Turbo Trainer PtII

[MJN]

Also agree with Gump,training with people better than you really does work wonders!

 

[slinky182]

hrm

I have used a powertap in the past and it was pretty good,only problem is they are very prone to breaking(mine is back in the States for the 3rd time)an SRM is the best but these are BIG bucks and need regular calibration.Also to get the best from a power meter you really need expert advice/analysis as while all the information and graphs look pretty most people can't make head nor tail of them,including a fair number of coaches.For a cost/performance HRMs are hard to beat and as for your heartrate being 20 beats lower for a certain wattage from training,you should already know you're tired from taking you're resting HR every morning and previous experiance of hard sessions and back off accordingly,none of these devices are any good if you can't listen to what your body is telling you.

It'd be a recovery ride Id be doing if my heart rate was high. A Pwertap is a good way of telling you if you're not recoverd as well cos if you're heart rate is too high at your target power it's a good sign you need more rest. Resting heart rate has been too vague in my experience. Too many factors can affect it. But thats following a strict program. If it's just to get a bit fitter then a HRM would be fineI should think. People managed with only them for years

 

[MJN]

Yeah,I agree with you that power meters are good,just that for most they are too expensive and too complicated.Resting HR shouldn't be too vague,when healthy mine is always 39 first thing in a morning if its a few beats higher its either from a hard training session,which like you say results in a recovery ride or means I'm coming down with something.And no offence but I followed strict programs for 5 years+ with programs provided by a coach and also trained with elite level road racers,I belive it was the structure more than the technology that yielded the best gains in performance(and the 300+ miles a week I was doing then).I got a powertap after my daughter was born cos I just don't have time to train like I used to and it allows less quantity but more quality(when its working).Of course my season was still ruined by a knee injury!
Good discussion slinky182,was that you on the Peaks ride on the Scott Scale,if so you cost me alot of cash,liked your bike so much I just bought the Spark fs version!

 

[slinky182]

HRM

Ha ha yeah that was me! They're a flipin good bike. Im riding for KTM next year otherwise I'd definately be getting a Spark to race on.

I have to agree pwrtaps are still too expensive for most people and without a coach who knows what they're doing you wont see the all benefits. They're definately the way to go if you need the highest possible gains in the shortest time