Hunter's Power Training Blog

By: Chris Myers, Master Coach

With two months to Haute Route Asheville, riders are dialing their training and considering final preparations for the biggest race of the season. The tapering process is the final piece of a training program to maximize physical fitness.

The taper is the final aspect of a periodized training program.  It allows you to recover from all the work you have done in order to reach your peak.  The gains you make in your training program come during recovery periods, not during the actual work cycles.  The body needs to rebuild.  The taper allows you to recover while still being active.  If done properly, the supra-compensation recovery effects can last 10-21 days (average is 7-10 days).

Any portion of a training program is based on volume.  Volume is best defined as a product of duration and intensity.  This assists in giving the training picture possible.  By using power meters, heart monitors, GPS, and etc, you can truly dial in your taper. 

TAPERING TECHNIQUES

             Four different tapering techniques exist; linear, fast and slow exponential, and step taper (also known as reduced training) (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).  Figure 1 depicts the four tapering methods.  The author of the Triradar.com article was describing the reduced training tapering method. 

(Mujika & Padilla, 2003)

Weight lifters and bodybuilders preparing for competition primarily use the step taper/reduced training method.  In all cases, the training volume is reduced; however the reduction rate is the difference.  For the linear taper, it has a higher training load and slower reduction rate.  The exponential taper rates have a slow or fast reduction rate; the slow exponential taper has a higher training volume (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).

             Choosing the right type of taper and volume reduction depends on the your fitness level.  This is determined through several different factors.  Some of these are the number of hours a week trained, weekly TSS accumulation, CTL, and etc.  The application of the taper is more of an art than a science.  To determine the correct tapering method, a minor taper should be conducted early in your season.  This helps to identify the best course of action before the season’s culminating event. 

WHAT KIND OF CYCLIST AM I?

             Performing the taper requires manipulating training volume equation, time and intensity.  Before this is done, the you should ask yourself, “What kind of cyclist am I?  Am I a trained or untrained cyclist?”  The type of training level will determine how much reduction in time and intensity is needed to do the proper taper.   If you have a higher TSS and CTL or even a post-overreaching training cycle, you will need more of a reduction of training volume in order to promote recovery versus those with a lower TSS and CTL.  For example, a highly trained cyclist will need a reduction of training volume of 60-90% whereas an untrained athlete will need only up to a 30% reduction in training volume (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).  The key during the tapering process is “maintaining intensity” of the training volume to “avoid detraining” (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).  This allows for optimal performance during the key athletic event.

             The other side of performing the taper is the timing of it.  Like determining the type of the taper, the timing is determined on the athlete’s fitness and experience level.  The physiological benefits of the taper typically last for 7-14 days.  No matter how experienced or inexperienced a cyclist you are, you can benefit from the physiological benefits of the taper (McNealy & Sandler, 2007).   

The application of the taper is more of an art than a science.

             Remember, the goal of the taper is to maximize the physiological benefits of training.  It induces the positive physiological and psychological aspects of a good training program.  Before making the decision on which taper is right for you, do the research and find out which technique is the best for you.

By: Hunter Allen, Peaks Coaching Group Founder & CEO

originally published 8 November, 2018

The Problem

One of my clients, a very talented and two-time national champion, has been having some problems with his right leg going numb from a pinched nerve in his back. This has been something that he has had to train “around” for nearly two years now and sometimes it’s better and does not affect him, other times, it makes his right leg numb. Obviously, this means a huge reduction in power and has prevented him from winning races that he rightfully would have won had he not been experiencing this issue.

He has been using the LEOMO TYPE-R for the past six months to determine 1) what changes occur in his movement patterns when his leg begins to go numb and 2) could the position on his bike be causing this? If so, could we change his movement pattern?   

Gathering Data

Our first objective is merely to gather data to understand what “normal” movements are for him, so that we can better identify abnormal movements in the future. I asked him to create laps around all his intervals as the numbness typically occurs only when he is near his FTP or above it and then to note when the numbness begins during an interval. By recording this we can more easily identify any changes in movement using the TYPE-R.  In Figure 1, we see some ‘normal’ riding at endurance and tempo paces when he does not have any issues with his leg.

