No bicycle race on television goes by without the commentators talking about FTP or power. More and more training plans are based on power. Maybe your training buddy just bought a power meter. As a cyclist you can't ignore it, these days it's all about power in cycling and often in the same sentence the expression FTP is used. Why do you need to look at power (and therefore a power meter)? In this article you will learn about the advantages of training with a power meter and knowing your FTP.

Training load monitoring

A power meter is simply the best way to determine the training load. In the past, when athletes and cyclists wanted to monitor their training load, they started to do so in speed (km/h) and/or in time. But as you probably know, your speed is influenced by wind, temperature, altitude, etc. So speed is not the best way to analyze a training session or to monitor the training load.

The heart rate monitor was introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. A beautiful development, as the environment and circumstances have a much smaller influence on it. By measuring the heart rate, scientists and coaches thought they could measure exactly how hard your body actually works during a training session. But the knowledge about training grew and the heart rate turned out to be rather variable. It is influenced by factors such as temperature, altitude, stress, fatigue and fluctuates from day to day. Drinking a cup of coffee can boost your heart rate, while the training session doesn't get any harder. So the heart rate as a valid and reliable way to measure training load was quickly questioned. As a result, the search for another way to determine the training load was embarked upon. If the heart rate had proved to be a valid and reliable way, the power meter would probably never have been invented. The power meter was introduced in the early 1990s. Lance Armstrong was one of the first professional cyclists to use a power meter to monitor his training load.

P=F*v.

What is power anyway? In mechanics, the formula is power: Power = Force x Speed (P=F*v). This means on a bike; the force on your pedals multiplied by the distance your pedals cover (measured as cadence). Power is a direct measure of your output, which is not influenced by external factors. Power instead of heart rate is also capable of monitoring improvement. As you improve, the power you can produce over a certain time interval will improve. This is not possible if you use speed or heart rate, your heart rate and speed could be the same while you are delivering more power.

Functional Threshold Power / FTP.

So with power, we can finally see what you're really doing. In order to have a good idea of how heavy a certain exercise is for you personally, or to be able to make a good training schedule, we use training zones. There are different ways to classify the power zones. At JOIN, we use eight zones based on your FTP. Your FTP can be determined by doing an exercise test. An exercise test shows you what you are good at and in what areas you can improve the most: it gives you insight into your aerobic and anaerobic threshold. A slightly less accurate way to determine your FTP is through a DIY, 20-minute test that you do on your indoor trainer or out on the road. This is actually a time trial of 20 minutes preceded by a good warm-up. 95% of the average power over those 20 minutes is a good estimate of your FTP.

Often the FTP power is divided by your weight, so you get a relative power in Watts per kilogram. This is a good way to bring the important role that your weight plays into the equation. That matters a lot with climbing. But in a sprint, on the other hand, it's the absolute, raw power that counts!

Power meters.

Power meters are getting cheaper and cheaper. The most reliable power meters are the ones that sit in your bottom bracket or in advanced indoor smart trainers. Most power meters promise an accuracy of +/- 2%, with the smart trainers this is only +/- 1%. Power meters can also be in the crank or in your pedals and when power is measured on both sides they can show the balance between right and left. Some power meters only measure left, a cheaper alternative, but not the most reliable.

How to get better.

Getting better is all about timing. There are actually no good or bad workouts. There is only a bad combination or the wrong workout at the wrong time. The path to progress is therefore a training plan with the right training stimulus, taking into account your level, goal and available time. To help you with that we developed an algorithm in the JOIN Cycling application. It provides you with a highly flexible and personalized training plan to make sure that you make the most out of your rides. You can download JOIN in the App Store and Play store.