Free Epub The Power Meter Handbook: A User's Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

The Power Meter Handbook: A User's Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

Author: Visit Amazon's Joe Friel Page | Language: English | ISBN: 1934030953 | Format: PDF

The Power Meter Handbook: A User's Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes Description

Review

“Renowned coach Joe Friel demystifies this training tool and offers 12 power-based workouts, as well as weekly training schedules for road races, time trials, triathlons, and century rides.” — Bicycling magazine

""One of the most trusted coaches in the sport."" — LAVA magazine

“A simplified approach to using a power meter effectively.” — Cycling Weekly

""Joe Friel is arguably the most experienced personal cycling coach in the U.S., and his book The Cyclist's Training Bible has become, well... the Bible of the sport."" — Bicycling magazine

“The ridiculously, underutilized power meter finally has a handbook to help you get the full benefit. Packed full of specific, useful information, if you own a power meter, [The Power Meter Handbook] is an absolute essential piece of equipment.” — TriEdge.net

“A great introduction to using a power meter for your bike.” — Boston.com

“Many of us have spent thousands on sophisticated power meters, so it seems another $16.95 to make sure we’re using them to their fullest potential is a no brainer. After a few chapters to make sure you understand your power meter and what those numbers you’re drooling over really mean, Friel helps you determine your individual power zones and functional threshold power. From here he helps you determine when and how to train harder, build a better base, and the crux of it all: get fitter and faster to improve overall competitive performance.” — BikeRumor.com

""Training using a power meter can seem like a daunting undertaking, but coach and author of The Cyclist’s Training Bible Joe Friel simplifies the process in his new book, The Power Meter Handbook: A User’s Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes."" — Canadian Cycling magazine

From the Back Cover

IT'S TRUE: A power meter is the best training tool you can put on your bike.Even if you have been racing for years, a power meter can take you from the middle of the pack to the podium in one season. But having a power meter is one thing;knowing how to use itis another.The Power Meter Handbookwill demystify the numbers, clarify the setup, and show you how to train with power in simple terms. Joe Friel's power meter system willimmediatelyimprove your fitness, speed, and training. WithThe Power Meter Handbookyou will:

Precisely match your training to your race season
Push your limits step by step
Pinpoint your fi tness changes—reliably and accurately
Peak predictably for key events
Vastly improve your training efficiency

The Power Meter Handbookincludesweekly training schedulesfor road racing, time trials, triathlons, and century rides. And12 power-based workoutswill build your aerobic endurance, muscular force, sprint speed,and climbing. Train smarter and race faster withThe Power Meter Handbook. It's yourone-stop guideto a higher level of fitness. JOE FRIEL is the best-selling author ofThe Cyclist's Training BibleandThe Triathlete's Training Bibleand cofounder of TrainingPeaks.com. As one of America's most trusted coaches, he has trained national athletes and represented the United States at world championships.

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Product Details
Table of Contents
Reviews

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Velo Press (September 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934030953
ISBN-13: 978-1934030950
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

It's hard to read anything on power training without comparing it to Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan. That book gives a very detailed and technical description of training with a power meter. The problem for those new to using a power meter is that it's detailed and technical.

Friel's new book is geared more towards those who are considering getting a power meter or just bought one and want to know how it is different from training with a heart monitor. I'd say it does that pretty well.

There are a few problems though. There's almost nothing new in the book at all. If you've read Friel's blog and the articles on TrainingPeaks, you won't find new information here.

The biggest problem is that he defined Intensity Factor wrong. IF, as seen in all the training software out there, is (Normalized Power/Functional Threshold Power). Friel instead defines IF as (Average Power/Functional Threshold Power). Those two numbers can vary quite a bit. After seeing that mistake, it had me questioning every table and calculation based on IF for the rest of the book. <corrected my own mistake from earlier>

He proposes several rules that don't make sense. For example, the 5% rule that says you can double any duration and maintain 5% less power. It sounds nice, but it doesn't work for most durations for all athletes. For example, a sprinter with a 600 watt 1-minute power probably can't maintain 570 watts for 2 minutes unless we're talking about world-champion level fatigue resistance. Even a longer duration like 300 watts at 5 minutes, holding 290 watts at 10 minutes would be very unlikely.

Here is the review I posted on Duathlon.com:
[...]

Joe Friel's The Power Meter Handbook may be the single best available resource on training with power for most cyclists and triathletes. Released in late 2012, Friel does a good job of making sense of a topic that is confusing to many. Training & Racing With a Power Meter, released in 2010, is also an excellent book on the same topic, but it is more technical and might be an easier read for more advanced users of power meters.

Riding with a power meter is similar to using a heart rate meter in that the primary display is a single number (watts of power), except power data is significantly more useful if you know what you are doing. Using a power meter is so important that Joe won't coach an athlete who doesn't use one.

Before you pick up the book know that you won't master a power meter overnight or in a week. You must familiarize yourself with the concepts, analyze workouts within power meter software, and compare workouts over time. No single concept of power meter use is difficult, but experience is necessary. If you like looking at numbers and comparing workouts, this will be fun. If this has no appeal to you then hire a good coach to do the work for you.

To get full benefit from your power meter you must test often (every 4-6 weeks) and download ALL of your workouts into your training software.

Newer athletes, and those not looking for serious performance, can get most of the book's benefit by reading to page 125 (book length is 209 pages). More advanced athletes and coaches will want to read beyond, and for those familiar with power but looking for deeper information, this is where the book shines.

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