Figure 1

Let’s zoom into the data and take a closer look at the 60-minute tempo section (Figure 2a and 2b).  This section reveals more about his normal movement patterns, as we observe that his foot angular range (FAR) is nearly identical for both legs. It is also clear when he stands out of the saddle, as the peaks (or spikes) of data represent this movement. The dead spots on the outside of his Pedal Stroke Index (PSI) plot represent the movement when he is pulling up on the back side of the pedal when standing.  Clearly, he pulls up more with his right leg (the leg that goes numb) when standing than his left leg as there are more dead spots in the right PSI. Again, these motion performance indicators (MPI’s) establish his ‘norm’ from which we can see when ‘abnormal’ patterns occur.

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

Comparing Data

Now, let’s examine two different rides where his right leg became numb from the pinched nerve in his back. In Figure 3, there are some distinctive changes in movement when his leg becomes numb. Most obvious is the foot angular range on the right side reduces dramatically, going from 52˚to 44˚.  The right leg angular range also reduces from 59˚ to 54˚. His Torso Rotation also changes in a significant way as normal pedaling is 13˚, yet when he has problems with his nerve, it nearly reduces by 50% down to 7˚. These are all significant changes and easily identifiable in the MPI’s. This numbness obviously causes a reduction in feeling which results in a reduction in movement, and ultimately results in reduced wattage output. And that is bad if you are a pro cyclist!  

Figure 3

In the next ride, he executed a 30-minute interval and in the final 4 minutes, his right leg started to go numb. In this case, we also saw a significant reduction in FAR, LAR, Pelvic Angle, Torso Angle and Torso Rotation. What is most interesting about this ride is the changes in the Pelvic Angle and Torso Angle.  These both indicate the angle of what his pelvis and torso are in when pedaling and is a clue to how to prevent him from pinching the nerve in his back and causing the right leg to go numb. We noticed that when his Pelvic Angle is below 70˚ and his Torso Angle is below 25˚, then he would be only able to continue for 2-3 minutes before his leg started to become numb. Of course, once we learned this key piece of information from this ride, we began examining other rides when his leg went numb. The same 70˚ and 25˚ values kept coming up each time and is either a contributor to pinching of the nerve or partially the cause of the pinching of the nerve. Clearly, there is something more anatomical going on with him that needs to be addressed, but if he can maintain his position on the bike greater than these angles, his right leg doesn’t bother him. Figure 4 illustrates these areas when his Pelvic and Torso angle drop.

Figure 4

Problem Solved

With the TYPE-R mounted on his bike and customizing the screens, he was able to make the display such that he could see Pelvic Angle and Torso Angle so he could maintain his posture and thereby preventing problems with his right leg! What a simple and easy solution!  Of course, this isn’t treating the ultimate cause of the issue, and he is doing physical therapy to address the underlying cause, however, using the TYPE-R allows him to ride pain free and powerful! In Figure 5, we see a hard workout from him where he maintains the correct posture and never has a single problem!

Figure 5

In conclusion, the TYPE-R is a critical tool for cyclists that are trying to maximize their power output in every situation.  If someone has an issue with their motion, it’s quite possible that it can be identified and changed using the TYPE-R. In this rider’s case, a simple change to maintain the correct Pelvic and Torso angle is all that was needed to prevent pinching of a nerve.

Hunter Allen is a USA Cycling Level 1 coach and former professional cyclist. He is the coauthor of Training and Racing with a Power Meter and Cutting-Edge Cycling, co-developer of TrainingPeaks’ WKO software, and CEO and founder of Peaks Coaching Group. He and his coaches create custom training plans for all levels of athletes.

WINNING WITH GLUTES by PCG Coach Rick Shultz

Your glutes can generate huge power, but only when firing. Off-season, weight room workouts are needed to strengthen this forsaken muscle group when cycling. The glutes are made up of the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus  Medius (aka Glute-Meds) and the Gluteus Minimus. The Gluteus Maximus is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the body and is used to drive your hip movement.

I have seen too many cyclists that don’t activate their glutes–and there are 50 watts there!

Hunter Allen

In the gym, you can do basic glute strengthening exercises. Here are 9 great ones that will help strengthen the glutes.

