As athletes, it is essential to be in tune with our bodies and training. When coaches prescribe training, more often than not it comes in the form of a power number or heart rate range. While these metrics are very useful, there is no hard formula that will create results. There are 3 tools that can be used to measure and study training. The first one is the external output, on the bike measured in watts with a power meter. The benefit to power is a watt is a constant measure and ensures that the output of the athlete is consistent across sessions. What power does not account for is the internal cost the output has on the athlete. Power does not account for fatigue, hydration or stresses in daily life that can inhibit one’s ability to perform in training. While power is a useful tool, it is essential to also consider the internal cost of the work being done. The most common form of internal measurement is heart rate. This is a measure of the physiological cost on the body. For example, riding at 200 watts while fresh may elicit a heart rate of 130. While deep in a training block heart rate suppression may bring that value down to 125 and while dehydrated 200 watts may be 135bpm. Riding at a set power in the first hour of the ride stresses the body in a different way during the 6th hour of the ride. While output is important, we should not ignore the internal stress within the body. The other common internal is lactate levels! Our final measure of training is psychological perception. “How does this feel!” One could argue that this is the most important metric to consider to guide our training. Learning your body is an acquired skill that comes from years of training. In literature, perceived exertion it is commonly represented on the BORG scale (numerically). Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is important to consider as our minds have the greatest impact on performance. It doesn’t matter how fit you are, if your mind is not in the right place, performance will not be where it could be. RPE often provides insight into non training, and training related stressors that can effect training and performance. A given power may feel easy one day and brutal the next. At times pushing through is ok but more often than not athletes need to listen to their bodies and consider “why am I feeling this way?” A given out put (external measure) resulting in higher RPE could be a red flag. Everyone has bad days but when bad days become a common theme, it is best to step back and evaluate what the issue is. Training is as much of an art as it is science. It is important to listen to all measures of training to best guide training. External output, internal stress, and psychological perception play an important role in training. Not one measure of heart rate, power, lactate, or RPE is the gold standard but using all in combination will provide your best method to guide training!
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