Understanding Your Power Meter Data (Cycling Tips)
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- Getting a power meter is exciting, but man is hard figuring out how to use it and even more, understanding what the data means. I try to explain it the best I can here.
Check out my other videos on PM
how to use - • How To Use A Power Met...
getting started - • Getting Started With A...
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You have succinctly summarized my experience with my now two week old power meter. I'm feeling a little at ease knowing that the fluctuations I'm seeing are normal for someone new to training with power and that with work and some time, I can improve my efficiency and minimize fluctuations. This is quickly becoming my favorite channel for cycling content.
Thank you for videos like this. Thank you for providing a wide range of very useful information and opinions wrapped in an entertaining and high quality package. You are the absolute best at promoting your dietary and lifestyle choices, by presenting them in an informative manner while not force feeding it down our throats like some other channels. Keep up the great work.
I literally just got my first power meter yesterday so this video was uploaded at the perfect time. Thanks man!
love you, dude. i've just bought a garmin vector 3s, and it got me a little bit disappointed at the beginning. I didn't know how hypersensitive the power meter is. I was woried, wondering if there was something wrong with the calibration...and today I got presented with this video so amazing, perfectly and kindly made - i'd say . thank you so much from São Paulo (BR)
awesome mate thank you. i just invested in one after mainly training to heart rate for years. a little confusing the numbers are but this video clarified a few things.
Most useful video on how to use a power meter for the first time, EVERRRRRRRR. I was about to return my power meter it was so nuts
Another great video about power meters Tyler! It took me a couple of months to get it down and understand during the ride, and post ride what was going on... I still use heart rate data during a ride (I know it lags) but I'm using cycling to train for a different sport of Towerrunning. Using the information from both I can tell when I need to back it down or I'm going to pop, and also helping me to reach new levels of fitness I didn't think I could achieve. A powermeter used like you prescribe is a great tool! Thanks again for all your time and energy that goes into making these videos!
I forgot you even did this video. Just started training on a smart trainer, and it is getting over whelming. I have had a training peaks account for a year now, and I think that is going to really help now that I am training with power. Thanks for the video
First!
wow never would have guessed
The Vegan Cyclist another good program is called golden Chetan and it's free. I have been using it for a few years
Cheater! 😁
great video, really good explanation of power meters. i just got one and there was lots of numbers that didnt mean anything to me, but this makes a whole lot of sense! really enjoying your videos!
just got a power meter and am really looking forward to training with it!
3 years later, how did a power meter help you
@@averagerider92 I was racing collegiate during this time and it did help with some of my training. unfortunately after college i could't continue riding and racing as much, so the power meter is pretty much there to show me how far off i am from my college fitness levels hahaha. still think it was a good buy though.
I know you're in web design or related business but your graphics in the video are amazing.
For the race page, does NP better reflect efforts than avg power?
yes
I saw this video a few days ago, did a ride with avg power on my screen and it worked, but after a day or so I was kinda thinking NP would work better for what I was trying to achieve...
So I searched out the video and someone else had exactly my same thoughts. What a great community! (I'm three years late!)
Thanks for sharing this information Brother 😎✌️
How convenient, I got a power meter on Sunday. Also I just got promoted to Cat 2, Awesome Vids!
thanks. great tips and advice. your explanation helped me with the three second lag. when i have bee looking at the numbers like you say its weird seeing them hit so high and low. i am going to change my wahoo elemnt data on your feedback. thanks again
for those that care, use 3s avg power on your garmin. Lap avg power can also be misleading because there is an unintentional effect that might cause the user to try to go over the prescribed zone in order raise the avg over longer periods of time. I do not disagree with the point made about power jumping all over the place when riders begin use PMs. But if you can stay within a 10% window, it ends up being ok i've found.
That's a great vid bro! I'm a big fan of sending structured workouts from TP to my head unit and do them IRL. (Wahoo can do it, not sure about Garmin though).
Your race and your interval page are essentially the same, I actually have the exact page, if you don't hit the lap button by default lap1 is your whole ride. With a powermeter you can have energy expanditure in kj or calories which is nice for big rides.
Very helpful! About to buy a power meter and this explains a lot. BTW - SIKE is PSYCH.
Uh... No it is not
mate this is EXACTLY what i feel in terms of raw power. Durianrider suggests 3 second average and pretty much everything he recommends is gold but i disagree with him in this case for the exact reasons you mention here. like always, cool graphs and shit.
Cool one! Thanks for that from Hamburg Germany!
