Originally posted by TiMan, i responded with >>
Well I wish I could afford those fancy SMR cranks so I could train knowing my power output but then again heart rate training is pretty darn good too......in fact I think heart rate is a better indicator of bodily effort than power output.
>>the best measure of effort/intensity is effort itself (power output). HR is a dependent variable.
I wonder if training primarily by measuring and focusing in on power output might cause a higher potential for overtraining as heart rate(bodily effort) takes a back seat so to speak. After all it would be human nature to not allow ones power output to ever drop on a given course and type of ride...some days the desired training effect will take place, as measured by bodily effort(heart rate),with a lower power output and some days that same training affect as measures by bodily stimulation(heart rate) will take place at a higher power output.
>>there's probably less likelyhood of overtraining with a power meter than a HR monitor. Firstly, if you can't produce the required power for a days session you might as well go home. secondly, because HR can/does vary at a given workload then some riders will try to force their HR up to a prescribed level (when in fact the target power is at a lower HR).
Perhaps the ultimate type of training would be power out monitoring combined with heart rate monitoring which is indeed what the pro's now do.
>>I've been advocating this for quite a long time! Of course you don't just need to have SRM cranks, there's Power Tap, Ergomo and S710 too!
BUT!!...If Greg Lemond could reach a VO2 max of 93, 9 better than Armstrong, with only the help of smart training, good genetics and A HEART RATE MONITOR the it is good enough for me.(no SMR cranks for Greg and only limited time on a trainer measuring power output later on in his career)
>>apart from the fact that Greg did use an SRM (one of the first pros to do so), even if we assume he didn't use one, would that not be because they weren't invented till later in his career.
http://www.srm.de/srmchamps.html
Ric