1. Barbell Squats or Swiss Ball Wall Squat
2. Stiff-Leg Deadlift
3. Romanian Deadlift
4. Walking sideways with PT Bands
5. Wide-stance Leg Press
6. Any Kickback Exercise
7. Bridges (single-leg or two-leg) on Floor or Bridges with Feet on Ball
8. Lunges
9. Side-Lying Clam

EXPERIENCING GLUTE ACTIVATION

Before you can activate them, you have to know what they feel like when firing. In addition to doing the exercises above, two simple ways to feel your glutes engaging are

1. Stand straight up and march. Using each thumb, poke each glute as you march. Keeping each thumb poking glutes continue marching. You don’t feel anything with your thumbs do you. This is how most cyclists cycle, using quads only. Now, bend forward 45° and stick your but out slightly. Now what do you feel with your thumbs? You should feel the glutes firing as you continue to march. This is one trick you can use when cycling.
2. A simpler example is to walk up a flight of stairs squeezing your glutes as you move each leg.

HOW TO ACTIVATE GLUTES WHEN CYCLING

This part is a little more difficult to explain. For example, several years ago, I asked a pro “how do pro-cyclists pedal differently than the rest of us?” He said, “I pedal with my hips.” It took me about a year of trial and error pedaling to figure it out, but when I did, the pedaling seemed effortless, the power shot up and I was holding more power for longer periods of time. Glute activation is the same thing.

It’s best to practice the tips below and see how you can make them work. You will know when you get it right. Here are the common ways to (re)position yourself to make the glutes fire.

1. Rotate the hips forward (stick your butt slightly back). Not only does this help flatten your back but  helps to get the glutes to fire … make sure not to move forward in the saddle.
2. To help you get your pelvis in the right position, grab the drops of the bars instead of the hoods.
3. If after steps 1, 2, above you feel too much pressure on your perineum, then it might be time for a different/better saddle.
4. A saddle with a hole or cutout will allow you to rotate your hips forward and into the correct position, a saddle with a solid top won’t.
5. Engage your core
6. Instead of cycling with your toes pointed down at the bottom of the pedal stroke, flatten your feet into more of a heels down position and feet horizontal as you pedal from 5 o’clock – 7 o’clock.
7. Move slightly rearward on the saddle keeping your butt pushed backwards
8. Get a bike fit to place your cleats in the correct glute-firing position
9. When you get it right for the first time, you will feel a little ‘pain’ coming from your Glute Meds.

Here’s a bike fit I did for a Triathlete. Half-way through the bike fit, I showed him how to rotate his hips so that he flattened his back and started to engage his glutes. It’s a little hard to see (right foot in AFTER photo), but by rotating his hips correctly, he also was pedaling more flat-footed through the bottom of the pedal stroke.

By: Hunter Allen, Peaks Coaching Group Founder & CEO

originally published 19 December, 2010

What’s the next level? 

What does that mean and how do you get there? Everyone is always talking about the next level and that they are going to “the next level.” What exactly is the next level that they’re referring to? Do you want to have more endurance? Do you want a higher FTP? Do you want more “matches” in your matchbox? Or do you just want more of everything!

Well, of course it’s that last one. “Sir, can you just give me more of everything, please?” But really, can you have more of everything at the same time, or should you just focus on improving one area and then another and then another until finally you have more of everything? The question is of course really about improvement and making sure you go faster on a bicycle. The challenge is how to go faster on a bicycle.

Once you have established that you want to improve, you need to consider what is more important for you to improve in. If you want to take yourself to the next level, that means really improving in every part of your fitness. When we examine the overall picture of fitness, it’s really your threshold power that holds you back from that next level. If George Hincapie could all of a sudden go to the next level and now crack out 450 watts at FTP, versus his norm of 420, then I would say that he’s at the next level. Does this mean his sprint has also improved or that his ability to go hard on short steep hills has improved? Probably not, but maybe now that his FTP has increased so much, he won’t ever be in a position in which he needs to do a sprint as he is winning solo off the front. This was the case with a masters athlete that I coached last year. He had focused on improving his sprint and vo2 max power, which did improve and now he was more competitive in his masters category, but still wasn’t winning races in a dominating fashion and occasionally still being pipped at the line by his archrival. The solution was to ‘go to the next level’. I had him focus on improving his FTP solely and not worrying about his sprint or Vo2 or any other specific area of fitness. He increased the amount of training he did by 15-20%, (which was a struggle for a masters rider with family, work, etc.) and he did more sub-threshold and threshold intervals than he had ever wanted to do. This focused effort of nearly 3 months working in one area made a difference as his FTP went up more than 30 watts that season over previous seasons. With this 30 watt increase in FTP, he no longer needed to contend in sprint finishes or worry about short hills, as he just simply rode away from everyone that he competed against. So, how do you get there? What training should you do in order to make that quantum leap? To push yourself farther than you have gone and make it to ‘the next level’. 