I've always used 3s average. I don't think being ultra smooth with the power is so important that you need to keep it in a narrow range. I think much like the idea of applying constant torque on the pedals, it's conflated with 'pedalling efficiency' whereas if you look at the way pros ride it's often not particularly smooth at all.
If I'm doing a 6 minute effort for instance and my average at the end is in the right zone and it's been a steady effort and I haven't needed to go into the red to bring the power up then I know I've done it right. Lots of people I know don't even look at the power when they're doing efforts, just analyse it afterwards.
Awesome video, thanks for the work with explaining all this
Nice vid, thanks. What are your thoughts on Avg Power vs. Normalized Power?
I love your stuff. Thanks for this content
love your vids. gonna do a stomping ground response vid soon.
Very interesting will implement this on my Garmin now and see how we get on. 👍
Raw Power is a very metric in your because I shows if your pedaling is not smooth instead of smooth it artificially.
thanx a lot for this video !! really helpful for me, great job !!
Very nice vid bruh! Wish i had it when i started. Golden Cheetah does the same like Training peaks , but its free!!
Haha loved the noob analogy of 300 watts, 120 watts, 400 watts, 150 watts.. Lol ah memories ..:)
Good Video VC - Copied your pages for the garmin and will try and do some intervals this weekend on the road.
Do you need to know your FTP before you start intervals so that you know what is a realistic goal is?
Really helpful video. Thanks
I am relatively new to the use of a power meter. I recently purchased a Shimano Ultegra left crank arm with a Pioneer power meter. I had one of the mechanics at the shop that I go to, install the item and he set it up based on my Garmin 500 Edge. Really excited to start seeing my power outputs and on my initial practice Time Trial, I start getting "notifications" that my "power is too low". Is this a "setting" that my mechanic put in when he was calibrating the meter to my computer and or am I just too slow? On my recent lunchtime ride, I was riding my face off and I look down and I'm putting out almost 400 watts. Just then, my computer lets me know that my "power is too low"...do I need to recalibrate my power meter and will that "fix" this? Thank you!!
Just curious what camera did you use for this video! Also amazing video as always
Very well explained.
So...if you aren't super fit and often riding in the red by no other choice...it's redline or walk...will a powermeter still be a useful tool to use for training? I'm a big guy and ride often but I live in a VERY hilly area and climbing for me SUCKS! So when I'm riding, there's often times when I'm at my max and out of gears, so there's no backing off (I'll stop moving) or ramping up (I'd die). But power is something I'd certainly be interested if it can possibly help me get fitter and smaller in the process so I can ride better and maybe even someday enter some old guy races for fun.
Can you do a video on setting up your Garmin Interval training metric and how to use it with warm up and warm down?
Hey man you mention your pages and I liked it, but it was so short do you have a video explaining your pages and some ideas for good pages on the bolt?
I'm on the fence for getting a power meter. I wonder what VC would recommend 🤣👍
Amazing content bro, thankyou
another great video
Awesome video!
+The Vegan Cyclist Hi Mate. I have a few questions regarding heart rate and intervals namely Threshold, Vo2 Max and Anaerobic intervals. Firstly, this year I have seen my HR reach 195 bpm. However, and since I started training there is no way to reach that number and it seems to only reach 182/183 or something and I was going all out. Is that like normal? I'm 34 btw. Regarding intervals, I am currently doing 6 5 minute intervals at threshold. it seems that given my FTP (194w - yeah I only started riding more 1 1/2 years ago) I can do that np. Should I modify this?? I was aiming at improving FTP. For VO2 Max I am doing 3 sets of 10 intervals of 1 min on / 30 secs off and for Z6, the same but 30 secs on 15 off. Is This reasonable? Should I modify this? Thank You!! Keep Up the good work!
I Finally get it , thanks.
thank you for the great video i m in the market for a power meter there are so many out there, i was thinking of the new Garmin vector 3 duel pedal what do you recommend ?
I love your videos, keep it up! what do you think about NP as a metric to gauge an effort rather than using av. pw.?
+PTM 123 Nah, I like avg power better, but that's because I have a range for the numbers to land in. If I used NP more, then I would have a better understanding of where I was. But for now, I look at it and it's just way higher then avg, which seems like a cop out LOL
Sweet video thanks mate!! helped me out heaps. Question- Whats the best way to do a 20 min test for FTP? i don't really and to do it on a trainer but don't really know how to do it on the roads where i live in Melbourne Australia? should i try and find a long hill or flat or what? i do like to think of myself as a climber if that helps with your answer.
Oh sweet as! i didn't even think of a track thanks guys i will head down in the next couple of weeks.
keep up with the awesome videos boss!
