Did using a power meter actually make you faster?
#1
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Did using a power meter actually make you faster?
It won't make your smarter, but was it instrumental in boosting a race specific physical limiter, like FTP or VO2max?
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Yes. Hells yes.
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#4
Roadie
My FTP is up 20-30 watts since I started riding with power in November. I'm not 100% sure on how much though since I switched from a powertap to SRM, and the powertap read a bit low.
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Yes. I got the powermeter, I realized I was training completely wrong. I corrected it this season. Still no results, but I'm faster.
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Yes, mostly because it 1) keeps me from cheating during intervals, going to hard or to easy, 2) kept me honest about how much work I was really doing during base season
It has also been a motivator in a number of ways.
It has also been a motivator in a number of ways.
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Yes. And the results this season give testament to that
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#8
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Nope... not even a little bit. But I'm sure this is highly specific depending on how you trained before and after.
The main thing it has done for me is show me how prone I was to going far in the red at the beginning of an effort.
The main thing it has done for me is show me how prone I was to going far in the red at the beginning of an effort.
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@rruff I'm sure it's highly specific depending on how you train with a power meter.
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#10
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To answer the OP, I think it did make me faster. First thing I noticed was how little I was putting out during training, how little work you can do on the same course if you want to.
It helped me train enough not to get dropped in my first crit, or any so far after that. Might sound stupid but I made sure I was at least reading Cat 4 levels on WKO's e-wang chart (well, minus 1-minute power) before I made the jump to finally get into a race. It worked.
Which is not to say I couldn't have raced and done OK without the device/data, who knows.
#11
VeloSIRraptor
Doesn't lie about how much work I'm fooling myself into thinking that I'm doing (training gets harder)
Doesn't lie about how much work I'm doing on recovery days (I actually recover on those days instead of doing too much)
I'm super-excited to get a PT going again after two years of not having one... two weeks left to wait (or so)
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Including drivetrain losses is reality, it's not reading a bit low.
To answer the OP, I think it did make me faster. First thing I noticed was how little I was putting out during training, how little work you can do on the same course if you want to.
It helped me train enough not to get dropped in my first crit, or any so far after that. Might sound stupid but I made sure I was at least reading Cat 4 levels on WKO's e-wang chart (well, minus 1-minute power) before I made the jump to finally get into a race. It worked.
Which is not to say I couldn't have raced and done OK without the device/data, who knows.
To answer the OP, I think it did make me faster. First thing I noticed was how little I was putting out during training, how little work you can do on the same course if you want to.
It helped me train enough not to get dropped in my first crit, or any so far after that. Might sound stupid but I made sure I was at least reading Cat 4 levels on WKO's e-wang chart (well, minus 1-minute power) before I made the jump to finally get into a race. It worked.
Which is not to say I couldn't have raced and done OK without the device/data, who knows.
With a powermeter i was able to really get a lot out of my training 2 winters ago. i am now able to see how that went away - almost as important, and how far I am still below it.
without it you just lose a major frame of reference. You could be doing well in your mind and then get your butt kicked by a guy you were recently devastating. Naturally you would go home thinking you're doing something wrong or your form is off, etc.
with a PM you can see if that's actually true or if it's just - hey that guy got better.
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#13
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Using a powermeter won't make you faster. Training will and using the powermeter will enable to you measure improvement and train smarter.
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So I think I came into racing being faster/well-rounded than I would have been otherwise, but would probably be just as fast/slow today without it, given just plain racing.
#16
grilled cheesus
yes. i was never going hard enough and i never went easy enough. until i got power. later.
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True the e-wang isn't everything, but lacking "fast group rides" to gauge how good I was, or wasn't, it was really all I had to go from.
So I think I came into racing being faster/well-rounded than I would have been otherwise, but would probably be just as fast/slow today without it, given just plain racing.
So I think I came into racing being faster/well-rounded than I would have been otherwise, but would probably be just as fast/slow today without it, given just plain racing.
I have a weird power profile though. Pretty raw and untrained short duration power. Not much in the middle. A pathetic ftp, but the ability to suffer enough to do better in TT's than crits or road races. Crits....
wait...this is about powermeters. me likey.
Looking forward to getting a Quarq to test and then running the group buy on here. Keep your eyes peeled guys.
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#18
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Well, the debate is really in the word "using."
You could use a powermeter with the CPU turned off and never download powerfiles or analyze them. You won't see any benefits over not using one.
If by "using," you mean objectively analyzing your power files and training more efficiently based on the objective data displayed/collected, then it would be a pretty hard case to say you won't improve "using" a power meter. Under this definition, I believe I train smarter and therefore improved faster.
You could use a powermeter with the CPU turned off and never download powerfiles or analyze them. You won't see any benefits over not using one.
If by "using," you mean objectively analyzing your power files and training more efficiently based on the objective data displayed/collected, then it would be a pretty hard case to say you won't improve "using" a power meter. Under this definition, I believe I train smarter and therefore improved faster.
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I'll let you know this cross season, T.
I just got a used Powertap and started to learn how to use it. But honestly, it in itself will do nothing for me. However, I think the coaching and structured training plan to go along with it, and my newly found motivation, will help me get faster.
I just got a used Powertap and started to learn how to use it. But honestly, it in itself will do nothing for me. However, I think the coaching and structured training plan to go along with it, and my newly found motivation, will help me get faster.
#21
Senior Member
I've never had a problem with being lazy on my hard days... and the evaluation and measurement of intensity *can* be done in other ways, though with less accuracy.
#22
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Mine helped me gain amazing length in no time at all. It also chopped vegetables for me, keep my wife warm while watching TV, acts as a speaker phone in my car, and allows me to fish anywhere at any time. I just set it....and forget it.
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#23
Making a kilometer blurry
Not only has it plainly made me faster, but it's made me a smarter racer too.
I had been training and racing for the better part of 15 years before I got the PM, and was totally stagnated with respect to form. With the PM, my power profile, and some race-limiter analysis, I was able to completely transform my fitness in about 6 months and started winning races after only winning one race, 13 years prior.
Once I saw my power profile, aside from training changes, I completely overhauled my racing strategies to match, making me a smarter racer.
I had been training and racing for the better part of 15 years before I got the PM, and was totally stagnated with respect to form. With the PM, my power profile, and some race-limiter analysis, I was able to completely transform my fitness in about 6 months and started winning races after only winning one race, 13 years prior.
Once I saw my power profile, aside from training changes, I completely overhauled my racing strategies to match, making me a smarter racer.
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