Improving Threshold Power

The first thing that has to be done is focus on improving your threshold power as that is what determines the ‘level’ that you are riding in. The average speed of a category 4 race is determined by the collective average threshold power of riders in the peloton and that is a lower power to weight ratio than the Category 3 riders, etc. So basically if you want to ride in the Category 3 peloton and you are now a Category 4 racer, then you need to increase your threshold power to at least the median of all the racers in the Category 3 pack. When your threshold has improved to the new level, you can then tune the engine so to speak with shorter, harder intervals that give you more race specific qualities. Here are four key things that you need to do in order to go to the next level.

1. Increase your overall training stress by 15-20%. This is something that many masters and category racers overlook. So many of us are time constrained that it’s impossible to get in a ride longer than 2 hours each day and even on the weekend. If you want to go to the next level though, you are going to have to figure out how to squeeze it in….. and doing (2) separate rides in one day is not going to do it. You have to get in (2) big rides each month and preferably (3) big rides. Rides that are at least 5-6 hours long that force you to dig deep near the end, so that when you reach home, you are tired and your muscles are quivering(not cramping though) from the fatigue. This is the #1 thing you can do and you cannot skip this step if you want to go to the next level, no matter if you are a pro or a recreational cyclist, you have to increase the miles, hours, and overall volume of training stress in order to challenge your cardiovascular and muscular system enough to create positive adaptations for the future. Those longer rides enhance your endurance and there is no substitute for them. I have listened to countless stories of riders talking about how they just can’t improve any more no matter how many intervals they do or how many group rides they ride in, yet they never do rides that are 5 hours or longer.
2. Focus on doing longer intervals at or very near your functional threshold power (FTP). You are going to need to do at least 40-60 minutes of work from 91-105% of your FTP three days a week and then bump it up from there. After 3 weeks of riding at this level, you need to increase the amount of time spent at or near FTP to 60-90 minutes, where one session a week will be a long ride and have nearly 90 minutes of riding at your FTP. Start out with (3) x 10minutes at 105% of FTP and build up so that you are doing (3) x 30minutes at 100% of FTP, with lots of little steps in between. If you get too tired to ride right at your FTP, then lower the wattages down to your ‘sweet-spot’ wattage, 88-93% of FTP and continue from there. You’ll still get plenty of training stress and as long as you can maintain at least 88% or so, then you should be training intensely enough to get improvements in your threshold.
3. REST between sessions. Give yourself a rest day between each training day. If you are really serious and want to improve your FTP, then you will need a rest day between each workout. This is another important step because if you are doing intervals and don’t hit any numbers each day, then you won’t be receiving the same benefits either! The beauty of your power meter is that you have a goal wattage to hold in each interval, so you know you are training correctly. The power meter also tells you when you can’t do the work and that is equally important to know. If you head out to do a threshold workout and you can’t hit your goal wattages, and then give yourself some rest (endurance pace) and try again in 20 minutes. If you still can’t hit them, it’s time to go home and rest up for another try the next day.
4. Quality and Quantity counts. You want to hit those intervals and at the same time you need to also get in a much larger quantity of intervals/work in the legs. Most of the time you are going to emphasize quality over quantity, because if you can’t physically produce the wattages at your threshold power, then you are not straining your systems enough to improve. For example, you could do (4) x 10 minutes at threshold power with 10 minute rests between each and still get in a total of 40 minutes at threshold , which is better than doing (2) x 20 and the first effort is at FTP, but the second one you can only eek out 85% of ftp. So, for certain focus on the quality first and if you start to fatigue, shorten the interval length (no shorter than 10 minutes though) in order to still hit the goal wattages. As you get stronger and stronger, you’ll be able to do more and more intervals and lengthen the total amount of work done at threshold, and eventually you’ll be doing (3) x 30minutes or even (1) x 60 minutes and (1) x 30 minutes. In that last interval set of each workout, remind yourself that it’s ‘this’ one that really counts. It’s always the last hill repeat, the last interval, the last week of your build cycle that really makes the difference. So dig deep in that last effort in order to really get the most out of the effort. The intervals themselves and how you execute them are also important. If you start too hard in the effort, then you won’t be able to maintain your threshold pace or higher for the entire effort. If you start too easy, you are cheating yourself of precious training strain. So, proper pacing is critical to success when doing all intervals, especially threshold ones. I recommend that you start out quickly to get up to speed, but no need to sprint, then immediately settle in on your threshold pace or 10-15 higher . Hold this pace until the last minute or so of the effort and then bring up your pace by 10-20% and push hard to the very end. This gives you a ‘double peak’ shape in your downloaded power file with a peak of wattage in the beginning and then another peak at the end. This is the ideal pacing strategy for a time trial, threshold interval and many other intervals as well.

