Sleep Score HRV Stress: The Yin and Yang of Recovery
The Yin and Yang of Recovery Physiology First Training | By Coach Richard Wharton Managing your Sleep Score HRV Stress data is the ultimate balancing act for any serious athlete. I’ve spent the last 48 hours in the “pain cave” building a trailer, manhandling heavy steel. When I pulled my metrics this morning, I saw […]
Predicting the Redline: Using Garmin Sleep Scores to Master Ronnestad 30-15 Intervals
Physiology First: Using Garmin Sleep Scores to Predict Ronnestad 30-15 Success Part I: The Garmin Sleep Score Ronnestad Preflight We often treat training like a game of chance, but the reality is that your body provides a daily “weather report” if you know where to look. Before I even touched my bike this morning, I […]
Physiology First: Navigating a “Red Light” Morning with AlphaHRV
Physiology First: My Red Light Recovery Ride This morning was a masterclass in why I apply a Physiology First framework to every session, looking at the internal engine before I look at the wattage. Between a late meal and the devastating news about my friend Murray being struck by a motorist—suffering a serious […]
Xert FTP Tested
Xert Claims my FTP (Functional Threshold Power) Sits At 265 Watts. Is It Accurate?
I’ve always wondered if calculated Functional Threshold Power Values are accurate. Since 2017, however, I have relied on the Xert FTP value.
For years, we relied on the “20-Minute” Test. Riders would perform a 20-Minute effort, all out, and then subtract 5% from that value. The new number was considered “Threshold”.
Later, physiologists looked at 90% of a 3-Minute Maximal Effort.
There’s the 5-1-5 test….
Step Tests (25w steps every 3 minutes)…
Ramp tests (15-20w every minute)…
The latest ‘Testing’ asks for a 20-minute, 5-minute, 1-minute, and 5-second effort.
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Xert Claims that my FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is at 265 watts. Let’s find out how accurate that really is.[/caption]
NO MORE TESTING???.
The Xert “Time-to-Exhaustion, Time-to-Recovery” Garmin Field in REAL TIME.
Today’s Xert Daily Ditty shows how the Xert “Time-to-Exhaustion, Time-to-Recovery” Field shows timer countdowns and count ups, as wattage is generated while cycling. Not much is going on this week, since I am tapering, but the Xert “Time-to-Exhaustion, Time-to-Recovery” Field will be integral to my 5MMP Breakthrough Effort. Thanks for watching, and ENJOY THE RIDE!
Xert Daily Ditty – Let’s GLANCE at the “Rankings”
Xert Rankings Give You An Idea of Where You Stand Amongst Your Peers After a great weekend of cycling outdoors, I ended up with an unexpected guest (and friends), which led me to a lot of stress and no sleep. SO, I am sliding the Freshness Feedback bar to the left, WAYYY Left, and […]
Xert Daily Ditty for January 8th, 2021
Today’s Xert Daily Ditty provides a brief overview of my XSS Goals, the Workout FOCUS, and then dives into the Planner and Weekly Stats to better understand why the Advisor is giving these recommendations, and what it’s looking to improve. Thanks for watching, and Have a Great Ride!
100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert
100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert.
Yes, you read that correctly. I have set up my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor for a 5MMP, “Breakaway Specialist” Breakthrough, on January 30th of 2021. This is roughly 9 weeks away. I’ll be riding almost exclusively on my Rollers.
291 Watts
291 Watts. OH SO CLOSE!
I’m sorry that it’s taken me a few weeks to write up this post. The TL:DR is that I hit 291 watts at Xert Functional Threshold, which is the highest value I have seen in well over a decade. At the same time, I dropped down to 147lbs, or 67kg, giving me a w/kg Threshold of 4.36. My Xert HIE (High Intensity Energy) went above 25 kJ, and my Xert Lower Threshold went above 225.
Here is a screen shot showing the 291 watts and the rest of my Xert Signature.
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On October 31st, after about 6 weeks of training, I achieved 291 watts of Threshold Power, 25.2 kiloJoules of HIE, a peak power of 1108 watts, and a Lower Threshold Power of 228 watts.[/caption]
How Xert Training Got me to 291 Watts of Threshold.
Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial
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The Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial tells me where I stand on my volume and focus goals in a graphical way.[/caption]
I woke up this morning, after a good 7 hours of sleep, and opened the Xert App on my phone. Then I clicked on “Training”. The Xert Training Pacer Rainbow Dial gave me a succinct summary of my XSS deficit, and my XSS Goals for the day. I had breakfast, did some work, and then headed out on my mountain bike.