“While most indoor cyclists still don’t wear heart monitors when they ride, most know what it is and why it is used. However, when it comes to training with power, that’s a different matter altogether. Unfortunately, this is also why many clubs do not consider bikes with Power. Their ignorance leads them to feel it is too complicated or worse – intimidating. In this case ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s just plain ignorance.”
The above paragraph was taken from my first book, the Cycling Fusion Power Training System eBook published in 2010. The good news is that this attitude has changed dramatically in the last four years. Not only are owners buying bikes with power, but I would venture to say that new studios that do not include power are now in the minority when it comes to new health clubs and especially new dedicated Spinning® or indoor cycling studios.
However, that does not mean that they have moved one iota in knowledge and understanding of power, and this is the reason I’ve dedicated so much of my life in the last year or so to writing a second book on the topic. The fact that owners do not know or understand power bikes is nothing to worry about, of course. But the fact that individual instructors are also predominantly in the dark is what is downright alarming.
Considering how much of an impact power bikes have been as we head into 2014, it is worrying that so few instructors have ever been certified to teach with power. Do a little survey for yourself right now. Go onto Facebook or whatever social media you like to use and ask who has been certified to teach with power. More than likely you will get nine out of ten responses that people ‘want to’, and a stray one or two that say they have actually taken the time and energy (not to mention the money) to do so.
But hey, you are reading this book, so you automatically stand apart! Even if you do not get certified, if you are an instructor, you are doing what you can to expand your knowledge. If you are a student/cyclist, then recommend this book to your instructors, and also encourage them to get certified – it’s the easiest way to stand out among their peers.
I have had the power training from Spinning and we teach based on the students PST number that we test for. Of course everyone is different. Then when they know their PST number, they know which zones to work in. Is this different than what you are talking about? We never tell people to compare because everyone is different. I myself have a PST number of 120 but I have had people in class who are over 300 and one guy told me he was at 700! I have also found and the training says this that it is almost impossible to keep your power level high while standing for any length of time. The highest level we have found is in seated rides. Recovery is very important in these rides, if you don’t recover sufficiently, you can’t push the power as hard the next time.