Starting structured power meter training is the gateway to higher watts, faster bike splits and feeling stronger for the run in your triathlon races.
Once you’ve invested in a power meter for your bike and you’ve learnt why you should train with power, it’s time to tackle the question of how you actually go about it to start seeing performance gains.
First up, you’ll need to set your training zones which means completing a 20-minute FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test which gives a figure of the watts you should be able to hold for one hour at maximal effort. Not only are the resulting training zones essential to ensure quality workouts, but the FTP figure itself provides a great gauge of progress with regular re-testing.
Next, it’s time to see how training with power can benefit you in key sessions – endurance, threshold, steady-state tempo and sweet spot – all of which can be combined in your training to increase your bike power and improve your speed between T1 and T2.
Warm-ups and warm-downs
When you can see your wattage – and especially when you’re trying to hit certain power averages during your session, there’s a real temptation to go hard from the first turn of the cranks. But without easing your muscles in with a proper warm-up, you’re likely to burn your legs out, compromising your chances of getting the most out of your session. Likewise, spinning your legs out at the end of a session can help clear lactic acid after hard efforts and kick-start your recovery so you can get back out there quicker.
without easing your muscles in with a proper warm-up, you’re likely to burn your legs out
The higher the intensity the session you are about to perform the longer and more specific your warm-up should be – the aim to increase your heart rate and intensity to the level you are about to perform at.
Example: 15mins cycle, increasing intensity, with 3x15sec high cadence/low intensity and 3x15sec low cadence/high intensity intervals.
Endurance power meter training
Endurance is a key element of all triathlon distances, so building a good endurance base is fundamental. The longer the distance you’re racing, the more important your endurance ability is.
When to do endurance training
Endurance training can be done all year round. For sprint and standard distance triathletes, this will form the base of your training before you progress to higher intensity sessions as you get closer to your racing season.
Even when you switch into interval mode to build speed, it remains important to keep regular endurance sessions on your training plan. For Ironman 70.3 and especially Ironman, continually building endurance as the race draws closer will help ensure you’re able to tackle the distance with efficiency and enough left in your legs to run afterwards.
Example: Increase your long ride duration at 60-70% of your FTP, aiming to build up to your race distance.
Threshold power meter training
Threshold training is a session where you’ll work at and around your FTP, the maximum average power you can hold for one hour, with a range of 95% to 105% of FTP. Threshold training helps to improve your aerobic capacity and increase the power that you can put out before you get into the lactic-producing state, in turn increasing your FTP.
Threshold sessions are high intensity and should be respected for the toll they’ll take from both a muscular and cardiovascular perspective. There’s a lot to gain, but also a lot to lose if you overdo it. To get the most out of threshold training, ensure that you are rested beforehand and that the following session is at a lower intensity.
If you’re new to training at this intensity or are coming off a rest period, start these intervals in your sweet spot zone (see below) before progressing to 95% to 105% of FTP.
When to do threshold training
Due to the high intensity of threshold training, you’ll need a decent level base fitness before you proceed. For those racing at sprint and Olympic distances, threshold training is close to your race pace intensity. So ideally, you will progress your training and build up to reach threshold training as you come towards your race season, helping to keep your body attuned to the intensities you’ll be competing at.
If you have a specific focus to improve your bike FTP, threshold training sessions can also be planned in the pre-season, making the most of indoor winter training for athletes in the northern hemisphere.
Example session: Start with 3x6min intervals with 90sec recoveries and gradually progress the sessions until you can manage 5x12min intervals with 4min recoveries.
Steady-state tempo power meter training
Building on your endurance and threshold training, steady-state tempo training focuses on muscular endurance, training your muscles to repeatedly contract against resistance for long periods of time. Increasing muscular endurance helps you ride in the middle-intensity zone between endurance and threshold for longer – at 80-89% of FTP.
When to do steady-state tempo training
For sprint and Olympic distance triathletes, tempo sessions will be a stepping stone to your high-intensity workouts. For experienced half Ironman athletes and more accomplished Ironman athletes, who have progressed beyond the challenge of finishing and into increasing performance, these are the key sessions to build you up to a great race day.
Example: Start with 20min intervals building to 60min intervals at 80-90% of FTP within your endurance training sessions e.g. a 90min endurance ride with a 30min tempo in the middle.
Sweet spot power meter training
You may have heard fellow athletes talking about the ‘sweet spot’ for training with power. This is just below your threshold at 88% to 94% of your FTP. The reason it’s called the ‘sweet spot’ is that training in this zone provides a great balance of physiological adaptation without requiring extended recovery and is a great way to improve your FTP.
When to do sweet spot training
Sweet-spot training is ideal for preparing yourself before progressing to threshold training. Sweet spot sessions are also great for slotting into your multi-discipline training when you want to keep consistency without the need for the extra recovery that threshold sessions require.
Example session: Start at 3x12min intervals with 3min recovery and progress the sessions to 3x20min intervals with 5min recovery.