Can you recommend what power meter for beginner and not that expensive.
Thanks, nice video content.
I'm a beginner with a power meter and I have a Power Pod. I got it from Pro Bike Kit for about $400 AUD. Check out the review on DC Rainmaker. I love it.
I got pretty good at maintaining power on Zwift. +-25 watts on 20min FTP. it's more difficult on the road
how low would you go with your TSB vegan cyclist? I feel like in the past where I rode almost every day I made the most of my training but My TSB must have been down around -50 to -100 then. Nowadays with a powermeter my TSB is around -30 to -40 after 2-3 days of hard training (TSS 150-300). Is it really that long taking to increase fitness or can I do some hard training blocks of one week where I have like avg TSS 100-150 for every day?
The fitter you are, the higher the power output? Or the longer you can sustain a higher power output?
Is it measuring watts per minute, hour or absolute? I’m getting one, and if it gives me a 150 reading how do I understand that?
Will there be any tip on turning pedal power smoothly? I'm learning and about to get a power meter.
Hi @The Vegan Cyclist
i'm really struggling to keep in that small window. It would drop to 290-310 due to less wind and then i would want to go up to 350 asap, spinning hard, i suddenly see 380-420 on my wahoo screen. And these surges are DEADLY, Any tips on this problem? I don't have 20min climbs in flanders i do this flat.
I just got a power meter, should i try to find free training plans (if there's any)online, or should a pay for coaching?
don't know if you mentioned this, but what power meter do you use? stages still?
Is the power in zwift that's based on the speed of your back wheel and what trainer you have accurate?
I noticed that you don't have cadence displayed on any of your pages. How come?
very interesting!
I am a 23 year old competitive cyclist, i am currently seeded in the same start group as pro woman/ racing age group and sometimes elite men. I have a budget of $850 US. Should i upgrade to a power meter or rather get a set of aero wheels? Current wheels are a box set of wheels sitting at approx 2kg
A power meter, 100%. If you embrace a PM, the gains are much greater. A set of wheels will give you a boost now, but its marginal gains. Proper training and pacing with PM will be much better IMO
why no cadence
Its not an important metric to track live for me. I look back at it, and may use it for SFR's. If I am on rollers I will use cadence as a workout and hold say 100 rpms for 10 mins or something, but on the road, I just pedal fast LOL
Do you ever use average normalised power in races?
what is raw power means?
Do you display HR for intervals/races?
do you still need the speed and cadence sensors, if you already have a power meter? or the power meter does it all?
Most computers have speed already built in through GPS and most power meters display cadence. So no, a power meter is all you need.
YEAUHH!
Powermeter for dummies, NICE
just here to like and comment
+mrcain come to my house BRO! Yosemite is calling for group ride!
I feel like the estimated power that strava gives is lower. What you think?
+Quin Wallace estimated power is pie in the sky, don't put any stock into it.
strava uses another formula. Go and install strava extension for chrome and you'll get the Hunter allen formula based number
I rode a climb at an actual 240 watts and my estimated was 273. I've also done a climb at 320 watts but was estimated at 279. It's consistent if you want to compare efforts over the same climb, but I wouldn't say it's accurate to real power numbers.
koDiacc Cycling Wich one? If i Google i find 2
it is called stravistix for strava
Can I use my (Android) phone mounted, running Strava rather than a Garmin head unit?
Yes, I did that once and it seemed to work well. Just the battery on the phone gets zapped pretty quick
@@TheVCAdventures Hey thanks for the quick reply! I have a battery bank on my bike so the charge is not a big deal. Feels silly to buy a new device for its screen when I've got a perfectly good one with me at all times :)
@@DavidAlsh Well, a legit bike computer is gonna have its benefits. Lots of things you can do with a wahoo bolt that a phone cant replicate. But use what works for you
sick that cancellara does 450watt for a hour
New house, new intro?
Do you have the garmin vectors or which powermeter do you have?
stages bro
HI Vegan, I have a question. Why when 2 riders use a power meter on a trainer and both riding @ 75rpm @ 20mph, both has different reading. One has 150 watts and the other has 240 watts. Thanks
Frank James different gears.
i would say it may either be the weight entered into the computer? or one needs to be sent away for calibration
Frank James one rider has travelled significantly further, one rider is significantly heavier, or one power meter is not properly calibrated.
if you're using a single crank pm then that can also scew data.
It's definitely not different gears, if both have same cadence and speed they will be in the same gear (or same gear ratio). It would be trainer resistance; how much you screw in the resistance assembly of the trainer onto the tyre, or what magnetic resistance setting you set it to.
