Turbo training advice

[Ningishzidda]

And i got this one

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-fluid-elastogel-trainer/

Elite usually print a graph of the machine's curves on the outside of the box.
Can you take a piccie and post it?

One of the five curves should go through 180 Watts at 32 kmh. If there is, that's a Roadrace bike on level ground.
Another might go through 220 W at 32 kmh. That's a touring bike.

All you need to do is ride as far as possible in 20 mins with the machine on the 'Roadrace bike' setting. Enlarge your piccie of the graph and make an estimation of the wattage for your average speed over the 20 mins test. Multiply the result by 0.95 and that's a reasonable estimate of your Functional Threshold Power.
If you are clever, you can build a spreadsheet of the curves and formulate a polynomial equation for each curve.
Then you do a 'coastdown test' on your real bike and calculate a 'correction factor' to see what your 20 mins would have been on your real bike round a velodrome.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Don't worry about it, don't worry too much about metrics, of course you will need something to gauge intensity and progress, but you probably do not want to spend lots of time analysing and worrying about numbers at this stage. Also, IMO, the training benefit of decimating yourself like that vs the fatigue resulting from it is not worth the bother unless you need the data.

Over the winter I did them on a monthly basis, because I was not racing, so had to find out if and by how much my FTP had changed as it would affect all of my workouts. Now, I doubt I will bother testing it until next winter, (unless curiosity gets the better of me and I just have to have a number to satiate my ego, or quash self doubt etc). I would just ride a 25 mile TT, if my intensity factor was greater than 1, I would increase the FTP value entered in my analysis software to the normalised power for this race effort and adjust my zones accordingly.

Now all of this is helpful, for me, having built up to it over years, but for you, you would spend more time reading than riding trying to figure it all out in a short space of time! I recommend riding over reading! I still spend a lot of time reading and trying to figure out what information I can get out of the numbers kit gives me, quite frankly I have barely scratched the surface and sometimes I wonder if I even want/need to know any more, I am a numbers and information obsessive though. See how much I managed to garble on in this single post....... you don't want to end up like that do you!

I challenge you not to test your FTP before September!

I am the same, it was a good before and after gauge RE winter training. 70-80% of my training was turbo based. Haven't tested since January and probably won't until after summer.
Now it's just constant riding, mostly outdoor, which in turn leads to my ideal weight over the (ahem) sunny season. Not so important for TT's but there are plenty of hill climbs and hilly TT's between April and November.

 

[Andy_G]

Mine says this.

 

[Ningishzidda]

P3 is close to a Roadrace bike.
It curves up from zero to 28ish kmh, and then flattens out.
Why this is, IMO, is at 28 kmh, the rider will start crouching to lessen wind resistance, so do that on the turbo.

The very top end of P3 is representative of a very streamlined Tri bike, like a Spesh Shiv.

P4 does a good likeness of a sports tourer one would ride for an Audax.
P5 looks like the curve of my Raleigh 20 shopper with full paniers.

 

[VamP]

/\/\
Please ignore this advice *goes off looking for face plant smilie*

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

/\/\
Please ignore this advice *goes off looking for face plant smilie*

 

[Rob3rt]

I have a rule............ if a plot has no legend and no caption explaining BRIEFLY wtf I am looking at, I consider it to be a crock of shoot!

WTF does P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 mean!

 

[VamP]

They are resistance settings on his turbo - I think.

But beyond that - to go off a power chart that ''supposedly'' represents the calibration of the resistance of a turbo. What do you think the variability on that's going to be? +/- 30 %? Good data.

To estimate what? Power the you might be pushing out at 25mph? somewhere between 160 and 300 watts? Great stuff.

 

[Ningishzidda]

Which one of you is going to tell Andy_G he's thrown £160 down the lavvy?

Do you have the bollocks to do that?

Repeat after me. "Andy_G. You've thrown £160 down the lavvy."

 

[Rob3rt]

WTF are you on about?

 

[Andy_G]

What is going on here. ?

 

[VamP]

Aha. Been away from the forum for a while and hadn't twigged N. was the new village idiot. Carry on as you were.

@ OP don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your turbo. Just don't try to measure your power output with that chart.

 

[Rob3rt]

Aha. Been away from the forum for a while and hadn't twigged N. was the new village idiot. Carry on as you were.

@ OP don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your turbo. Just don't try to measure your power output with that chart.

+1 looks like a good one to me

 

[Andy_G]

Ok so ill ill try tomorrow is this.
10 min warm up at about 70%MHR
60 min at 85 Cadence, at 80-85%MHR(155), setting will be 3 on the reistance thing, and ill use the gears to make me get to 85 Cad and 80-85%
10 min warm down at 70%MHR

Does that sound about right ?

 

[Rob3rt]

Sounds like a good, 1 hour, tempo session! Enjoy yourself.