Why train with Power Meter?
In summary, in this text, you will learn:
- That training with a Power Meter ideal for improving performance
- Why we use drive rollers
- How to choose your Power Meter your budget
You can do all kinds of sports to stay in shape this winter. That's true. But nothing will make you stronger on the bike than specific indoor training sessions that replicate the effort you put in outdoors.
Better still, by following a structured fitness program based on the power exerted with each pedal stroke, you will optimally develop the different aspects of your cycling abilities.
The almighty power
There are three ways to gauge effort in cycling: perception (perceived difficulty from 1 to 10, for example), heart rate, and power.
While the first two are useful, the Power Meter for a standard measurement that is completely independent of external factors.
Your heart rate varies depending on your sleep, stress levels, and even how much alcohol you drank the night before. But 10 watts is still 10 watts.
After a series of short tests that establish your strengths and weaknesses (short, medium, and long efforts), you will have a baseline measurement that will allow you to train to your full potential, either alone or in a group.
There's nothing stopping you from adding a heart rate monitor to the mix to learn a little more about how your body responds to exercise (or how quickly it recovers), but completely objective power measurement will allow you to truly give your best, regardless of how you feel on any given day.
Want to dive into the world of structured training and the science behind it?
Go see here.
On rollers rather than on a training base
At Cartel, we encourage the use of rollers for training. They take some getting used to, but after a while, you feel almost as free to move as you do on the road.
Balancing on these cylinders has many benefits: it improves balance, works the stabilizing muscles, contributes to better riding, and significantly reduces injuries because the posture is much less static than with a fixed training base.
By using your bike, you also ensure that you are perfectly positioned and you use your Power Meter , which allows you to always have the same measurement of your effort.
Sensors for all means
You don't need to sell a kidney to get a Power Meter . The important thing is to always use the same one, if possible. Accuracy varies slightly from one device to another, but if you always use the same system, you significantly reduce fluctuations and can measure your progress on a solid basis. Even when spring arrives and you take your bike out again.
The base
The easiest entry-level product to adopt and among the most affordable is the Assioma UNO pedals from Favero Electronics. The Power Meter located in the left pedal. It doubles the torque generated by each pedal stroke. This may seem like an imperfect measurement, but the degree of error is minuscule.
What's more, if you change bikes, your pedals come with you.
Another affordable product we like is the Crankset arm Crankset left) from Canadian company 4iiii. You can buy it with a Power Meter already installed Power Meter send in the one you have to have it added. The measurement is taken in the arm, but the doubling system is similar. 4iiii and Favero are among the products that are most highly rated by experts.
The whole thing
For precision freaks, to find out if you pedal harder with one leg than the other, to always have one side that works if the other ever breaks down, Assioma and 4iiii offer "dual-sided" models, with sensors on both sides.
The Cadillac
On the SRAM side, the Quarq iintegrated Power Meter system Power Meter slightly different. The measurement is taken in the chainrings, which eliminates power losses associated with material flex between the measurement point and the chain where the power is deployed. It is available on several models of cranksets from the American equipment manufacturer, at a range of prices.
As for the German engineering masters SRMcan boast of being the pioneers of this technology and of still providing one of the most accurate measurements in the industry. Long reserved for professionals due to their price, their products are nevertheless renowned for their extreme precision.