So I’m pumped about this…not only because of the feedback I’ve read here (thanks ST!), but also because I’ve been doing some fairly basic prescribed generic bike plans for the better part of the past 8 months and training w/just HR.
While I’m waiting on my ANT+ dongle to get here I thought I’d ask for any newbie tips that might save me some time getting started. Seems really turnkey but I’m sure there are some things and/or plans that folks have figured out that may not be immediate obvious.
Little about me: no experience training w/power (just HR), good base as I’ve been training for IMLou since December (extended training plan due to changing race from IMCDA to Lou) and it’s coming up in 7 weeks. Will be my second IM.
Anyhow, any thoughts are obviously welcome. Thanks in advance.
Read “The power meter handbook : a user’s guide for cyclists and triathletes” by Joel Friel or “Training and racing with a power meter” by Hunter Allen.
I found Friel’s book a little more of intro to power. Hunter went into a lot more detail. I liked them both.
Do a couple of test rides to make sure you know how your output changes with gear and cadence changes.
Take a rest week then do the 20 FTP test within the first week or two to set your power zones.
Set he power smoothing to 3 second average. This helps even out the power you are riding at.
If there is any way for you to do it, plug your computer into a TV, the bigger the better. Way better than staring at a little computer screen.
Do one of the plans. I learned a lot about training with power and how to structure a long term training plan over the past winter just by doing a base plan then a build plan.
While I find TR’s virtual power to be very consistent, it is not necessarily a “real” power number for all users. Some trainers are right on, others are not. Don’t get too caught up in the power number (e.g. I suck because my FTP is 175 or I should go pro because its 321). Do a test, reset off the default 200 watt FTP setting then just follow the graph and all will be well.
To that end, do set your trainer/bike up exactly the same each time (i.e. tire pressure and number of turns on the tension)
Follow the watt target. If its easy, its easy for a reason. If it is hard, its hard for a reason. This is even more critical if you are doing a plan. The workouts, and the parts of the workouts, fit together.
Looks like you’ve got plenty of great advice already! The only thing that I would add is if you ever run into any problems, shoot an email to Support@TrainerRoad.com and they’ll get you back up and running in no time.
Understand that the workouts will hurt more than you are used to, and that hurt will make you seen some serious gains, so get ready to cry during training and then smile after the near death experience that are FTP tests and then again in races!! Love that program. Best…investment…ever. No joke.
I second the part about the power number. There is a good chance it wouldn’t match a power meter. TR talks about it. Basically their power number is offset of a real power meter, but over the same workout, with offset, the graphs would match.
Like I was just telling my wife - I’m about to learn just how unfit I really am on the bike. Cant wait for the suffering and gains. Thanks again for the words of advice!
Understand that the workouts will hurt more than you are used to, and that hurt will make you seen some serious gains, so get ready to cry during training and then smile after the near death experience that are FTP tests and then again in races!! Love that program. Best…investment…ever. No joke.
I’ve spent roughly $200 (18 months, already had USB and speed/cadence) for a roughly 20% increase in FTP. And I was out of commission for 4 months with an injury. So I couldn’t agree more.
My advice is to start every workout with two dry towels. Put the first one over your stem and the second under your bike on the ground. If either are still dry after your workout, you are doing it wrong.
This is quite off topic but just wanted to say a friend of mine bought a trainer road and that stuff is SO cool. Very good interface, great workouts, amazing alternative to computrainer according to me.
If you are keeping the bike on the trainer for long periods of time (weeks) without riding outdoors, get a good cockpit cover. Especially if it’s a TT bike - I’ve destroyed front brakes and headsets from sweat corrosion. It’s subtler than you’d expect when your bike isn’t off the trainer - it looks cosmetically fine, but then you take it off the trainer and find that the small drips of sweat that got into the brake pivots or the headset and stayed there awhile, fuse the parts immobile. It’s less of an issue of you ride outdoors reguarly, which helps keep things loose and mobile, but if you’re leaving the TT bike on trainer, I’d HIGHLY recommend the $25 cockpit cover from Anaerobic Zone online. (Google it.) It’s really, really good, and stopped corrosion completely on my TT bike.
I’ve been thinking about finding something more permanent like this as I tend to leave the TT bike in the trainer for long stretches. My protection so far has been: towel on ground, smaller towel draped over bike (elbow pads to seat stem)…and it’s not very efficient.
Thanks for the suggestion, think I’ll jump on this now.
Trainer Road rocks! Based on where you are at in regards to your IM in 7 weeks, I’d recommend you look at the half ironman plan but cutting it down from 12 weeks by starting at week 6 and looking at ditching the long weekend ride on the plan and doing an even longer IM specific outdoor ride. If you are super short on time, the sweet spot base 1 plan is a cracker, but again, I’d ditch the weekend ride as probably too short for IM. The sweet spot and half plan are probably a little less full on than the sufferfest vids which are awesome, but not sure if best suited for 7 weeks out. Still hard core, but less v02max.
This is really helpful, thank you. That was actually top of mind for me - where to start w/7 weeks to the IM.
Excited about Sufferfest, the FB and ST posts I saw about it a while back were impactful to say the least…in other words I remember thinking “shit…this sounds like it would kill me:”.