Training and Racing with a Power Meter

Hunter Allen is considered a foremost authority on using power meters to excel in endurance sports. Over the course of his coaching career, he has analyzed thousands of power-meter files and consulted with companies to further the capabilities of power-meter software and products. Having taught USA Cycling power certification courses since 2005 and traveled to more than 20 countries, Hunter has equipped thousands of coaches and cyclists with the principles of training with power. A USA Cycling Level I coach, founder of the Peaks Coaching Group, co-founder of TrainingPeaks Software, and a former professional cyclist with the Navigators team, Hunter has been coaching endurance athletes since 1995. His Peaks Coaching Group athletes have achieved more than 2,000 victories, numerous national and world championship titles, and Olympic medals. Hunter was also the BMX technical coach for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Hunter holds a B.A. in Economics from Randolph-Macon College. He resides in Bedford, Virginia, with his wife, Kate, and their children, Thomas, Jack, and Susannah. Andrew R. Coggan, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized exercise physiologist. Formerly a national-caliber masters cyclist and time trial record holder, Andrew is also widely recognized as one of the leading experts on the use of power meters in training. Many of the concepts discussed in Training and Racing with a Power Meter and featured in WKO4 and other desktop or online software are the result of Andrew’s work with cyclists and coaches. He is the originator of the normalized power, TSS, power profiling, quadrant analysis, and the Performance Manager concepts. As a result of his contributions, in 2006 he was honored by USA Cycling with their Sport Science Award and named a Finalist for the US Olympic Committee’s Doc Counsilman Award. He is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology and Cellular and Integrative Physiology at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. He has published numerous scientific articles on a diverse range of topics, including the physiological adaptations to endurance training and the effects of aging on muscle metabolism during exercise. Most recently, his research has focused upon the effects of dietary nitrate on muscle contractile function. Andrew Coggan earned his PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Texas and an MS in human bioenergetics from Ball State University. He lives in Brownsburg, Indiana, with his wife, Angela (a former elite national champion track cyclist), and children, Madeleine and Gavin. Stephen J. McGregor, PhD, is a pioneer in the development of training concepts and software designed to maximize the benefits of training with technology. Most notably, Stephen created the normalized graded pace (NGP) algorithm and the run training stress score (rTSS), specifically designed for running. He has also developed the Dynamic Training Load (DTL) system for quantifying training load in dynamic team sports. Stephen is the director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University and has published and presented numerous research papers examining muscle injury, performance modeling, running physiology, and performance quantification using technology. He earned a doctorate in exercise physiology and has served on the science and education faculty for USA Cycling since 2005 where he presents Power and Elite Level 1 Coaching certification clinics. A former intercollegiate soccer player, triathlete, and elite competitive cyclist, Stephen has coached endurance athletes for almost 25 years and serves as a coach/consultant to numerous international and Olympic-caliber cyclists and runners. In 2016 he was the recipient of the Order of Ikkos as the coach of an Olympic medalist in cycling.

Foreword by Joe Friel

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Abbreviations

Why Train with Power?

Power Tools

Power-Based Training: Where to Begin?

Determining Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Using Power for Optimal Workouts

Interpreting the Data

Beyond Average Power

Shifting to the Power Duration Model

Using Power to Manage Performance

Developing a Power-Based Training Plan

Tracking Changes in Your Fitness

A Powerful Triathlete

Racing Faster with a Power Meter

Power for Other Disciplines: Cyclocross, Track, Ultra-Endurance

Epilogue: Putting It All Together

References

Appendix: Workout Guide

Glossary

Index

About the Authors