efforts of 5 minutes or longer is very good but my power for shorter efforts (especially 1 minute or slower) is only 'fair'. Classic TT profile after years of triathlon but now I'm only doing bike racing that is a problem in crit races with lots of technical cornering because the constant accelerations wear me out if I can't get in the break.

I found this article and training recommendation on Trainingpeaks, I'm going to give the One On / One Off workout a try in the next few weeks: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...-criterium-training/

If your goal is to avoid getting smoked on a group ride, then keep group riding. Go for attacks and/or respond to attacks that are giving you issues. Yeah, you might end up blowing, but pushing your boundaries is going to help you in the long run and help you build experience.

As others mentioned, the reason many of us will never realize our max 1' power within a group ride is because a group ride (or road race) will never have a situation where you're soft pedaling, go 1' full blast, then coast for 5' for you to recover. It's always going to be a situation where you have a steady lead of power in before a short burst attack...or someone is going to make a short burst attack to create a break...then you immediately have to apply steady power to make it stick.

So if you can't group ride to simulate these efforts in training, I would opt for a different structure of workout similar to over/unders. Ride 3' at 100-110% FTP, then burst for 30-45 seconds all out as if you're racing to a finish line. Recover 5', then repeat. Or do it backwards...attack hard 30-45 seconds as if you're trying to drop someone, then apply as much power as you can steady for 2-3' as if you were trying to make the gap stick. What wattage you actually hit isn't as important as simply pushing your limits by feel and learning what you can and cannot handle by feel. Sure, you can look at the data afterwards to see what you actually did...but you don't need to be locked into a goal wattage during the intervals. Because when it comes to a group ride, and those 30-60" attacks happen...NOBODY IS LOOKING AT THEIR POWER METER!

Nobody may be looking at their power meter but if you can't deliver the power you will need to train for it, and there's no reason why you can not use your powermeter in training to specifically address a weakness. Since you already have a power duration curve one might as well use it - you know your current mean maximal power that you have delivered over that time, and now through targeted training you will try to increase it. That doesn't necessarily mean you will constantly be delivering new personal power records over that time interval in training, but the idea is it stimulates the muscles in such a way you get better and will be able to set new PR's in the future when the conditions of the ride need you to.

I do some fast paced group rides here and am often one of the strongest riders, but me hammering in the front won't help me get better at my weaknesses. Our group rides have me spending a lot of time around FTP and VO2 max but nowhere near enough in the highest intensity zones (Anaerobic capacity, functional reserve capacity, etc). Those training zones are only reached when we sprint up a hill or during a full on attack (initiating one, not responding to one). So to add those efforts into a group ride means constant attacking and chances are it'll piss people off. So it may very well be something that's better done outside a group ride.