article by Zoom Performance co-owner and head coach JJ Bailey

Watts the Problem?

Whether you're a triathlete or a pure cyclist, the question inevitably arises: "I'm killing myself to get my HR up to the zones you've given me coach, what gives?"  Athletes with a new to moderate experience level training with zone methodology almost always struggle with this.  For most, finding your groove in zone 2 (endurance) presents little challenge; it is usually zone 4 (functional threshold) and zone 5 (vo2 max) intervals that end prematurely due to fatigue and frustration.  High intensity training intervals, time trials, and "the bike leg" of triathlons are challenging enough, even when executed correctly.  When done poorly - generally due to incorrect intensity measurement - the results can be highly frustrating, again and again. 

In this article I'll be weighing the merits three methods to determine "how hard am I going?" and wrap it up with a few tips on how to not blow-up before the end of your next interval session or race. 

Cycling Intensity Primer

When boiled down, the three most functional methods of measuring cycling intensity include: percieved exertion, heart rate, and power - each have their own strengths and weakenesses.

1. perceived exertion
   
   no gadgets, no cost - just you and your own internal barometer.  Ultimately, percieved exertion is what every athlete should strive to race with and be able to train with much of the time.  Why? Your ability to make on-the-fly adjustments to your speed/intensity based on how your body is responding on a given day is priceless in a race situation. 
   
   The downside of this method - particularly early in an athlete's career - is that (extending the car metaphor) your gauges aren't tuned quite yet and you often under or over estimate a given intensity level.
   
   
2. heart rate
   
   now we're working with numbers - the number of times per minute that your heart beats per minute.  The upside of heart rate training and racing is that it provides an objective measure (albeit indirect) of intensity the doesn't rely on how you feel.  By establishing your intensity zones through a self-administered time trial or (better) professional functional threshold assesment you wind up with a set of bpm (beats per minute) zones.  With these zones in hand, you can efficiently train the various components of cycling fitness: recovery, endurance, tempo/steady-state, threshold, and vo2 max. 
   
   The downside to training and racing with heart rate is that the number of times your heart beats per minute is an indirect measurement of intensity, not unlike a speedometer on your car.  Reading 60 mph with a tailwind produces a much different workload on your car's engine than does going 60 mph up a hill into a headwind.  While in ideal conditions your heart is a measure of intensity, there are many factors that can render it unreliable: it generally "reads low" for a given output when you're fresh and generally high for a given output when you're over-stimuated (start of a race).  On the opposite end of the spectrum, we've almost all experienced the phenomena of cardiac drift - where the stroke volume of your heart decreases due to dehydration and electrolyte depletion causing your heart rate to increase for a given cardiac output.  
    
3. power
   
   the gold standard, plain and simple.  Measuring cycling intensity with a power meter (Quarq, PowerTap, SRM, CompuTrainer, etc) is the direct method of quantifying your effort, both in trainin and racing.  With this method the unit of intensity measurement watts.  Whereas heat, wind, motivation, and illness can affect your heart rate, with power you're either applying an absolute number of watts the pedals or you're not; it's what's referred to as "stateless" measurement.  As with heart rate, you establish your training and racing power zones by conducting a self-adminstered field test or (preferrably) a professional functional threshold assesment. 
   
   Some of the more pronounced benefits of training with power include:
   
   
   1. "early governor, late motivator" for long-distance triathletes where going out too hard early on the bike can sink a race
   2. zone 4 and 5 interval training, a critical component for all triathletes up through 1/2 IronMan and all competitive cyclists.  Starting these intervals too hard (trying to get your heart rate up too quickly) is far and away the most common mistake for those not training with power; you would see power output (what really matters) exceeds the prescription and by the time your heart rate - the lagging tail of the comet, so to speak - enters zone 4 or 5, you're legs are blown.
   3. just plain efficiency - always knowing where you're at and making the most of your precious training time
   4. rich data for you and your coach to analyze in looking for power/rpm combinations over various distances allowing you to fine-tune your cycling effiency

The only real downside to training and racing with power is cost, and even this is coming down every six months to a year.  Crank-based power meters such as the Quarq offer the ability to measure power easily both in training and during races by freeing up wheel choice.

Final Thoughts and Tips

• make the investment in a heart rate monitor (or better yet, a power meter) from which you can download data to be reviewed by you and/or your coach.  We all have busy schedules and need to be efficient - by quantifying your intensity and making adjustments to your training accordingly, you're making the most of your time.  Contact your coach or coaching@getzoomperformance.com for specific recommendations given your budget and existing equipment setup.
  
  
• if a heart rate or power meter isn't in the cards, use the following set of indicators to determine your cycling intensity:
  
  
  • zone 1/recovery: can easily carry on a conversation, minimal muscle taxation
  • zone 2/endurance/IronMan intensity: can carry on a conversation with a an effort
  • zone 3/tempo: conversation could be intermittent at best, breathing is labored but measured
  • zone 4/threshold/sprint & olympic distance intensity: full sentence conversation not possible, major muscle taxation and engagement, very labored breathing, gradual stinging in the legs sensation near the top end of this intensity level
  • zone 5: think 9 out of 10 - most folks can spend only a couple minutes at this highly anaerobic intensity level and verbally expressing coherent thoughts is difficult.  Significant muscle fatigue and stinging in the legs .
    
    
    
• When completing high intensity itervals in zone 4 & 5 with perceived exertion or heart rate as your guide, resist the temptation to rapidly raise your heart rate from "between interval" bpm to the desired bpm - you're simply going too hard to begin and will fade before you're done.   For example, aim for reaching your zone 4 heart rate by minute two to three of a 10 minute interval.
  
  Those training with a power meter will easily be able to determine the correct intensity ouput from the start and the interval can be completed smoothly and efficiently.  In reviewing the data, you'll see it takes about this much time for your heart rate to catch up with your corresponding watts (power) of the same zone.
  
  
• If you don't have a power meter or a heart rate monitor, err on the side of caution early in the bike leg of a triathlon or time trial - it's much easier to pick it up as you go than to back way off due to coming out of the gate "guns blazing" and have to recover before resuming race pace.