The Power Meter Handbook: A User’s Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

minute.”
    Chronic Training Load (CTL). The workload of a relatively long period of training (such as 6 weeks) as defined by frequency, intensity, and duration. Expressed as Training Stress Score per day.
    Crank arms. The extensions from the bottom bracket of the bike to which the pedals are attached.
    Cruise intervals. An interval workout done in zone 4.
    Fast Find. A function in WKO+ software and on TrainingPeaks.com that allows the user to find specific intensities often referred to as “matches.”
    Force. To overcome resistance, as in pushing down on the pedal. See “Torque.”
    Force reps. A workout done with very brief repetitions at maximal power in a high gear with a low cadence with the intent of improving muscular force.
    Functional Threshold Power (FTP). The highest mean maximal power a rider can sustain for 60 minutes.
    Intensity Factor (IF). The ratio of a rider’s Normalized Power to Functional Threshold Power. An indicator of how challenging the workout or segment thereof was in terms of intensity only.
    Jumps. A workout with several short, maximal-effort sprints intended to improve sprint power.
    Key workout. A workout designed to prepare a rider for the specific demands of the event for which she or he is training.
    KiloCalorie. Usually referred to as “calories,” the unit of measurement for biological energy expended while riding a bike. See “kiloJoule.”
    KiloJoule (kJ). The unit of measurement for mechanical energy (1 kiloCalorie = 4.184 kiloJoules).
    Lactate threshold. The intensity at which the blood lactate level first begins to exceed lactate removal.
    Match. A relatively brief effort during a race performed at an intensity that cannot be maintained for very long given the nature of the race but that may be necessary for competitive purposes.
    Normalized Power (NP). An expression of average power adjusted for the range of variability of power during a ride. A better reflection of the metabolic cost (“kiloCalories”) and effort of a ride than “average power.”
    Peak Power. The highest average power a rider can achieve for a given unit of time, such as 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 60 minutes.
    Performance Management Chart. An analysis tool available in WKO+ software and at TrainingPeaks.com that allows the user to monitor and manage Chronic Training Load, Acute Training Load, and Training Stress Balance.
    Power. In physics, the result of force and velocity. In cycling, the result of rotational force (torque) and pedal cadence.
    Power meter. In cycling, a device that measures torque and pedal cadence in order to measure and display power.
    Power Profile. A chart that graphically shows the best Peak Power levels across a wide spectrum of durations.
    Rating of perceived exertion (RPE). A subjective scoring of the effort a rider is experiencing at a given moment in time. Usually expressed on a 0–10 or 6–20 scale.
    Revolutions per minute (RPM). The number of pedal strokes completed in 1 minute. See “Cadence.”
    Strain gauge. A device built into a power meter that measures electrical resistance as the result of shape change due to the application of force.
    Sweet spot. A segment of a workout done at 88 to 93 percent of Functional Threshold Power.
    Tapering. A training model in which the training workload is decreased over a period of several days in order to peak for an event.
    Tempo. A workout done in zone 3.
    Torque. In cycling, a rotational force applied to crank arms.
    Training Stress Score (TSS). The workload of a training session based on intensity and duration.
    Variability Index (VI). The ratio of Normalized Power to average power for a ride. Closely associated with pacing.
    Velocity. Distance divided by time. Speed.
    VO 2 max intervals. An interval workout done in power zone 5.
    Watt. The unit of measure for power.
    Work. The moving of an object through a distance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    First I want to thank the many athletes I have coached who have allowed me to try out new ideas with their training while my knowledge of power-based cycling developed over the past 15 years. Without their trust in my way of doing things, this book never would have happened. Thank you!
    I especially want to thank Dr. Andrew Coggan for his groundbreaking work, which has largely defined what training and racing with power are all about. He quickly brought a relatively new technology into the computer age with his insightful analysis. Much of this book is based on his model. I continue to be in awe