Archives for March 2018
Why We Still Look at Heart Rate
If we look at the wattage chart alone, it shows a successful workout. MPA dropped, then rose, and the final interval yielded a CLOSE CALL, but not quite a breakthrough. Watts followed the load very closely.
However, when heart rate is revealed, it shows something more.
More Fitness Breakthroughs with W Prime on PerfPro Studio
W Prime Provides a VISUAL approach to Intensity and Fatigue.
I posted a few days ago about how my clients were successfully using the W Prime feature on PerfPro Studio, to achieve fitness breakthroughs. Well, it’s happened again.
The second day of testing consisted of a 5 minute, 3 minute, and 1 minute test. I looked through the clients’ histories, and came up with their previous recent records. I then placed those values on a Post-It note and gave them to each client. But more importantly, I reminded them that to achieve a breakthrough, we needed to gauge the W prime JUST RIGHT. As time began to expire, I wanted them to work hard enough to deplete their W Prime, and try to get into NEGATIVE territory. Why? Because it means you’re having a breakthrough!
Here is another example:
Do NOT go out too hard, too early!
This client was given a goal of breaking 269 watts over 5 minutes. He went out too hard, backed off, and then raised his average power for the rest of the interval. If you watch his W Prime value in green, it drops in a curved pattern. Just before the end of the effort, it dips below 0 (Zero). The result? 276 watts – NICE!
Not only did we achieve a breakthrough in his power, we also raised his Critical Power, and Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC). His improvements were modest, but real. More importantly, they give a true psychological boost.
Teaching Intuition with W Prime
The next 8 weeks of classes will focus on mid-length intervals that will continue to lower and raise W Prime. The clients are learning to develop intuition, so that when they are outside, they can judge their W Prime, energize themselves to overcome challenges, and climb or push longer than they previously thought was possible.
If you want to learn how to use W Prime on PerfPro Studio to help you improve your indoor training sessions, let’s set up an appointment.
Using W Prime in PerfPro Studio To Get the Most Out of Your Body
W Prime is a great way to measure your training load.
Not everyone owns a power meter for their bike. Some people do not want to make the investment in equipment. Some just want a great workout and want to see how hard they can push their bodies. W Prime in PerfPro Studio is a great tool to help athletes measure their effort better.PerfPro Studio has added features almost weekly now for several years. This is a robust, solid training platform that is my go-to for indoor studios. It is consistent and is easy to operate. PerfPro Studio shows riders what they need to know, both on a dashboard and graphically, so they can achieve their goals.
Since 2015, I have been employing W Prime testing at my studio, Cycling Center Dallas. It's a great tool, and in this post I show you how to put W Prime to work for you.