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Which power calculator?

  • 03-10-2016 3:24pm
    #1
    mathie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭


    Hi
    I put the results of an FTP test into both
    https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/20120925-Power-Calculator-0
    and the one at training peaks (Andy Coggan) and I'm bring shown very different zones.

    For example 300 watts FTP at BC gives a tempo of 216 to 256 whereas TP gives zone 3 as 228 to 272 watts

    Thanks
    m


Comments

  • #2
    Lumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,222 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    You're using the BC one wrong. FTP is not CP20.


  • #3
    mathie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭mathie


    Lumen wrote: »
    You're using the BC one wrong. FTP is not CP20.

    What do you mean?


  • #4
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,243 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    He maybe referring to the difference between a 20 min test and 60 min test.


  • #5
    mathie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭mathie


    But the British Cycling site asks for "Average Power from 20 minute test"?

    TP asks you to input threshold power. Is that 95% of your 20 min test?


  • #6
    Lumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,222 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    mathie wrote: »
    What do you mean?...the British Cycling site asks for "Average Power from 20 minute test"?

    Exactly. The BC calculator gives 216-256 if you enter 300 into the field "Average Power from 20 minute test". You wrote "300 watts FTP". If you put 285W into the field you get 205-243W.

    Regarding the differences, it's possibly just differences in zone definition. Sports science attracts thickies so there's loads of conflicting information around (I'm not claiming to be smarter, I'm also too stupid to be a real scientist).

    I'm not a fan of the 95% rule. If you want to know your exact FTP do a 1hr interval/TT and if you want to know your exact thresholds do a lab test or estimate the by feeding a couple of different length maximal intervals into the Golden Cheetah CP curve. If you're not going to be doing hour-long intervals then what's the point in knowing your FTP anyway?

    I'd just use the zone definitions from whatever training plan you're trusting.


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  • #7
    Raam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,318 ✭✭✭✭Raam


    Lumen wrote: »
    Exactly. The BC calculator gives 216-256 if you enter 300 into the field "Average Power from 20 minute test". You wrote "300 watts FTP". If you put 285W into the field you get 205-243W.

    Regarding the differences, it's possibly just differences in zone definition. Sports science attracts thickies so there's loads of conflicting information around (I'm not claiming to be smarter, I'm also too stupid to be a real scientist).

    I'm not a fan of the 95% rule. If you want to know your exact FTP do a 1hr interval/TT and if you want to know your exact thresholds do a lab test or estimate the by feeding a couple of different length maximal intervals into the Golden Cheetah CP curve. If you're not going to be doing hour-long intervals then what's the point in knowing your FTP anyway?

    I'd just use the zone definitions from whatever training plan you're trusting.

    To do effective training, surely? You don't need to do hour long intervals in order to make use of knowing your FTP.


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