I have subscribed your channel for a long time. As I just own a stages power meter, could you talk about CTL, ATL, TSB and TSS? I know these meaning but I don't know how to use them. two more questions, 1. there are many interval drills, how do you plan which interval to do? 2. why you look at avg Power but not normalizied power when you doing interval?
Thank you!
I wanna shred some bikes with you brah, shit would be fun
if the power data is jumping up and down that much what is the real use of it? is it any better than going by feel? does it matter if it is very close to some value you want to stick to ? a race for instance is not something where everybody is holding lets say 400w. it jumps all the time. i am not convinced that power metter is going to make my training any better with comparison to heart rate monitor with feeling combination.
You're missing the point and to be fair, VC didn't touch on this but power is an absolute figure, HR is not. I've been training with power all this year and I use golden cheetah for analysis and plotting pmc. I've been out on a ride and realised I was about to be ill because my power was down. I then referenced the fatigue and a few months later got just above that fatigue level and got sick again! I then performed recovery rides in z1 and my HR was 20bpm higher than normal for the same power. This is why you can't accurately train to HR. It also doesn't react quick enough to effort. When I fire out a 1000w effort, my HR is about 20 secs behind. Its over by then.
+Cycling Manchester when you do intervals with 1000w it doesnt matter if it is 900 or 1000. it is most probably just all out effort. i dont see the point where you would nee exactly 1000w. also in your 20 seconds intervals you will not have time to correct it. yes. heart rate is slow to power changes that is why i said that one can use the feelings. i need a good example where it would really make sense
+Cycling Manchester what one can really see is some progress in some absolutely values. that you can do more power for given time in the same heart rate zone.
+Dmitryzakharov That was a bad explanation on my part. Training to HR is fine, but it's not accurate enough to compare data even with yourself let alone others.
If you're sick, fatigued, dehydrated etc. your HR will fluctuate. You also won't know your training zones so this can make specific interval training more of a guess. How much TSS per week have you accumulated? Exactly how hard was that race? (normalized power and IF) all amazing ways to analyse your data, progress and thus look to improve and build up to or exceed your previous years ability.
At the end of it all, training is good, but training efficiency is better.
Like a good golf swing you know you have done well. But in the real world analog information has equal quality to digital information. They can be indistinguishable. Data is data. One advantage of digital data is that it can program you with the experience of a coach. For example On a recent sportive I noticed In the first 5 miles every body in front of me was doing 350 to 500 watts (or their equivalent watts/kg) on a fast ride I average 250 to 290 watts (ftp =300) therefore I know if I try and maintain 260 I can eventually overhaul all but the fittest and still feel greatly understressed in the first half of the distance.
So, for you, heart rate doesn't play into your training that much… I have become so accustomed to using my heart rate as my gauge rather than my power meter.
Is there a power meter you would recommend for starting out?
+Israel Perez stages is probably the cheapest and is great, but the powertap pedals would be my recommendation. If you ever get another bike it's way easier to transfer them
+The Vegan Cyclist thanks for the quick reply. I will look at both.
@@TheVCAdventures What pedals in 2020 dude? Assimo duo?
Why do you use average and not normalized, wouldn't the average have an underestimated representation of your effort especially while racing?
When you average are you ignoring zeros?
Always include zero's or your data will be off
Got to add in the 0s bro, thats like doping for your data LOL.
i want to get a power meter but this information seems so confusing and frustrating sort of like golf one day you play really and the next time out your horriable.
I hate my Stages head unit.
Noticed that you have used both Garmin and Wahoo computers. Which do you recommend?
How can 3 s power come up every 1 second ?
Its delayed.
Actually that explanation at 3:48 is a bit wrong. I get that the average delays your actual power output, but the 3s power updates every second as any other data field. This is because instead of the video shows, it averages seconds 1-3, then 2-4, then 3-5, 4-6... and so on
Using todaysplan since 2 months. Much more data then TrainingPeaks has. I feel like TrainingPeaks has been slacking on real updates.
How can there be MORE data? I am already overwhelmed with what TP gives me?
The Vegan Cyclist news/weather/currency/commercials
1 year to get your power correct????? Pleaseeeee tooooo lonnnggggg
which power meter do you use? any recommendations?
HI Ben I have tried many PMs, here's my pick.
You have thousand of pounds to spend? Go for eitther SRM or for QUarq. Both are very reliable, consistent etc etc.. but they are expensive.