The next level isn’t as easy as just doing some random intervals, riding 50 more miles each week or by focusing on one specific energy system alone. It’s the combination of all of these things done in a rational, progressive manner that allows you to overload your lactate threshold system and then when you rest, it improves to give you a higher threshold power. It does take time and do at least three months of highly focused training on your threshold before expecting any significant gains. There will be days when you are tired and there’ll be days when you are doubting whether the training is working or even worth it. You have to have faith and push through these days as if we only trained on the days that we felt great, then not much training would get done at all.

The next level is there, and you can get there if you work for it with an intelligent and focused plan.

— Hunter Allen

Hunter Allen is a USA Cycling Level 1 coach and former professional cyclist. He is the coauthor of Training and Racing with a Power Meter and Cutting-Edge Cycling, co-developer of TrainingPeaks’ WKO software, and CEO and founder of Peaks Coaching Group. He and his coaches create custom training plans for all levels of athletes.

By: PCG Elite Coach David Ertl, Ph.D.

originally published 15 December, 2017

There is both a physical and mental preparation that needs to take place.  

Cramming last minute training cannot make up for lack of preparation earlier in the season and can in fact be more detrimental than beneficial.

Have you ever crammed for an exam?  Have you ever observed someone who has? I have never pulled an all-nighter before an exam because I observed a college roommate who did and it wasn’t pretty. At that point I realized whatever additional knowledge he may have gained by cramming all night was negated by his ability to think straight and failure to make use of all the other knowledge he had gained through the entire semester.  This same logic applies to cycling.  Cramming last minute training cannot make up for lack of preparation earlier in the season and can in fact be more detrimental than beneficial.  I’d like to share a few thoughts on how to properly prepare yourself for a race or event that you wish to prioritize in your season. I believe this is an area that has not received a lot of attention but can have great benefits.

There are lots of books and articles written about tapering before a major event.  But what I would like to discuss are those last couple of days leading up that that important event.  I’ve often noticed that I place better in races than some of my teammates who beat me up and drop me like a rock on our Tuesday night team training ride.  Why is that?  Preparation.  I don’t put the same amount of energy or effort into preparing myself for a training ride that I do for races.  There is both a physical and mental preparation that needs to take place.  

Physical Preparation

It is very important that your body is fully recovered and fresh going into a major event. Depending on the length of the event, your taper will vary, but regardless of the taper length, for the last couple of days you want to be very deliberate about what you do. I’ve often observed cyclists who will do a hard training ride two days before a major race.  This is like cramming. There is no way that training can help improve your performance on race day as the training effect will take more than two days to be realized. Maybe a recent training session will improve your fitness by 1% but if you are fatigued and only can race at 95%, what’s the use of that? 

Preparation for a race is an individual thing and you need to figure out what works for you. Some people take the day before an event completely off; others prefer to spin or do some light efforts the day before. I prefer to take the day off two days prior to a race and then do some loosening up the day before. 

Nutrition and rest are also critical going into an event.  Eat appropriately for the distance and ensure you have the proper mix of carbs needed and focus on getting fully hydrated. We often have to get up unusually early the morning of a race so factor that in and try to compensate by going to bed earlier and make sure you get a good night’s sleep for the days leading up the event.

