Training Evolution - Part 1

For more than a year I have been reading text concerning concepts and principles of training with a power meter, but I had yet to really apply those principles. In June I came to a crossroad of decision because I had previously purchased a power meter and had only slightly applied those principles because I hated to give up parts of cycling that I was enjoying. Yet those enjoyments became frustrations when I understood that I was not improving in performance and I began to feel as if I was slipping instead of progressing. Two of those things were attending a spin class and the other was participating in group rides. Now both of those things can be beneficial, but my schedule had no rhyme or reason to it. It was haphazard and as someone who used to be a successful competitor in a different sport I do know that two of the most important aspects of training is a sound plan (schedule) and consistency. So in June I made the hard choice to break away from my typical recreational style of cycling and really apply these training principles.


One aspect of my genetics is that I am very capable on the anaerobic side because I have been training with weights for over 27 years and that is where I flourish. I have never been one for endurance sport. My build is stocky and though I have slimmed down some from my former competitive bodybuilding days, I still carry a lot of lean mass, which impedes in endurance sports. That being said I can generate decent power and speed for a short distance, but I have been lacking on aerobic endurance since I started cycling in 2004. I have improved over the years to the point a 60 mile ride is a typical ride, but now I want to build and train to the point I could do a century at a good pace at any given point in time of the year without any specialized focus on an event or do any local moutain climb at any given point. Both of these and most of what I would like to achieve in cycling will require sustainable power output or improved aerobic condtioning.

Focus One: Aerobic Conditioning (Sustainable Power Output)

In order to get this I was very fortunate to be involved with the right people at the right time of this desire to change. I cannot go into the story or the timeline of how the events, conversations and emails played out, but I will say it all unfolded at the perfect time in order to break away from my stubbornness and desire to hold on to those haphazard ways of cycling.

The first step was to get my FT (function threshold) set to begin the journey and once that was established I started at with Training with Power-101 (the basics) of building sustainable power output through intervals at 85 to 100% of my FT. The key words that were given to me in guidance were training time at level for the biggest bang for the buck metabolic adaptations. My schedule for lifting was changed and believe me that was another hard decision to make, but Tuesday and Thursday I am focusing on the typical 2 (sets) x 20 (minutes) of Coogan’s Level 4 (L4) as my foundation and on Sundays I try to get out for 2 x 60 for L4 or at least L3. On Saturday I still have my long endurance ride with at least 3 hours of saddle time with various levels, but trying not to exceed L4. This is just a small picture of my training week and for now I will not expose all of it, but I will say that I am very focused on the basics of building sustainable power. I have had to drop out of the spirited group rides because those were either too low at times or for much of the ride be above L4.

The first number of weeks as I began to shift my focus and effort back to training indoors on the trainer using a power meter as my guide, it was a hard adjustment. Most who train indoors on a fluid trainer know that it feels more difficult than riding outdoors. Not only is it more discomforting, but it also takes a lot of focus and especially when trying to hold a in a small range of power output. The first couple of weeks I struggled to hold L3 and then the third week as my legs begin to adjust to the feel of the trainer I began to see my time creep up into L4. By the fourth week I was holding most of my time in L4 and the effort became much more refined. Meaning it was becoming easier for me to hold a constant cadence compared those first couple of weeks where my power output was jumping to extremes.

Now for those who do not know what training near functional threshold means here is one good place of explanation at Flamme Rouge.

I will be honest with you that pushing at this level will become discomforting after a few minutes. The core temperature will rise and require a good cooling fan and the legs will begin to sting. It is at that time focus is important to keep in the zone and to endure the discomfort. As your body adapts and conditioning improves it will feel easier, but that only means that bar must be raised again and the threshold number be reset for next training period of weeks.

My plan is to continue with this basic principle until next spring at the minimum and I have no plans to get fancy with the program by adding sprints or any other tricky intervals. This brings me to Focus Two.

Focus Two: Consistency

One thing that made me a successful bodybuilding competitor with crappy genetics, was the desire and determination to succeed despite the obstacles and hurdles like the ever important genetics. But a good thing about desire and determination applied is consistency. Many people desire to accomplish things, but not that many apply their desire and determination. If one crosses the line of changing from thinking to doing a plan results will occur. Seems simple enough, but most do not make the effort to step into the application phase. Performance or achievement does not occur when we want it and most of us want instant results, but most of us do not have genetic gifted body that it comes so easily. I have trained alongside professional athletes and though it looks easy to them it is not easy at their higher level with equal to or better genetic gifted competitors.

To be successful one will more than likely have to trust in the plan or training schedule assigned and hopefully the training plan is based on sports science evidence and not some opinion based methodology. Now on one side there is hopefully evidence to support the plan, but it does take faith on the end user or the athlete applying the principles to stay consistent through the periodization. I can say that even though I saw very slight incremental improvements over the past weeks my natural view was it ain’t happening fast enough, but my years of experience in training have overcome this thought to stick with it and trust that it will work.

After a few weeks of applying this principle I did see a small physiological bump and I have to cherish that bump because that seems to be the way it occurs as I have been told by more experienced cyclists that have applied the same principles. It almost feel like a step backward in some ways because I have to drop out the spirited group rides and I sometimes now doubt that I can dig deep to hang with them at all now, but I know that I must stayed focused on the principles, be consistent and in time my hope is that the results will be very rewarding.

So for now my focus is training time at level and consistency of applied effort.