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.