Mental Preparation

I believe this is a critical piece of race prep as well although I’ve not seen much written about it other than some articles on visualization. Spend a fair amount of time thinking about an upcoming race and getting myself psyched up for it. Be ready to go to the start line full of determination and ambition. By building up your anticipation in the week leading up to an event, you can bring your full focus and fortitude to the race. The ability to eke out every last bit of your fitness depends on a mindset that allows you to do so. In the days leading up to an event, try to avoid negative thoughts and don’t allow yourself to become overly nervous, but instead focus on the goals you have for that event.

You put in a tremendous about of time and effort into your training. Much of at that can be wasted if you fail to take the proper steps to fully realize your preparation during those last couple of days before your event. This can make the difference between meeting your goals and dropping out. It’s a small investment that can have huge effects.

Let us help you prepare for your best season yet!

 “You can’t win every race, but you can nail your peak.” 

— Hunter Allen

By: PCG Master Coach Chris Myers, Ph.D.

The Leomo Type-R system is a wearable system that provides real-time biomechanical analysis of one’s pedaling motion. One of the components this system illustrates changes in the triathletes pedaling acceleration through the pedal stroke (termed dead spots). The hypothesis is significant amounts of dead spots in a triathlete’s pedaling motion reduces pedaling efficiency and power output. This case study explores how using the Type-R to reduce dead spots to improve pedaling efficiency.

Background: In this case study, the athlete is a mid-30s male, high performing age-group short course triathlete. He rides a Quintana Roo (QR) CD 0.1 bike with a 53:39 x 11:25 gear ratio, 10-speed Ultegra groupset. Before using the Type-R, he was fitted professionally on his bike using the Specialized Bike Fitting System. The athlete has had 4 knee surgeries on his left knee that has caused a slight range of motion imbalance between his two legs. His tested FTP was 300W with no power balance issues. The triathlete’s initial intent for using the Type-R was to find the best positioning to place the Q-rings he had purchased.

Figure 1: Initial ride with Leomo on normal circular 53:11 gear ratio.

During his initial ride, the Type-R displayed an extreme dead spot area at 12 o’clock position with the triathlete’s left leg (top left red circle in Figure 1). This was to be expected given the triathlete’s knee surgery history.

During his initial ride, the Type-R displayed an extreme dead spot area at 12 o’clock position with the triathlete’s left leg (top left red circle in Figure 1). This was to be expected given the triathlete’s knee surgery history. Based on this information, then I had the triathlete place his Q-ring on position 3 based on the manufacturer’s instructions. (For more information go to https://rotorbike.com/how-to-set-your-optimum-chainring-position-ocp/)

Figure 2: Initial ride with Leomo and Q-Rings.

The triathlete’s initial ride with the Q-rings did not change his dead spot. What the Q-rings provided was additional information between his leg range of motion imbalance. When comparing Figures 1 and 2, more dead spots are seen at the 6 o’clock position for both legs in Figure 2 versus Figure 1. Furthermore, more dead spots were seen across the varying range of cadence speeds for the left leg. With this information, no changes were made to the triathlete’s bike position since it was his initial ride on the Q-rings. What this information did provide was a greater insight to the triathlete’s range of motion imbalance and a possible need for a change in saddle height position.

Another aspect that needed to take into consideration were the shape of the Q-rings. These rings do naturally change one’s pedal stroke. During the initial ride, we did expect to see some changes to the pedal stroke; however, we did not know what to expect. The manufacturer, along with others to whom use this product, suggest riding with them for a week or two after installation before making any other changes. Keeping this advice in mind, this is the approach we took.

Figure 3: 6th ride with Q-rings. Figure 4: 12th ride with Q-rings.

After full two weeks of riding (Figure 4), we noticed a striking pattern develop. The dead spot accumulation was consistently at the 2 o’clock position, not the 12 o’clock position (Figure 2 and 3). At this point, the triathlete felt comfortable with the Q-rings. I looked at the triathlete’s power data and saw no changes in power output. For example, in Figures 3 and 4, the subject did the same exact hill climb on Zwift. The power patterns are very similar. These data were good signs the client was comfortable and with stable performance with the Q-rings. The next step was to address the primary goal, reducing the number of dead spots.

