Free 12-week power meter training plan
Want to train with power but don’t know where to start? Well hang on to your Lycra, as here's a 3-month power meter training plan from Dermott Hayes that’s guaranteed to transform your performance
A power meter training plan enables you to ride in a more disciplined and effective way, which is the best method to prepare for triathlon bike legs.
In recent years, without doubt, the biggest change in training and racing technology has been the emergence of power meters. These can fit on the crank arm, the spider, or on your pedals. But what is power and, more importantly, how do we use a power meter?
What is cycling power?
Cycling power is calculated by multiplying torque (the force you produce when pedalling) by cadence (the number of revolutions you make per minute).
A power meter will measure your true output in watts, with the beauty being that there’s no cheating. A power meter will increase your accountability in every single bike session. Power meters also record mechanical work in kilojoules which roughly equates to the number of calories burned when cycling.
If you’ve balked at the cost of the best power meters and asked yourself: ‘Do I really need a power meter for triathlon?’, bear with me.
In comparison to using heart rate as the indicator of work rate, a power meter will tell you exactly what you’ve achieved in that session. Many factors including sleep levels, stress, illness and fatigue can affect heart rate. Therefore power is far more reliable in the long term. This is one of several ways a power meter can help you perform better.
- Cycling speed versus wattage calculator: how much power do you need to reach your target speed?
- What’s the difference between average power and normalised power on the bike?
The 12-week training plan that follows will help you use power more regularly in your training; if you have access to a power meter on your road bike you can take the sessions outside as well.
If training indoors, the best smart trainers will accurately record power. In fact, using power on an turbo trainer is more reliable as there are no external environmental factors to get in the way.
Set training zones
When starting out, you’ll need to set new training zones by conducting a Functional Threshold Power test, or FTP. This is a 20min test that should be repeated approximately every 6-8 weeks to ensure you’re working to the correct numbers.
In essence, your FTP figure is the highest power that you can maintain in a semi-steady state for 1hr of cycling without fatiguing. An explanation of how to conduct the test is in Table 1, below.
Once the test is completed you can work out your power zones, see Table 2 below, which also includes a Rate of Perceived Exertion figure for training and racing on feel.
This 12-week plan is by no means an in-depth assessment of power training, but for those looking to see what all the fuss is about it’s a great introduction into a new world of data.
It takes time to move across to using power as the determining factor of work rate, so trying this now gives you time to make a few mistakes and not get bogged down with speed and performance.
Bear in mind this power meter training plan only involves cycling. Pick another of our free triathlon training plans to do concurrently, so you don’t neglect your swimming and running.
How to Complete an FTP Test
Record the average watts produced during the 20min test and then multiply by 0.95 to create your FTP figure.
More power workouts
- Cycling workout: Improve your strength and power
- Boost bike power
- Build bike strength and power training into your fitness regime
Dermott Hayes
