Testing various power zones

There have been several questions lately, admittedly some from me, about other power zones. Fellow TR users have come up with great answer. Now I’m interested how does one test these other coggins power zones? Is it warm up and just hit 1 effort etc? Is that the protocol for data he collected? I’d like to try to sort this out & compare apples to apples. Thanks in advance Jim

You use this workout for starters.

Once completed, you need to review it. That is a step I have not done and don’t know where to start.

Power profile test from Allen and Coggan “Training and acing With A Power Meter”

Warm up:

  • 45 minutes easy riding. Then 3x1 minute fast pedaling (110rpm) intervals.

Main set:

  • 5 minutes at FTP with 3-5 minute recovery, then;

  • 1 minute all out effort >150% FTP with 3-5 minute recovery, then;

  • 10 minutes easy riding 70-80% FTP;

  • 5 minute out of saddle all out effort 115-120% FTP from 20mph with maximal effort last 45 seconds. Recover 10 minutes, then;

  • 1 minute same as above >150% FTP with 5 minute recovery, then;

  • 1 minute all out effort .150% FTP with 5 minute recovery, then;

  • 2x15 second out of saddle hard sprint from 15 mph with 2 minute recovery in between.

Cooldown

Download data and together with the 20 minute FTP protocol pick ou the best 5 second, 1 minute and 5 minute power. Boom. You are profiled.

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Surely there’s some further purpose to the 2nd and 3rd one minute efforts? Perhaps to find repeatability? You’re never going to get your best numbers on the efforts after you’ve done 5 minutes all-out…

I just copied the protocol from the book. I can’t comment with any intelligence why they designed it this way. The 20 minute protocol from what I understand is designed to create some real world fatigue before you start the 20 minute effort to come up with an FTP…

TR community to the rescue again thanks

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@Jclarkiv probably as important as a power profile which has limitations due to it’s bias towards young adults (does’t take age and/or development into account), is fatigue profiling (resistance). There are a number of pages detailing this and several protocols to give the rider more insight as to say what kind of sprinter they are. It might be worth picking up the book as it’s a bit much to copy here…