00:07If you haven't purchased one already a power meter may be something you're very keen to invest in,
00:11but what are the benefits? And if you own one already do you even know why? Or do you just
00:15own one because you think you should own one? Whatever your reasons here are a few key tips
00:19you should know for making the leap into the world of watts. First things first, why do you
00:28actually need a power meter in the first place? It's not just so you can brag to your teammates
00:32that you own one because they're extremely useful measurement for analyzing your training and far
00:36more accurate than other measures such as average speed. Power meters take into account the actual
00:41physical effort you're putting through each pedal stroke which is a far more accurate reading for
00:45your training ride compared to average speed which can be affected by the terrain or the weather
00:49conditions. Secondly you can pace your effort to perfection. The chances are at the beginning of a
00:54race you have adrenaline pumping around your body therefore making the effort that you're riding
00:59at probably unsustainable even if it doesn't feel like it at the start. Knowing when you need to rest
01:04can be tricky based on personal feeling alone and partly because when you start to feel run down
01:10it's probably too late. Training with power does give you strong indications on when you need to rest
01:16but also when your form is about to peak. This real-time feedback is crucial as there is no drift
01:22which can
01:22occur with heart rate monitors. An attack on a climb may only result in a spike in heart rate but
01:27at that
01:27point it could be too late and you've already gone into the red. As previously mentioned using average
01:32speeds or times on courses and certain segments can give a rough idea to track your fitness progression
01:37however utilizing FTP results over time can result in a far more precise and accurate measure.
01:46We won't go too in-depth here as we have a power meters buyer's guide video already
01:50which will tell you all about each type of power meter but the three types come from the pedals,
01:55the hub and the crank all of which have positives and negatives that will work best for you,
01:59your riding and your budget.
02:04So you're back from your ride and what's the first thing that we all do?
02:08Upload our data of course however when you're training and racing with power the world of data
02:13is opened up to you with a plethora of numbers but here's a quick breakdown of what each one means.
02:19Training stress score or TSS this is the number that relates to the intensity of a single training
02:25session the higher the number the more strenuous it has been. Acute training load or ATL this is the
02:31short-term fatigue number that is accumulated and estimated over a seven day period. Chronic training
02:37load or CTL is the longer term fitness accumulation rating based over a 42 day period of time with rides
02:44that are completed more recently weighted higher towards this number. Training stress balance or
02:49TSB is the number that's the difference between CTL and ATL and addresses whether a rider may be
02:56approaching top form. When this number is positive it indicates a good performance is approaching
03:00following a decent block of training combined with low recent value of fatigue. This is where
03:06the tapering effect comes to fruition. So far power meters may seem great however there are a few key
03:15mistakes you need to know as it can trip up your training and make your training data completely
03:20useless. The first and most basic mistake is forgetting to zero offset a power meter before riding
03:26and then you're relying on inaccurate data. Think of zero offsetting a power meter as the same when you
03:32reset a set of measuring scales. Air pressure, ambient temperatures and other things can alter power
03:37meter readings in between rides. Therefore zeroing your power meter before each ride clears the residual
03:43torque and sets an accurate baseline to work from. Our second key data mistake to avoid is confusing
03:49simple average power with normalized power. Normalized power accounts for intervals and efforts that have
03:55occurred over the entirety of a ride whereas average power will simply average out the training session as a
04:00whole which can lead to misinterpretation of more intense sessions that may have actually been more
04:05fatiguing. Our third mistake is failing to acknowledge the differences between indoor and outdoor riding.
04:11The former involves zero coasting and no air resistance whereas outdoors there are many variables such as
04:17wind and drafting gains so comparing the two can provide very different data results. So those are our key
04:23points to help get you started training with data and do let us know in the comment section what top
04:28tips
04:28that you have and don't forget to like and share this video and subscribe to the Cycling Weekly channel.
04:34But thank you again for watching and until next time we'll see you then.
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