I don't use a power tap since I really don't want to spend the money on it. I'd love to have one, but just tough to drop that kind of coin. After reading both Friel and Carmicheal, I learned another way to track workload. Here is what they suggest: Multiply the HR Zone by the number of minutes your in that zone, then add those numbers together.
Example:
HR Zone 1: 10 minutes = 10
HR Zone 2: 5 minutes = 10
HR Zone 3: 10 minutes = 30
HR Zone 4: 20 minutes = 80
HR Zone 5: 10 minutes = 50
Total Workload = 180
Since using this method, I've found the intensity of my workouts increasing. Based on the workout I'm doing, I can set a workload goal since I know how much recovery time and how much interval time I will have. Initially I found my actual workload coming in much lower even though I felt like I was pushing hard. My intensity has increased as I strive to reach my goal. I find it to be a great training tool when not using a power tap.
so is that 180 number a number to gauge workload or is it an approximation of watts?
ReplyDeleteNo it's just a number to gauge workload. At first I thought it was a good gauge to compare workouts, however you can't really do that. Example:
ReplyDeleteIf I do a 2 hour easy Endurance ride, say 80% zone 3, 10% in zone 1 and 2. The workload would be: 324.
If I do a 60 minute interval workout, say 10% zone 1 and 2, 30% in zone 3, 40% in zone 4 and 10% in zone 5. The workload would be: 198.
Although the 2 hour endurance ride would create stress on the body, I would think a 60 minute interval workout, with 24 minutes in zone 4 and 6 minutes in zone 5 would create much more stress.
The method I'm using is trying to set a goal workload and then go after that. It's hard to gauge where your at WHILE your riding, however after wards you can gauge your effort to results and increase/decrease in the future. Here's an example:
If I know I'm doing Friel's A3 Hill Intervals. According to this workout, I will do 5 climbs on a steep hill (road or trail). Three minute recover. The workout calls for high Zone 5 intensity. Thus, I'd set my goal as follows:
I would assume the workout will take me a total of 30 minutes. This is calcuated by a 3 minute climb and then 3 minute recovery (5 intervals x 3). This is what I do on a local ski hill. 18% grade for 1/4 mile.
I can assume during the 30 minutes of recover (during the entire workout) I can project 15 minutes zone 1 and 15 minutes zone 2. During intervals I can project 5 minutes of zone 3, 15 minutes of zone 4 and 10 minutes of zone 5. This gives me a workload goal of 150. Now I have a goal to go after.
Beats spend a grand on a power tap right now.
A minute in zone 5 is definitely more than 5x as stressful as a minute in zone 1! How about multiplying hours by zone ^ 3?
ReplyDelete2 hour zone 3 endurance workload = 45
1 hour interval workload = 46.3
Still not perfect but maybe some sort of weighting factor applied to the different zones would level it out?
yeah I agree zone 5 is massive stress on the body. I'm not following your formula. If you want to weight the zones more, you can do something like:
ReplyDeleteM=minutes
Z=Zone
(M x Z)x (z) = Workout load for that zone. Sum up for total workload.
A 1 hour workout would be:
Easy: 10 minutes zone 1, 20 mins Z2, 30 mins z3 = 360
Hard: 10 mins z1, 5 mins z2, 10 mins z3, 15 mins z4, and 20 mins z5 = 860 workload
Guess it doesn't matter as long as you do put more weight on higher zones and are consistent with how you measure yourself.