Since the dead spots were at the top of the pedal stroke for both legs (Figure 4), this pattern is typical with the seat position being too low. The biggest question to address with this aspect of the bike fit was how much to bring up the triathlete’s seat? The metric I had available were the percentages of dead spots (dead spot score) calculated. In the top right corner of Figures 1-4, a red circle encompasses this metric. Through the three weeks of data I had collected for this athlete, his dead spot score ranged between 9-12. This score is high and is very indicative that the seat position is extremely low.

With this information, I took an aggressive approach and advice my client to raise his saddle position by 4 mm. This increase in saddle height reduced the amount of flex necessary in his left knee to come over the top of the pedal stroke. The deceleration at the top of the pedal stroke is very subtle and cannot be seen with current bike fitting systems.

Figure 5: First ride with increased seat height by 4 mm.

The changes in the dead spot pattern were almost instantaneous. The triathlete performed a 20-minute sweet spot interval during the first ride as shown in Figure 5. His dead spot pattern was almost completely changed. His dead spot score for the left leg changed from 9 to 1, and the right leg changed from 5 to 0.8. Additionally, we did not see any decrements to power output with this saddle height change.

Figure 6: Second ride at the new seat height position.

With the second ride, the dead spots were removed completely. During this ride, as shown in Figure 6, the triathlete complete 2×20 min sweet spot intervals. Figure 6 shows both these intervals. The dead spots are not existent during both intervals. Even though not shown, power did not degrade during the second sweet spot interval as the triathlete grew tired.

After these changes were made, the triathlete performed an FTP test. His FTP increased by 4%. Furthermore, he had a 2% increase in his fatigue testing as well.

After these changes were made, the triathlete performed an FTP test. His FTP increased by 4%. Furthermore, he had a 2% increase in his fatigue testing as well. Part of this is due to the function of the training plan; however, the bike position changes made a remarkable difference.

This case study highlights how the Type-R can assist in perfecting one’s pedaling mechanics to improve efficiency. In the case of this triathlete, the increase in saddle height improved power output and time to fatigue. These changes improved the triathlete’s performance and helped him to reach his goals for the season.

Chris Myers Ph.D. is a Peaks Coaching Group Master coach in Panama City, FL. to Learn more about Chris Click Here

Training is not all about numbers. Numbers are a good indicator of your training performance, but you need to look at every other aspect of your program, including work your schedules, stress, nutrition, sleep, and most importantly, family. A good coach recognizes this and helps you balance all these factors. I learned these lessons the hard way. I want to pass on my knowledge of training, racing tactics, preparation, and all other aspects of being a holistic athlete in order to assist you in reaching your goals and the next level.

Last year I raced on Zwift all winter. By the time March came & the weather broke… I was OVERTRAINED! My whole year was screwed up & a roller coaster as I never recovered!?

I cannot repeat that mistake.

Can you help me in designing a sensible training plan that I can use Zwift, but do workouts and make sure I am strong in March/April/May?

We all love to train and improve, that’s one of the reasons you are on this mailing list!  Our goal as cycling coaches is to share our knowledge, so that you can shortcut through years of trial and error and achieve your goals using your available time.  We are all time constrained and that’s one of the reasons that indoor riding has become so popular.  It allows you to train whenever you can, regardless of weather, time of day or where you live.  Zwift and other indoor apps have been incredible in providing “Trainertainment” and gone are the days when I used to ride in the basement on the rollers, starting a concrete wall beside the cat litter box!  

With our new indoor training tools, the temptation to just race inside Zwift or ride hard everyday is strong, but this is a mistake. Riding hard or racing 5-6x a week inside a virtual world is a recipe for disaster as not only will you not be training the energy systems correctly, you risk riding poorly when the spring comes and you can ride outdoors.   You see, our bodies don’t like continual stress.  We need rest, we need a progressive ramp up of intensity and we need the correct combination of volume with intensity.   Just riding as hard as you can indoors everyday is not a plan for success. It’s no plan.   If you do not have a plan for success, then you are planning for failure.   

If you do not have a plan for success, then you are planning for failure.   

We can help you plan for success using your indoor training apps!   All of our coaches use them as well, and designing a plan using these new popular indoor training tools, coaching you along the way, riding with you in a virtual world, all of that is part of becoming a coached athlete here at PCG.   Let us help you MAKE 2019 great!

–Hunter Allen

Peaks Coaching Group is proud to announce our new ecommerce website. This new platform will enable us to better serve our clients and the cycling community with a better ecommerce experience.