Want to make a relatively cheap investment? Go for stages. Even though they are a left-crank based PM (so if you had a recent injury or if you are REALLY biased in terms of legs power you might get isleading data) reality is that most of us are pretty balanced (within a +- 5%) between legs. Also, team Sky used them for years so I wouldn't be too picky. Again, consistent, it works. Company is quick to answer for any problems.
Another cheap option is the wheel based PM of POwertap but the problem is that it is built around a wheel so for example you'd need to if you have to sets of wheels (climbing / TT)
DON'T EVER: buy Garmin vectors. SImply don't go there. As expensive as the first two, both Vactors 1 and Vectors2 are proper shit. Garmin (at least in Europe) is almost impossible to get hold off. Data are stochastic, pedal are not "seen" by the Edge unit.. A nightmare (I had 2 Vectors, one bought and one replaced by GArmin after months of struggle and I know plenty of people who had the same issues)
For post rides analysis checkout golden cheetah, free software and all the data you need.
eat moaar carb
This is my first year with my power meter. So good so far! Seeing gainz! Big n Slow, but making progress! www.strava.com/athletes/16465871
Lol @ displaying average power instead of normalized.
Eat a steak and enjoy life
Just curious why cyclists who are vegan feel the need to let others know. Is it so if you're cycling slower than they are you have an excuse or what? Seems really strange to advertise your eating habits. Sincerely the "Omnivore cyclist" lol.
So its typical for most people who go vegan to be really "loud" about it, and that does get annoying. But there is common myth that eating a plant based diet is bad for performance. That I HAVE to have a steak to be strong, so showing that a vegan can be strong on the bike is pretty cool. Its never an excuse for the vegan, it actually puts more pressure to do well because if you dont win every race then its because your vegan and need a steak.
Also, it goes deeper then just what I eat. I feel really connected to the lifestyle and I am really proud that I can make a positive impact on our planet, my body, and my mind. You our passionate about cycling right? Do you ever talk about it? Ever post a picture of you on the bike? You do that because it defines you a bit, well I feel like being vegan is part of who i am.
Appreciate your thoughts bro.
Thanks for the response. I've only been cycling for about 2 years and really hadn't seen much about vegans. Then I started watching UA-cam vids that are cycling related and it seems like a large percentage (like durianrider etc) are wearing vegan t-shirts or promoting it in some way. I wondered if going vegan transformed their performance or what the passion was all about. I have no idea how being vegan has a positive impact on the planet or your mind but for those who have high cholesterol like me I can see where it might have some benefit to me physically. I do have to say that I've documented an improved level in performance on my power meter the day after I eat a nice Elk steak which is high in protein and low in fat. I'm not sure I'd want to give up feeling that strength, as modest as it might be in my 57 year old legs.
Hey there twotwentyswift,
Yeah, it's pretty weird how all these cyclists are into the plant-strong power these days, huh?! But even in the early 1900s there were vegan cyclist groups and teams that blasted all around Europe and the US, showing off their endurance on a veggie diet.
For how eating a locally sourced, whole foods, plant-based diet and vegan is good for your local environment and the planet as a whole, check out the movie Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014). It's on Netflix.
For how eating the same way is good for your own personal health, see Forks Over Knives (2011), and the more recent (film by the same guys who made Cowspiracy) What The Health (2017).
If you don't want a full feature movie, then Dr Michael Greger has an excellent UA-cam channel called Nutrition Facts, where he has about three videos come out weekly, usually about 4 or 5 mins. in length, on latest interesting nutrition-based scientific findings, not at all only on the impact of a veggie diet over that with eggs, dairy, and meat; one of my favourite clips is where he highlights a study showing hibiscus tea has a FAR larger antioxidant kick than green tea (although it's also slightly corrosive on the teeth..)! ... But in the meantime, if you have any questions on the nutritional quality of eggs, dairy, or milk, you can use the search field and check his awesome backlog of breakdowns and deconstructions of studies (and who sponsored them)!
Cheers!
no its more as an explanation as to why they're so string on the bike!
twotwentyswift cycling is the worlds hardest sport so a lot of athletes search for healthier diets that will improve their recovery and ultimately fitness. Then they discover that a plant based diet will improve recovery, their health and ultimately their fitness so switch. Upon changing from a meat based diet to a vegan diet they often lose body fat and increase recovery rate making them much faster and stronger cyclists. Then the more you get into veganism the more you learn about the ethical side of it including the slaughter of animals, destruction of the planet, world hunger etc and people become very passionate about it.
I noticed that you don't have cadence displayed on any of your pages. How come?
you don't really need cadence, just pick a gear where you feel like you are spinning enough and going the right speed. Spin to Win!