Why Power base training?
We are firm believers in the benefits of power based training. What is power based training you ask? Traditionally, endurance athletes have used heart rate as a gauge of effort and intensity during exercise. Additionally runners have used pacing guidelines as well. And while this has worked for years as a satisfactory method of training, today, for cyclists there exists a better alternative.
With the advent of readily available, accurate, and attainable (fiscally) on bike power meters, there exists a new paradigm for exercise prescription.
What a power meter can do for you and your training…
By measuring power on the bike, you are getting a true reading of the output or the load on the athlete. Unlike heart rate is affected by all external factors. Stress from work/home, temperature, sleep quality, excitement during races etc. can all alter ones heart rate both at rest and during exercise. It is more of a systemic measure of the body’s reaction to all the stressors affecting it.
Whereas the power an athlete is putting out is just that, the work that they are performing.
It accounts for wind, terrain, temperature, drafting…
By measuring power and prescribing workouts and training load by power, the athlete’s progression can be better quantified, qualified and thus tightly controlled.
Why have a Coach?
You say you are a smart individual. You can understand the concepts of power based training. You have been riding and racing for some time now. Why do you need a coach?
We feel that coaches offer three things that will create an advantage for the athlete over the self-coached individual. They are Perspective, Freedom, and Accountability.
Perspective.
That is, a detached opinion of your training. I think that being a self-coached athlete can work. But being coached helps provide another set of eyes looking at you and your training.
We are objective. Sometimes it is hard to be objective about yourself. Even with concrete data like power, we will be honest about that data, can see if you are progressing according to plan, and can recommend changes to that plan based on your response to it.
Freedom.
Freedom from the work of the plan. You can login, get your workout and complete it. You won’t have to angst over what and where and how. You can just follow the workouts and upload your files.
We will be pouring over them. And we will share the analysis with you. But you won’t have to spend that time of your day worrying about it. That is taken care of for you.
Got a week of travel and that screws with your training plan? No problem, drop us an email and we will make adjustments that take everything into account, and still keep you on track.
Want to ski for a 4 day weekend, but not sure how that will affect your plan. Not your problem, we take it as a challenge and figure a way to make it work to your advantage.
We offer freedom from having to figure out which workouts, how many hours, and when is the best time to arrange the workouts.
Accountability.
We saved this for last, because we believe that it is the most important. For reasons that we believe are fundamentally human, accountability to another individual or coach produces results.
There is something about knowing that your coach is going to be looking at your files at the end of the day that makes you not slack. That makes you get up, and go ride the trainer where you otherwise wouldn’t have.
And that accountability WILL produce consistency, which is probably the BIGGEST contributor to successfully following the best laid plan.
How we provide coaching local and long distance
We provide our coaching services both locally and long distance.
Training plans are developed and provided to the athlete at the outset of the training year both electronically as well as a physically.
Then the actual weekly and daily structure is delivered via our website and email. If you do not have internet access, then arrangements can be made to provide this to you via mail or hand delivered (if you are local).
Additionally, your coach will contact you via email, phone and as outlined in the programs section in person (either on a ride or just meeting to talk).
2007-2008 Pricing Structure
WattageTraining.com coaching packages
For 2007-8, WattageTraining has simplfied our fees. In addition to the offered services below, our Monthly Coaching service is $150 per month. This includes:
- web based login and delivery of workouts
- consultation with you coach every 1-2 weeks
- Email and phone access to coach
- In depth analysis of key workouts/races
- and more…
WattageTraining.com single event training plans
$350 one time fee includes for 3 month package
$750 for 6 month package
(3 or 6 months from event date)
Discussion and analysis of previous years training and performances.
Discussion of goal event and objectives required to achieve and complete event.
Discuss target event.
LT power and heart rate testing, to establish training zones.
Outline of training plan for best performance at event with key workouts for each period identified.
Upload into trainingbible.com account.
Weekly or monthly follow-ups and discussion of training available for an additional $300.
LT power and heart rate testing again before event to establish event zones.
WattageTraining.com annual plan assessment package
$200 one time fee includes
Discussion and analysis of previous years training and performances.
Discussion of new goals and objectives.
Identify target events.
LT power and heart rate testing, to establish starting zones for the season
Outline of yearly training plan for best performance at target events with key workouts for each period identified.
Input into trainingbible.com if you have an account for an additional $20.
Additional Services include
Training Camps and Skills Sessions
Bike Fit using advanced spin-scan methodology and video.
Aerodynamic positioning and frontal area analysis.
Power, VO2, Lactate and heart rate testing available upon request (outside of that included in packages).