Joe Friel

Helping endurance athletes stay current on the science and art of training

Power Certification Workshop

Along with PowerTap, I’m hosting a series power certification workshops for coaches this winter. Athletes are welcome also, but these technical sessions that may well be beyond novice and many intermediate athletes. Advanced athletes, especially those with power meters on their bikes, should do well. Both USAT and USAC are offering 4 CEUs for coach certification. It lasts about 5 hours, from 10 am to 3:00 pm. Lunch is provided.

This will be a fun time for me as I always enjoy talking with coaches and athletes about endurance training, and especially about power-based training and racing. I got my first power meter in 1994—an SRM. Then in 1998 I was involved in the design and launch of the PowerTap. I’ve had them on bikes ever since. In 1999 I wrote the first booklet on the topic—Training With Power.

While I’ve learned a lot since then, there is still much to be learned. Power-based training is rich with information and continues to progress at a rapid rate. I think you’ll come away with several new ideas for your coaching and training. As a coach it’s imperative that you understand power meter use. It will have a much greater impact on bicycle training than the heart rate monitor or any other device used by cyclists.

Last week I had a coach ask what will be covered in the workshop so she could make a decision about attending. Here is the general topic outline I’ll be following.

Part I The Basics of Power

  1. What Is Power?
  2. How Do Power Meters Work?
  3. Why Train and Race With Power?
  4. Common Power Meter Methodology
  5. Power and Body Weight

Part II Training and Racing With Power

  1. Functional Threshold Power
  2. Establishing and Using Power Zones
  3. Reading a Session Chart
  4. Analyzing a Session

Part III Advanced Use of Power

  1. Performance Management
  2. Seasonal Planning with Power
  3. Power-Based Session Prescription
  4. High Performance Racing With Power

Part V Workshop Group Project

For more information and to register for the workshop go here. Click on "Seminars" (upper left corner) for the registration page. Register for the location you want to attend. I will do these workshops in Dallas-Ft Worth (February 11), San Diego (February 25) and Seattle (April 14). Watch here and follow me on Twitter for updates on these.